History Series / DocMartin

* WillTheyOrWontThey:
** Martin and Louisa. Even [[spoiler:after they decide to get married... they then jilt each other. And when they successfully tie the knot, the tension is enough that Louisa takes a solo vacation]].
** To some extent, Pauline and Al.
** Even later, Morwenna and Al as well as PC Penhale and Janice.

** The "tosser" girls.

->'''Doc Martin''': Sick people don't want a laugh, they want a doctor who knows what he's doing.\\
'''Louisa''': They want a bedside manner.\\
'''Doc Martin''': A bedside manner can't cure you.

A mix of MedicalDrama and BritCom, brought to you by {{Creator/ITV}} starring Creator/MartinClunes. Dr. Martin Ellingham is a highly-skilled doctor with two fairly glaring characteristics: firstly, he's a misanthrope with the bedside manner of Franchise/HannibalLecter; secondly, he's managed to acquire a [[IronicFear fear of blood]]. The latter resulted in him leaving his job as a renowned surgeon in UsefulNotes/{{London}} and heading for the [[UsefulNotes/{{Cornwall}} Cornish village]] of Portwenn to become their GP (General Practitioner, i.e. village doctor). There he deals with the variety of [[EccentricTownsfolk local oddballs]] who often ignore his medical advice, the ailment of the week, being a magnet for the local dogs, his aunt[[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute (s)]], and the [[{{jerkass}} argumentative]] local schoolmistress.

The character is based on the character Doctor Martin Bamford from the 2000 {{Comedy}} film ''Film/SavingGrace'' and the two [=BSkyB=] TV movies "Doc Martin" and "Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie", before being significantly retconned and renamed "Ellingham" by Dominic Minghella (spot the anagram). Aside from the scenic postcode, there is no link between the two characters.

The show aired a total of ten series. In 2020 ''Film/SavingGrace'' director Nigel Cole confirmed that the tenth series would be the last - it started airing on 7th September 2022 and concluded on 26th October 2022, followed by a Christmas special that served as the series finale.

* CatchPhrase:

The character is based on the character Doctor Martin Bamford from the 2000 {{Comedy}} film ''Film/SavingGrace'' and the two [=BSkyB=] TV movies “Doc Martin: The Movie” and “Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie”, before being significantly retconned and renamed "Ellingham" by Dominic Minghella (spot the anagram). Aside from the scenic postcode, there is no link between the two characters.

** The married couple Mr. and Mrs. Rix from the first episode of season 2 "Old Dogs" who choose to behave suspiciously and try to hide from Martin that they have introduced BDSM into their love life and are continuing to engage even when the husband has become so injured that he can’t work.

** The married couple Mr. and Mrs. Rix from the first episode of season 2 "Old Dogs" who choose to behave suspiciously and hide from Martin that they have introduced BDSM into their love life and are continuing to engage in it when Eddie has became so injured that he can’t work.

-->"It was easy to find you, I just followed the trail of outraged people."

** In the final episode of Series 1, Peter Cronk, a nine-year old boy who's kind of a loner is told by Louisa that, if you allow people to make fun of you and don't react, then [[TrainingFromHell they'll accept you because "they'll see you're okay."]] Even worse, this {{Aesop}} is repeated by the boy to Martin ...who in the same episode had been the victim of a practical joke that wasn't strictly a DeadlyPrank, but was still pretty cruel and quickly made him [[AcceptableTargets a laughing stock]] by pretty much everybody in the village, to the point where he was being discussed on local radio. The hard truth is that bullies rarely care about your reactions one way or another; the dynamics of human pack mentality are clear.

* LikesOlderWomen: In one episode, a painter has the hots for Auntie Joan. Martin suspects an OedipusComplex, and it's later revealed that he's grieving for his dead mother...

* AfraidOfBlood: Martin. Sets up the whole series, as his aversion to blood halts his high-flying medical career in its tracks and causes him to become a GP in a small rural village. Despite early efforts to keep a lid on his secret, an upstart doctor from his old hospital blabs about it all over Portwenn.

* AlwaysOnDuty: When we are first introduced to Martin, he is seen intrusively peering into a fellow passenger's face (Louisa) on a plane, checking for an eye disorder. He continues to offer unsolicited diagnoses, no matter how inappropriate the situation is, even if he faces stiff punishment for doing so. (Commenting on Louisa's breath in the middle of a cab ride gets him [[GetOut dumped on the outskirts of town]].)

* BritishStuffiness: Martin, is almost a caricature of the emotionally repressed Brit. From his stiff as a board posture, to his constant inability to handle emotions (well, positive emotions anyway; he has a better handle on the negative ones).

* BunnyEarsLawyer:
** Doctor Martin Ellingham is abrasive and arrogant, and generally unsociable. He has also developed a [[AfraidOfBlood blood phobia]], which caused him to have to give up his prestigious surgical practice and become the best damned GP (general practitioner) the village of Portwenn ever had.
** Also Stewart (the ShellShockedVeteran turned forest ranger).
** Dr. Timoney, a therapist, is often discredited because she is 'young looking'. She is a rather good therapist, though, according to Ruth.

* CantHoldHisLiquor: Martin.

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass:
** Penhale, heavier on the moron than the badass admittedly, but he came across as a very professional and scary copper when he dealt with the evil loan sharks threatening Bert. And when his estranged wife shows up apparently unaware that they've been divorced for four years, he's clearly still desperately in love with her, but the first thing he does is ask her the date, confirming that she's not well.
** Also Morwenna to an extent, particularly in the Series 6 finale when Bert's MacGyvering causes a woman to suffer a heart-stopping electric shock. On phone advice from Martin (who's dealing with his own serious problem at the time[[note]]Louisa has a brain malformation that only Martin has spotted and is about to fly to Spain, which would cause a potentially fatal bleed.[[/note]]) she performs CPR on the patient while Al fetches a defibrillator. In Series 7 she helps a man having a stroke while they're stranded in a remote place and she only has garbled radio instructions.

* TheDanza: The titular Doc - he's called Martin, and so is the actor who plays him.

* {{Determinator}}: Bert Large. Regardless of how many failures and setbacks he goes through (mainly self-inflicted), he never stops trying to strike success. Both Al and Ruth say "you never give up, do you?" in the finale, although in markedly different tones of voice.
** Martin qualifies as well; he may not have any bedside manners, but he will stop at nothing to try and help those in need of medical care, including [[spoiler: walking through a snowstorm while suffering hypothermia to reach an injured man's house]].

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In the first few episodes, Martin is still rude, but he's much more talkative and tries to repair some of the damage he does with his tactlessness. In the pilot, for instance, he secretly gets a husband, his unfaithful wife, and the lover all in the same room to try and make up.

* FatAndSkinny: Bert and Al. Bert being the short FatIdiot and his son Al is the sensible StraightMan.
* FishOutOfWater: Not so much these days, [[CharacterDevelopment since he's been living there a while by now]].
* {{Flanderization}}: PC Penhale wasn't terribly competent to begin with, but as the series has gone on he seems to keep getting worse and worse at his job, to the point that, by Series 6, he no longer seems to have the slightest idea what proper police procedure is.

* GameBreakingInjury: It's implied that PC Penhale used to be a city cop (and/or a better cop) before being kicked in the head by a horse on a call. It messed him up quite badly, resulting in [[spoiler:narcolepsy, agoraphobia, and mood swings that ruined his marriage]].

** Elaine, Doc Martin’s first receptionist. She was unprofessional, incompetent, entitled and completely obnoxious.

* HiddenDepths: Martin used to write Edith poetry.
* HillbillyMoonshiner: After [[spoiler:losing his restaurant]] in the final series, Bert builds a still in an old camper to make whiskey. However, his product actually turns out to be of salable quality, and Ruth helps him obtain a distillers' license.

** Louisa is often quick to antagonise and start an argument with Martin for things he does that she doesn’t like, however she usually refuses to admit her mistakes or when she is in the wrong if Martin or someone else calls her out because of her NeverMyFault attitude.

* InsufferableGenius: The Doc.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: While the Doc has a habit of being extraordinarily rude to people, it's clear that he ''does'' care about their well-being, but is frustrated by the fact that they never follow directions. He also clearly loves his Aunts, Louisa, and even Pauline. This is most obviously expressed in the episode where he and Louisa become engaged, as he tells off Pauline's mum for accusing Pauline of being a criminal when really she just has a gambling addiction, and where he tells Louisa that he can't bear to live without her.

* LackOfEmpathy: Doc Martin has ''no bedside manner'' and is probably a candidate for autistic personality disorder. He routinely tells people about their illness in the most abrasive way possible.

* LimitedWardrobe:
** Martin and his suits would make [[Series/HowIMetYourMother Barney Stinson]] proud. He changes into a new suit for his wedding (with the classic "wardrobe full of copies of the same outfit" gag), but nobody can tell the difference.
** Lampshaded in Series 6 when Martin asks if Louisa has seen his blue tie, to which she replies that all his ties are blue. He counters with the fact that he has a few red ones.
* LittleOldLadyInvestigates: Unlike Martin, who barely even understands his fellow man, Ruth was a criminal psychologist and can do some more interesting things in this regard.
** Notable examples include her attempting (yet failing due to Louisa) in informing Martin how to act toward [[spoiler:Mrs. Tishell when she kidnaps his and Louisa's baby]], when she assists Martin with a delusional lady who believes her son's been poisoning her, and when Martin goes missing and she tracks him down with Al.
* TheLoad: ''Nearly'' every time PC Penhale gets involved in a situation, he's either useless or actively exacerbates it.

* MiseryBuildsCharacter: Martin was brought up by emotionally distant and borderline [[AbusiveParents abusive]] parents who resented having a child at all.
--> '''Martin:''' I was locked in the cupboard under the stairs as a child, and it never did me any harm.
* MomentKiller: Martin manages to muck up the moment with Louisa repeatedly.

* NeverBareheaded: Bert's never without his ratty watch cap.
* NoSocialSkills: Martin. This exchange is a pretty clear demonstration of the problem:
-->'''Louisa:''' It's no good pretending to be nice, Martin, you've got to ''want'' to!\\
[{{Beat}}]\\
'''Martin:''' ''WHY?!''
* NoSympathy: There have been numerous occasions when Martin has had some appointment or official meeting that he didn't make because he was dealing with a medical emergency. This does not stop people from complaining that he wasted their time.
** Of course, more often than not, something happens to the patient which brings Martin to assist them anyway.

* NotSoStoic: [[spoiler: Martin after hearing the news about Joan's death. Despite outwardly remaining his typical aloof self, as he walks around her empty house, his eyes betray how utterly heartbroken he is.]]
* OnlySaneMan:
** Martin likes to paint himself as one of these, however Joan and her replacement Ruth have far better claims on this (albeit in different ways).
** Local ranger Stewart James appears to be this at first, having a perfectly pleasant conversation with Martin and appearing to be far more on the ball than most of the villagers, prompting Martin to question why he wants prescription tranquilisers. It's when he starts talking to a six foot tall invisible red squirrel called Anthony that things become clear. (Though in his more lucid moments when his PTSD isn't affecting him too much, he reverts to this.)
** Al Large is often shown as this, especially when in the presence of his father.

* ParentalAbandonment:
** The Ellinghams took every opportunity to not have to raise Martin, sending him to boarding school at age six and having him spend summers with Aunt Joan (until his father decided that Joan was too immoral).
** Louisa's mother walked out on the family when she was ten and she became estranged from her gambling-addict father when she was an adult. [[spoiler:Her father eventually becomes a criminal, causing a second estrangement. Her mother returned to become a cast member in season 5 and then they split again.]]

* PhraseCatcher: Martin has "Tosser!"[[note]]A British slang term, which in the definition used aptly when referring to Martin on the show, refers to someone (usually male) that behaves in a selfish and inconsiderate manner; although it alternatively means a person who is overly fond of masturbating, serving as a comparatively less vulgar alternative of "wanker".[[/note]]

* SarcasmBlind: Martin occasionally. It's unclear whether he does it deliberately to dismiss people he finds troublesome or that he simply doesn't bother to listen and think about what they've said enough to realize the sarcasm.
--> '''Mother''': I can't keep him home, I've got to work!
--> '''Martin''': Well, get your husband to help.
--> '''Mother''': Sure, if I mention impetigo (the skin infection her son has) he'll ditch his girlfriend straight away, drive overnight from Glasgow and give our marriage one more try.
--> '''Martin''': Good.

* SupremeChef: Martin himself. He might be uptight, a stick-in-the-mud, and unexpressive in every other aspect of his life, but his gastronomic creations show a singular passion and creativity. Notable that even during his relationship with Louisa he still insisted on doing the cooking for both of them.
* SurroundedByIdiots: One look at the locals, you can understand why Ellingham is so sarcastic and misanthropic.

* TooDumbToLive: One of Martin's great sources of frustration is just how many of his patients fail to follow his instructions in ways that are life-threatening, like insisting on working when they're recovering from a dangerous infection or injury. As well as the number of people who try self-medication, like when Mr Tishell gives himself a heart attack in Season 7 due to combining potassium supplements and testosterone boosters (both of which he was taking against Martin's orders). Usually it's Martin's skill as a doctor that's the only reason that keeps such actions from actually being fatal.

* TookALevelInJerkass: Louisa in season 7. After returning to Portwen and finding out that Martin has started seeing a psychiatrist to try and salvage their relationship, she starts going with him but continually [[NeverMyFault pins all the blame on him and refuses to admit any wrongdoing]].
* TooDumbToLive: * UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Martin, in spades.

* VomitIndiscretionShot: Martin. Nobody in Britain spews more than this man.

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Blood for Martin.

* YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe:
** Martin's stock response (along with calling the patient an idiot) to the people of Portwenn's often ridiculous attempts at self-medication or other antics.
** A specific example comes when Martin successfully removes [[spoiler: Eleanor's]] hernia in the consulting room and Morwenna (acting as his assistant) suggests she could close up the incision if he shows her how.

* BritishBrevity: Currently at 78 episodes, which while not bad for a British series, is still pretty modest for LongRunner of over 18 years.

The show aired a total of ten series. In 2020 ''Film/SavingGrace'' director Nigel Cole confirmed that the tenth series would be the last - it started airing on 7th September 2022 and concluded on 26 October 2022, followed by a Christmas special that served as the series finale.

The show has aired a total of nine series. In 2020 ''Film/SavingGrace'' director Nigel Cole confirmed that the tenth series would be the last - it started airing on 7th September 2022.

* CharacterisationMarchesOn: Martin is notably more ’normal' in early seasons. His rudeness is born more of a prickly personality and a Londoner’s standoffish attitude. He is actually a brilliant DeadpanSnarker, and makes stilted attempts to make friends with the villagers. In later seasons his difficulties morph into an AmbiguousDisorder where he seems incapable of understanding basic human emotions or humour.

* AmbiguousDisorder:
** Martin. He has no grasp of social niceties, is very literal-minded, and lacks a filter between his brain and his mouth. It only becomes apparent once he's free of the chilly confines of London and can no longer bark at people with total impunity.
--->'''Chris:''' Mr. Walton complains that you called him a "mentally deficient parasite."\\
'''Martin:''' ''(earnestly)'' He ''is'' a mentally deficient parasite.\\
'''Chris:''' Right. [[DeadpanSnarker That man, he's always complaining about everything.]]
** Peter Cronk is like Martin. How? We have no idea.
** Although Aunt Ruth, herself a psychologist, proposes that his coldness is as much rooted in childhood neglect as neuroses. Martin's father ([[IdenticalGrandson also played by Clunes]]) was an ogre, his {{gold digger}} mother detested him utterly, and it's even hinted that she's not his biological mum in any case. What a mess.
** PC Penhale in later seasons, after {{Flanderization}} sets in. Originally stated to have narcolepsy, agoraphobia, and mood swings as the result of a head injury he sustained before being transferred to Portwen (which were portrayed fairly realistically in his introductory episode), these were dropped (possibly because they made it difficult to have him interact with the rest of the cast). Instead, he gained a general incompetence in his job and "quirkiness" to the point that by season 6 he seems more like a boy playing cops and robbers and no longer has the slightest idea of how to actually do his job: his presence in an emergency situation is at best irrelevant and most of the time actually serves to make things worse.

** Morwenna gets shades of the trope after she starts reading a self-help book that an American tourist (played by Sigourney Weaver) gave her.

* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs:
** Invoked in the show and referenced in the show's title. The villagers endearingly call him "Doc Martin" though he prefers "Doctor Ellingham". Also, his London name was "Mister Ellingham" (British surgeons are doctors, but they traditionally prefer "Mr").
** Mrs Tishell is rarely called otherwise.
* TooDumbToLive: One of Martin's great sources of frustration is just how many of his patients fail to follow his instructions in ways that are life-threatening, like insisting on working when they're recovering from a dangerous infection or injury. As well as the number of people who try self-medication, like when Mr Tishell gives himself a heart attack in Season 7 due to combining potassium supplements and testosterone boosters (both of which he was taking against Martin's orders). Usually it's Martin's skill as a doctor that's the only reason that keeps such actions from actually being fatal.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Louisa in season 7. After returning to Portwen and finding out that Martin has started seeing a psychiatrist to try and salvage their relationship, she starts going with him but continually [[NeverMyFault pins all the blame on him and refuses to admit any wrongdoing]].

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Martin, in spades.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: What is the reaction to a man giving a testicular exam to a policeman holding a baby, in a public lavatory?
-->'''PC Penhale:''' Give us a minute Nigel.
-->'''Nigel:''' All right.
* UglyGuyHotWife: Almost. Ellingham and Louisa have a difficult on-again-off-again relationship, conceive a baby, almost marry, and reconcile in the final episode of season 4.
* VomitIndiscretionShot: Martin. Nobody in Britian spews more than this man.
* WeddingSmashers: Unusually, the wedding itself goes off almost seamlessly (partly due to Martin and Louisa escaping early while they're ahead); the ''honeymoon'', on the other hand, sees [[spoiler:their cottage rendered unusable by a blocked chimney and their luggage lost; they get lost attempting to walk home and held at gunpoint by an irascible farmer insisting they fix a chicken coop they broke, and then have to stitch him up after an unlikely accident severs an artery and carry him back to town in a wheelbarrow.]]
* WeWantOurJerkBack: After Martin resigns to go to London at the end of season 4 he is replaced by the lovely, sweet, and patient Dr Dibbs. She's so bad at the job that it's a relief to get grumpy old Martin back.
* WhatAnIdiot: The Married couple Mr and Mrs Rix from the first episode of season 2 “Old Dogs” who choose to behave suspiciously and hide from Martin that they have introduced BDSM into their love life and are continuing to engage in it when Eddie has became so injured that he can’t work.

* EverybodyLives: More or less - the Doc has never lost a patient. At least not when anything could possibly be done about it. He once walks into a bedroom to find a woman in the midst of a stroke and she dies before he's even finished phoning an ambulance.