I am totally — and I mean TOTALLY — hooked on the “Doc Martin” series ever since Netflix introduced it. Well, actually, I had kind of ignored it, preferring instead to watch other exceptional British TV series that are offered on Netflix (Foyle’s War, Land Girls, Last Tango in Halifax, Island at War, Broadchurch to name just a few).
So… after I had watched all of my top picks, I looked at the offering, thought “why not…” and queued up the Doc.
My reaction to the first episode was lukewarm. “This is so quirky. And that Elaine!!! I’d have kicked her out of Doc’s office so fast, her Rastafarian braids would have been horizontal.”
But… I gave it another go (as they say in England) and rolled into Episode 2. That’s when the addiction set in.
After that, I needed another hit of the Doc. And another, and another… until, well, I confess… I binged. Hard. I barely came up for air, I was so hooked. I wanted to be in Portwenn. In my mind, I WAS in Portwenn.
Six seasons and 46 episodes later, I returned to the first episode and watched the entire series again. And now I confess, I’m mainlining on my third go around. (I may need an intervention.. but not until after I’ve watched Season 7, puh-leeze!!!) My husband is now hooked too, and says the Doc and Portwenn’s characters are like part of our family.
Each time I watch an episode, I catch different nuances: the arch of an eyebrow on the Doc’s ever so expressive face, his body language, the extras in the background “going about their business” in the cozy village.
Now that I’m familiar with the plots and where they’ll end up, I find myself studying the acting and subtleties missed in the first viewing. The writing is as brilliant as the stunning locale on the Cornish coast.
The actors, all of them, are pure gold. Martin Clunes (The Doc), Caroline Catz (Louisa), Ian McNeice (Bert), Joe Absolom (Al)… and yes, even Mrs. Tishell. I love them, quirks and all.
Portwenn (Port Isaac on the Cornwall Coast in real life) is a popular vacation spot, especially during the four months of Doc Martin filming, and a visit to that Cornish fishing village is definitely on my bucket list.
I’ve researched everything I can find about Martin Clunes (the Doc), watched every interview he’s done, every YouTube clip of his previous acting roles, every documentary he and his wife (Philippa Braithwaite who also produces DM) have created (the 3-part series about the British Isles is wonderfully glorious), and have decidedly fallen in TV love with Clunes. In reality, he’s the total opposite of the Doc, with a soft-voiced kindness, a hearty laugh, a seemingly sweet disposition, and a proven keen desire to help others less fortunate with his involvement in several charities. (Sigh…what a guy…)
So when I found “Doc Martin-itis and Dreamy Doyden Castle” on a blogsite that features homes seen on TV series and in movies, I just had to share it with you.
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have and if you haven’t already watched Doc Martin (or Dr. Martin Ellingham, as he prefers to be called), this might whet your appetite to visit Doc Martin on Netflix (if you aren’t a subscriber, you have NO idea what quality programming you’re missing) or on YouTube. And perhaps it might even prompt you to visit Port Isaac where the Doc Martin production just finished filming its (hallelujah!) 7th season.
I confess. I’m in love, or as the Doc might diagnose it, I’ve an acute case of De Clérambault’s Syndrome…
Mint Eucalyptus 