Doc Martin - short question with minimal spoilers?

I’m rather late to the party, but thanks to a recommendation from my British brother-in-law, I am addicted to this gentle, charming, witty gem.

Doc Martin is an insufferable arrogant ass who I can’t help but love.
Physically he looks like a fat lipped fish with protruding ears.

“Doctor Martin Ellingham” hates dogs with a passion (a devoted dog will not leave his side), has a blood phobia/anxiety (he’s a surgeon), and he is a brilliant physician, even when he is making a wrong diagnosis.

However, as wonderful and quirky as the lead character is, it is the richness and variety of the townspeople who really make this show watchable. The British have an unfair wealth of character actors. The script writers manage to develop new and returning characters that are so real that it seems I have met them myself.

Set your DVR and thank me later.

“Bert, it’s been a long day. Take two aspirin and insult me in the morning.”

Not trying to spike your enjoyment, but the two or three episodes I watched took the concept of “meeting cute” and expanded it to fill an entire show.


A doctor who’s terrified of blood? A dog hater who ends up caring for an adorable pooch? A tough minded, learned dude who can’t fire his dangerous, idiotic receptionist because her friends snub the town’s only doctor? And that’s not to mention the actual “meeting cute” sequence where the comely teacher thinks the new doctor is ogling her, but it turns out he is really saving her from going blind.

Tastes vary.

Indeed.

Pinkyvee: We just had a “Doc Martin” thread a few weeks ago, which I remember because I’m also a fan. I took the liberty of merging your thread into that one.

Thanks. You know… I did search “Doc Martin” in Cafe forum and did not get this thread as a result.

Weird.

Again, thank you.

Chicago’s WTTW aired the Doc Martin movie tonight. Completely different townspeople and backstory, but an immensely more likeable Doc Martin character. Seems odd that for the the TV series they decided to make him so utterly unredeemable in every way except diagnostic expertise.

Sorry to revive this zombie thread, but my SO and I just sort of discovered this show and have watched the first season (at least I think it is first season - he moved to village and sets up office).

We like this series a lot!

Glad to hear that there are more seasons, and hope our local PBS starts showing them soon.

Everyone who tries this show gets hooked on it right away. I’m glad it’s still being discovered.

There’s a sixth series in the works, I understand.

If you can’t wait, and have Amazon Prime, all seasons are available free through Amazon Instant Video (after catching a few episodes on PBS, that’s how I caught up on the entire series).

Just watched S5 and enjoyed it.

I viewed some episodes before he connected with Louisa. I have not seen
any episodes of Doc Martin with Louisa. Somebody please outline the progression
of their affair to the matrimonial level. A timeline perhaps of the relationship.

Anyone else notice that in season 4 Louisa started calling herself Louiser?

Yes, I know that Al, Bert, and later, PC Penhale have always pronounced it this way, and I understand that those with the old Cornwall (or West Country) accent do this as well, but if you look back at earlier seasons, Caroline Catz pronounced her character’s name Louisa.

When she is conversing with her posh London friend her posh friend says that she is getting posher sounding because of all the rich people she teaches the children of while Louisa is starting to sound more rustic.

Just to give one of the other channels it’s due, Doc Martin isn’t a BBC show - you may have guessed that from the length (commercial tv). It’s an ITV show.

We are still watching, and I was surprised to see we are already through half of season three on our local PBS. I hope they keep going!

Funny segment of the most recent episode:

Doc: If you keep smoking, you will die.
Patient: My granny smoked a pipe every day until she was 93.
Doc: And then she died.
Patient: No - she lost her pipe.

Great series and happy to see they are filming yet another season.

Don’t forget the movie “A is for Acid”. For people who love Doc Martin, you won’t believe him in this movie. He plays a mass killer who disposes of people by putting them in a steel drum and then filling it up with acid and then pouring it down the sewer. Very effective disposal method in the 1950s & 1960s.

To be fair, he has a few other very important good traits. He does recognize when people are in pain (both physical and emotional) and he will then do what is needed to help them.

For another side of Caroline Catz, take a look at the series DCI Banks.

Excellent synopsis of the show. One of the best I ever saw. Right on!