Doc Martin

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.

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!

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

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.