British TV: Doc Martin and Martin Clunes

Lately I've discoverd Martin Clunes' British television series Doc Martin. The show is based on a character he played in Colin Ferguson's film Saving Grace... actually the name of the character and the general setting from the film. Clunes plays Dr. Martin Ellingham a surgeon who has developed hemophobia and retrained as a GP. He has moved to the sleepy Cornish village of Portwenn where he had spent the summers living with his aunt as a boy. A brilliant doctor but also grumpy with poor people skills (like Hugh Laurie's Dr. House) he is a fish out of water. The main thrust of the series his interaction with the townsfolk and especially the mutual attraction/hostility between him and school teacher Louisa Glasson, played by Caroline Catz.

A lighthearted comedy drama with quirky characters, much like Northern Exposure, Doc Martin succeeds because of Martin Clunes' portrayal of the title character. Unlike his usual, more affable roles, Martin Ellingham is not a likable character. He hates dogs, dislikes his patients, and generally hold pretty much everyone with few exceptions in contempt. It is Clunes' body language that sells the role, ramrod straight back with a near constant sneer together with the costuming of a perfectly fit suit and close cropped hair (this is in contrast most Clunes' portrayals, for example Gary in Men Behaving Badly, or William in William & Mary, have somewhat shaggy hair and even when dressed in good clothes have a more affable dispositions.)

Filmed for the British ITV network, one of the commercial alternatives to the BBC, Doc Martin has been a hit in it's home country and in the US on PBS. There are four seasons with a fifth and possibly final one on the way. One of the most likable things about British television is how seldom it ever overstays it's welcome. Seasons are short, usually six or eight episodes (last year's BBC series Sherlock had three!). This is a great relief from the American format which often leads to padding, filler for shows like this. A season in the US would have used up all the material from the four seasons and two hour special in one year.

I'll be posting more on British TV in the future.

All four seasons are available on Netflix for streaming and the first episode is on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHKgCGhI1xs