Closer caught up with Martin Clunes, 55, over cups of tea in London as he prepares to play grumpy Doc Martin again
What can we expect from the new series?
The doc and Louisa (his headmistress wife) are still working hard at their marriage (after attending therapy last series), and they’re trying to make a good life for themselves and baby James. Bert (Ian Mcneice) is still trying to make a profit out of the whisky he makes, while his son Al (Joe Absolom) is struggling to make a go of his B&B.
Can we expect a special guest star, or three?!
Definitely! Art Malik appears, as well as Caroline Quentin – and we get a return visit from Sigourney Weaver! She had the briefest of roles last time round, and in this series her part is more substantial.
Tell us more…
Her character, Beth Traywick, enjoys flirting with the doc and tries to convince him to return with her to America and work there. This puts her on a collision course with the pharmacist Mrs Tishell, who has a crush on the doc – and they clash. The irony is that Selina Cadell (who plays Mrs Tishell) is also a very good friend of Sigourney’s!
What about your army of fans, Martin, the Clunatics. Did they make their presence felt?
Some of them came along to Port Isaac in Cornwall to see us in action, and I never cease to be amazed by the attention they pay to detail.
Give us an example…
There are American fans who fixate on the Buddha that the doc has in his surgery. We do Skype chats with them, and they want to know the significance of it moving – whereas the reality is, we switch it around just to dress the back of the shot when the doc is speaking to a patient. There’s another fan who logs the doc’s ties and puts a message on social media when a new tie appears…
And do you have favourite gifts you’ve received from fans?
A Lego version of the doc from Holland – complete with syringe and dog – was pretty special. You know you’ve made it when you’ve been Legoed!
It’s no secret that Doc Martin is coming to an end next year. Why call it a day now?
By the end of this current series my wife Philippa, who produces the show, will have worked on 65 scripts. It’s not an easy show to write when the main character likes very few people and is liked by even fewer! We have to finish at some point.