User reviews

This gem of a series is lifted out of the sickly-sweet genre of medic/policeman in small quirky country community (often with 'heart' somewhere in the title and 'heartwarming' in the reviews - ugh!) by the spectacular social ineptness of the lead character, Doc Martin, perfectly played by Martin Clunes. Imagine the series if Doc Martin was an ordinary GP, and you'll see what I mean. I was first attracted by the wonderful scenery of Port Isaac in Cornwall (Port Wen in the series)but quickly got interested in how he was going to put his foot in it this week. The story lines are average I would say, some better than others, usually centred on a different medical incident each week, but the real interest is in the relationships between the villagers and the doctor, and how they develop over time. It is always entertaining (and even the not-so-good plot lines are enlivened by the beautiful landscape) and sometimes extremely funny - something to look forward to.

Being an ex-pat Brit, I am well aware of how the country has changed in many ways not to my liking, but one thing they still do so well in the UK has not changed, and that is dramas of this genre. I lived in various parts of the English countryside as a kid, and I know that eccentric characters like this really do abound. As for the comment about the local lovelies, you should try the seaside towns of Cardigan Bay in Wales, a goodly number of beauties there, I assure you, it must be the bracing sea air. Regarding another comment, I too went to the church and lit a candle to pray that nobody in Hollywood will even think of making an American version of this very charming drama. Looking forward to the fourth series and also hoping for a happy ending, soppy romantic that I am.

I thought that the story of an arrogant top-flight London surgeon trying to run a practice in a chummy town in Cornwall would make for a one-note fish-out-of-water series, but instead it has been a delight every week. Doctor Martin Ellingham, for a reason that will be revealed later in the series, decides to transplant himself to a seaside village in Cornwall where he spent a few summers as a child with an aunt, who presently runs an organic farm there. Being a terse, intensely closed, firmly impersonal fellow, he is appalled at the ways of the village people who consider themselves as one big, happy, nosy family. Of course, in a series like this, we expected the clash of cultures between the coldly efficient doctor and the quirky little town to be the main storyline, but it is the diversity of their quirkiness (some of which will surprise you!) and the inventive medical cases that call the doctor's attention, and the personal incidents that test his patience, that will keep you coming back for more each week. While there is a lead cast -- Doctor Ellingham (who intensely dislikes the too familiar "Doc Martin" that people insist on calling him), the head schoolteacher who develops an interest in him, despite herself, the affable teddy bear of a police constable, the exasperating receptionist with a chip on her shoulder, and the jokey, prank-loving plumber played by the wonderful Ian McNeice -- none of the characters that show up fleetingly in the beginning is actually a one-off. Eventually, everyone's back story is brought to the fore. This makes the town more and more three-dimensional and you may find yourself caring quite a lot for the individuals that make up this engaging little village; yes, even for the irascible doctor, whose own back story is rather quite poignant and makes his unbending personality more understandable. The best thing about the series is that it accomplishes all this without the schmaltz that usually ruins programs of this genre. For intelligent, humorous and charming entertainment, spend an hour in the village by the sea of Doc Martin. Who knows? Maybe someday, people will be trying to find Portwenn in the same way that fans of veterinarian-writer James Herriot have been looking for his fictional Darrowby. I would certainly give it a try.

Doc Martin is so unusual and wonderfully off-kilter that it becomes addictive within 20 minutes of exposure.

The titular Doc is a guy who was probably a curmudgeon before puberty. He's a surgeon from sophisticated, worldly London who moves to (fictional) Portwenn on the coast of Cornwall because he suddenly becomes ill at the sight of blood. This is not a good omen for a surgeon. He quits to become a general practitioner and he's satisfied, thanks very much, with checkups, prescriptions and referrals.

The foul-mannered, blunt-spoken Doc smugly considers himself above the crowd, but he soon learns he is really BELOW the crowd, out of step with Portwenn's eccentricities, value systems and peculiar burghers, who make the mere lunatics of London look normal by comparison.

Martin Clunes is terrific in the lead role. He is a tall, charismatic and not exactly handsome actor who looks like he would be more comfortable playing cops and heavies. He is, instead, a consummate comic actor. His facial and physical comedy, his frequent bouts of exasperation and bewilderment, are things to behold. (Note: some wags have compared him to 'House,' from the popular TV drama of the same name. House is played by Hugh Laurie, another splendid Brit, and that's about where the comparison begins and ends. They are two very different characters in two very different shows.)

Portwenn's local population, with its twisted logic that somehow makes perfect sense, is represented through the tour-de-force acting of supporting players: Bert (Ian McNeice, who always dazzles playing offbeat, world-weary philosophical characters); Louise (the charming and beautiful Caroline Catz), who either loves Martin or wants to kill him; corn-rowed Elaine (lovely Lucy Punch) as the ditzy assistant with her own set of secretarial ethics; and Doc's Aunt Joan (the great Stephanie Cole, who has been delighting audiences since the 1960s).

Dominic Minghella, he of the Minghella mob of talented artists (brother Anthony directed 'The English Patient'), is the brains behind this brilliant controlled chaos.

Don't miss this program. TV shows that are both funny AND intelligent are the rarest of TV fare.

And a fast footnote: let us all bow our heads and pray that Hollywood doesn't try to remake this.

Doc Martin is as close as it gets to perfection. Martin Clunes and Dominic Minghella should (and I'm sure do) take intense pride over their creation. The writing is the best in the business, the director Ben Bolt is amazing, and the acting is subtle, natural, hilarious and touching. In addition to Martin Clunes, Caroline Catz has shown herself to be one of the best of her generation. And the scenery and music, of course, are beautiful.

Pleeeeeeaaaaaaaase, please, please Mr. and Mrs. Clunes: Don't sell out to us Yanks. Let the American version of Men Behaving Badly be your guide...Don't do it, ever, under any circumstances!

I love a good TV series/drama, and Doc Martin is exactly that and more. Every time it comes on, it always makes my night, and is consistently wonderful and engrossing.

Doc Martin has some beautiful production values. The photography is always skillful, but I just love the beautiful, almost picturesque scenery. The music is lovely too, not just the accompanying music in scenes but the main title theme too.

Where Doc Martin also scores is in the writing. Of all the shows on ITV, this for me is one of the most consistent in terms of written quality, always being funny, subtle, honest and touching. The story lines are also very well explored, any issues or problems the characters face are done in a gripping way that doesn't patronise or offend.

The direction is great too, while the pace is never too rushed or too slow and each episode is a perfect length and leaves you satisfied when it ends.

The characters are always engaging, especially the title character, who is really quite lovable once you get to know him. The acting helps to make these characters likable, Caroline Catz and Ian McNiece are always great, but it is Martin Clunes who holds the show together and he is brilliant. I quite liked Clunes even before this show, especially in Goodbye Mr Chips, but after seeing him here I confess I love him even more now.

All in all, just wonderful and I am amazed how consistently strong it is. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I do not understand why some people do not understand why they love this series nor understand why they love Doc Martin. Some dedicated viewers really don't understand why they are so hooked! So I shall tell them why they love Doc Martin. Doc Martin is real. I am a registered nurse and have worked in the Operating Room (theater, if you are picky) and I can tell you this man exists. That is why I switched to the Medical Floor, to get away from the Doc Martins of the hospital. Good grief, they are intimidating. It takes years to find out how weak and vulnerable and sad they are. When a patient codes and doesn't make it, the Doc Martins of the world are left to handle their grief and feelings alone. Isn't that sad? We notice (and love) Doc Martin first of all because he oozes alpha male chemistry and we react to that with a mixture of love and hate, contempt and admiration. We love him second of all because he has transcended most of his feelings (unlike us) and has moved to a higher plane of capability because of it and we benefit from his capability and confidence. We love him thirdly because he needs our love and he has been so mistreated and has such voids within him. There are all kind of subtle clues that Doc Martin is wonderful, but none so telling as the fact that dogs love him and are not impressed by his screams and sneers. You cannot fool a dog! Why does America love this series so much? Because the British do a much finer job than we do at so many many film endeavors. From the impeccable casting to the brilliant writing and believable dialogue to the ability the British have to plumb the depths and soar the heights of human drama and comedy without having holes and gaps that need filled with obscenity or worse. Thanks to the British for their genius. They are even brilliant in the way they use color to match the characters to the environment and create an ambiance that disarms the viewer. I love British films and "Doc Martin" best of all. I suspect another reason America is enthralled with the Doc Martin series is because we Americans are having socialized medicine crammed down our unwilling throats, and watching socialized medicine in action adds a certain little touch of horror spice to the story that Brits probably do not even notice.

This is a question as well as a comment. Following the final episode of the Doc Martin series just shown by the Australian Broacasting Commission was the caption "Dedicated to John Coleman". I can find no reference to John Coleman on the Doc Martin website. I am guessing he was one of the writers. Am I right? By the way, I loved the series, but one or two things bothered me. The plots were interesting enough and the most of the characters were beautifully drawn, but to some extent some of them were a bit two-dimensional. For example the professionally super-efficient Doc Martin was so rude to everyone that one could hardly believe that any of his patients would ever come back for more. The policeman was (at least until the final episode) unbelievably inept, if not dim-witted. Sorry but I couldn't accept the snake bite episode, when the Doc displayed more patience with the mad forest ranger than he had with the entire village of (reasonably) sane people. The final episode was by far the most believable and the best. On the credit side I found the casting perfect, the setting idyllic and the photography exquisite. The whole thing was so beautiful it made me wonder why I ever left the dear old place. Is there to be more? Dennis Mitchell.

A prominent London surgeon suddenly begins to suffer from haemophobia, and therefore leaves surgery and goes to the small coastal village to be a general practitioner. But neither he feels good about local mentality and customs, nor villages like his uptightness and arrogance. Martin Clunes is brilliant in the role of a socially handicapped doctor who is clumsily trying fit into, for him, a totally abnormal environment. The series is slow paced and very relaxing, moderately colored by drama, comedy, and romance, and although it is far from the masterpiece of television, it is incredibly addictive. Last night I finished the first season and so far I rate it

7,5/10

After years of 'Men Behaving Badly' and 'Have I got News for you', I certainly didn't. After this series I do though.

Someone should teach the Americans how to make this sort of show: funny, whimsical and without a glimmer of preaching, with weird and damaged characters that hug you from the screen, and pathos aplenty. It requires a light hand unfortunately, something that neither Hollywood nor primetime TV in the US is renowned for.

Thank God for the Brits, who've forgotten more about this kind of TV than all the network moguls and writing teams will ever know. Dominic Minghella takes us on an oddball outing worthy of Richard Curtis, and I thank him very much.

Doc Martin is a charming show and delivers on its promise of warmth and fun. The setting is charming with many warm characters in the town which are juxtaposed against the cold and overly clinical main character, Doc Martin. Viewers get to explore the frailties and oddities in the human condition in all the characters including the main one. There is nothing especially great about the show; it isn't groundbreaking or overly clever. Just simple charm. The show isn't hilarious but rather amusing, nice. This is a perfect show for people tired of the overly complicated, overly preachy, overly violent, overly sexual, overly PC shows provided by US TV.

Martin Clunes isn't a bad fellow and even in a thankless role like this, he's hard to entirely dislike. But surround him with a cast of insufferable fools -- most of whom are direct from Central Casting -- and the show quickly goes downhill.

"Doc Martin" somehow manages to inherit the world's most obnoxious and incompetent receptionist and the world's most inept plumber. His reaction? He puts up with them. Sorry, but this is utterly absurd. It's ridiculous to expect us to believe that man as abrasive and unfriendly as "Doc Martin" supposedly is (even just on the surface) would simply endure such destructive and useless people. Is there no one else within 30 miles who could do a better job? Because clearly, there's no one else within 30 miles who could do a *worse* job.

At every turn, there's a plot device straight from the 1930s, no matter how improbable. For example, when Martin is run off the road, does he even bother slowing down? Nope, he drives at the same speed until he runs into a pond. Sorry, but anyone with an IQ over room temperature would at least take his foot off the gas, if not move it to the brake pedal. Believable? Not even slightly, but it's a necessary device to advance the entirely hackneyed plot. It's a bog-standard sit-com. Beyond Mr. Clunes and the locations, there's really nothing to save "Doc Martin".

I really don't know what attracts me to this series. Perhaps it's the simple fact of British humor that I love (like "Are You Being Served?" which was crudely done, but always a laugh, or any Monty Python episode). I love the characters. I love to rage at the Doc for his lack of any human understanding - much like Sheldon in BBT. This series reminds me of the old "Northern Exposure" series, whose departure I lamented.

No, it's the British humor. Pretty much in your face. I love to laugh, and this series does it for me. Can anyone be weirder than Bert Large? Loved the birdwatching episode. Yes, I'm hooked. Can't wait for the next season.

We love this series - Louisa included. We need more good viewing like this! Cornwall is beautiful and the characters are very entertaining. Martin Clunes does an excellent job of maintaining the character of "Doc Martin," even in the face of frequent requests to just go with the flow. Louisa is beautiful and, and in our opinion far from a "harpy." The supporting cast is amazing - they are so believable, even when they are doing things you can't believe would really happen. Bert and Al Large are some of our favorites - along with Pauline. The first receptionist was just annoying, but Pauline fits in perfectly and is someone you can really care about. Doc Martin is outstanding!

I love this show because, as quirky as it is, it is one of the greatest love stories of all time. However, up until now, the story is about the "feeling" of love that the Doc and Louisa have for one another. This series would do the world justice if it continued for a few more seasons that centered around the two of them learning how to love and what the true meaning of "loving" another really is. This would take it from "best series" to "classic series". And...in these troubled and confused times, would greatly help us all.

I think they have begun to scratch the surface by living together. All I know is that my brilliant husband begs me to watch another episode of Doc Martin every night and he's not the most romantic sort. We have watched all 5 series twice and are halfway through our third.

This has turned out to be one of my favourite comedy dramas. I didn't watch it when it was first aired so have had some catching up to do over the last few years. I love every aspect of this from storyline, characters, dialogue to location filming. I've enjoyed every season and even the repeats. I just watched the end of season 9 and I just hope ITV has the good sense to commission a season 10 - fingers crossed! Well done to everyone involved in it's production.

This started off brilliantly. And it has maintained it to the end. Some series that I have loved at the outset eventually got tired and ran out of puff. This never has. It is as funny and heartwarming as ever. Brilliant characters, the most wonderful setting, and consistently daft and funny, quality writing. I will miss this. Like Porridge and Fawlty, for once, thank goodness for repeats... the Doc and his posse of lunatics (and put upon dogs) will never truly 'die'..... Martin Clunes and his 'team' have created something very special that will stand the test of time. We in the U. K. obviously like grumps, and like Meldrew and Rigsby, Doctor Ellingham will be immortal.

Just watched the final Leaving Portwenn episode. Not only as brilliant as ever but the perfect send off. Yes, there were tears. God I wish they were doing yet more. It has NEVER faded.

Doc Martin is as close as it gets to perfection. Martin Clunes and Dominic Minghella should (and I'm sure do) take intense pride over their creation. The writing is the best in the business, the director Ben Bolt is amazing, and the acting is subtle, natural, hilarious and touching. In addition to Martin Clunes, Caroline Catz has shown herself to be one of the best of her generation. And the scenery and music, of course, are beautiful.

Mr. and Mrs. Clunes: Don't sell out to us Yanks. Let the American version of Men Behaving Badly be your guide...Don't do it, ever, under any circumstances!

I expected a curmudgeon of a doctor descending on a pleasant hamlet. As his aunt warns him, "this is no chocolate-box village, these are real people". Not quite. Turns out the "Doc" is fairly normal, and it is the locals who are insensitive, incompetent, rashly judgmental,needy, and almost relentlessly unpleasant. Thay come down hard on a fairly reasonable medico who, admittedly, has problems of his own, although they pale in comparison to the inhabitants in this (as the Doc puts it): "Village of the Damned".

Hilarity ensues... No, really, MOST other people laugh at loud at this series. Give it a try. I think that if you are not as cranky as I am ( I kept shouting at the screen "Get out Doc! Run for your life! Emigrate!") , then you may find the beautiful countryside and relentless tea drinking a charming British alternative to "House", one in which it is the patients who need to develop a bedside manner. In fact, if you stick with it, the characters are painted in greater depth and sympathy. Give it at least three episodes before you decide.

Seeing in 2020 in India makes me realise the sheer beauty of this series. Most of Netflix & other platforms generally have brutal, twisted stories which are good once in a while but Doc Martin is so refreshing & is beauty in simplicity. Fantastic, a must watch...

Doc Martin is an enjoyable, often funny show set in a beautiful fishing village in Cornwall UK (called Portwen, it's filmed in Port Isaac). The lead character Dr. Martin Ellingham (called "Doc Martin" by the locals which he doesn't like) is a former surgeon who's become a GP because of his blood phobia. He's also brusque, uptight, often rude and lacking in social skills. (It only eluded to in several episodes but this character is probably on the autistic spectrum). He's also a dedicated doctor who cares deeply about his patients and is very good at diagnostics. I personally think his rudeness (which is the source of a lot of the humour in the show) often comes from his lack of social skills rather than deliberate meanness. When he's overwhelmed with emotion, he often resorts to lecturing people on medical matters. Martin Clunes plays him brilliantly. If you watch any of Martin Clunes' other shows (especially his travelogues where he's himself), you will see when he's in character as Doc Martin, his mannerism, his posture and his gait are completely different. It's enjoyable watching him interact with the other characters including Louisa, Aunt Joan and Aunt Ruth. (I also enjoyed these characters.)

Why did I give a rating of 7 instead of 8? For me, there were several reasons. Firstly, the show is occasionally medically inaccurate (eye injections cannot restore sight in someone with age related macular degeneration, they can only slow its progress.) Apparently the show had a medical advisor but there were occasional slipups (such the inaccuracy about macular degeneration.) Sometimes the plots are over the top and stretch the bounds of believability. Within the show's long run, it felt like there was a lot of repetitiveness. In my opinion, the show ran too many series and ran out of ideas. In particular 2 of the secondary characters began to grate on my nerves the way they were written; specifically PC Joe Penhale and Bert Large. Both became very annoying and I came to dread every time they were on the screen (which seemed to be a lot).