# Doc Martin (2004)

> A brusque former London surgeon reluctantly takes a village general practice in a Cornish seaside town and clashes with its eccentric residents.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/2306

## Facts

- Seasons: 10
- Episodes: 77
- Episode runtime: 50 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, drama
- Created by: Dominic Minghella
- Network: ITV1
- Cast: Martin Clunes, Caroline Catz, Stephanie Cole, Katherine Parkinson, Joe Absolom, Ian McNeice, Stewart Wright, Lucy Punch
- TMDB rating: 8.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408381/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: witty, quirky, gentle, wistful, cozy

## What critics say

Viewers broadly agree that Doc Martin is a consistently charming and well-acted British comedy drama whose quirky lead and seaside village setting keep audiences returning, with its later seasons rated highest.

## Synopsis

Doc Martin (2004-2022) is a British comedy drama series created by Dominic Minghella for ITV1. Martin Clunes stars as Dr. Martin Ellingham, a brilliant but socially incapable former London surgeon who takes a general practice in the fictional Cornish fishing village of Portwenn. His engine is simple and comic: he wants to practise medicine with clinical precision and keep the community at arm's length, while the village keeps pulling him into its routines, feuds and romances. Caroline Catz plays Louisa Glasson, the local woman who becomes his counterweight, and Ian McNeice and Joe Absolom add warmth as the Large family. Each episode is built from small-town mishaps, patient cases and awkward social collisions that turn Martin's rigidity into running gags. The show runs as a continuing story across ten series with a feature-length special, so its romantic and personal threads develop over time. Set in a present-day rural Cornwall, the tone is gentle, witty and wistful, with a cozy warmth beneath its prickly central character. Fans of Northern Exposure, Ballykissangel and Hamish Macbeth will find similar resonance in its eccentric small community and reluctant outsider hero, and the series rewards patient viewers who enjoy character comedy with an emotional core.

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- [Northern Exposure (1990)](https://ember.film/tv/4179)
- [The Doctor Blake Mysteries (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/52880)
- [All Creatures Great and Small (1978)](https://ember.film/tv/6892)
- [Skärgårdsdoktorn (1997)](https://ember.film/tv/16459)
- [The Vicar of Dibley (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/2630)
- [Beyond Paradise (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/127805)
- [Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/106708)
- [Poldark (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/55268)

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