Doc Martin's Portwenn surgery re-opens 2 September on ITV1; S7 hinted at?
When the initial pitch for Doc Martin came from series star Martin Clunes and wife, television producer Philippa Braithwaite, through their production company Buffalo Pictures, early thoughts from ITV were along the lines of, “Well, it doesn’t sound promising, does it? We’ve got a show about a cranky doctor who doesn’t like anyone and no one likes him.” 10+ years, 5 series and some 39 episodes later, the series about ‘the cranky doctor who doesn’t like anyone and no one likes him’ has become one of the hottest television properties coming out of the UK alongside the likes of Downton Abbey, Top Gear and Doctor Who with 208 countries including, most recently, Iran have either bought rights to the original series or are making their own versions.
And…beginning Monday, 2 September, Doc Martin returns with the premiere of series 6 on ITV1. At this point U.S. fans who watch on public television can expect the series to premiere in a January/February 2014 time frame.
As production began this past Spring on series 6, Clunes, who brilliantly portrays the curmudgeonly medic with a blood phobia and zero bedside manner, eluded to the fact that the upcoming series would be the last. “Well, that’s the kind of thing that happens when they let me out on my own,” said Clunes.
Thankfully, that sentiment was short-lived as welcome news came this week for Doc Martin fans in all 209 countries (including the UK), gives cause for celebration as Clunes announced, “No, we’re not talking about ‘last series’ any more. I love being down in Cornwall and I love being rude and rough to the elderly and to children, too. It’s my dream job!”.
You’ll have to exercise a bit of patience if Clunes’ dream job, as he calls it, is to continue for a seventh series. Given Clunes’ commitment to family and other projects, down time between series have averaged in the neighborhood of 12-18 months. We all know it will be well worth the wait.
