Doc Martin: How Port Isaac Cornwall Inspired a Beloved Series
Today, we explore the small seaside village of Port Wren in Cornwall, known in reality as Port Isaac, which served as the stunning backdrop for the beloved BBC series Doc Martin. From 2004 to 2022, the show captivated audiences with the story of Dr. Martin Ellingham, a brilliant but socially awkward physician who leaves London for a quaint Cornish village after developing a phobia of blood.
This picturesque setting not only enhanced the narrative but became an integral part of the series, drawing fans from around the world to experience its charm firsthand. As we delve into the impact of Doc Martin on both the fictional and real-life Cornwall community, we will hear from writer Larry Wells, who shares his personal pilgrimage to this coastal haven. Join us as we uncover how this small village transformed into a tourist destination, forever linked to the legacy of the show and its endearing characters.
Writer Larry Wells, a frequent contributor to the NY Times Syndicate, took the trip to visit Port Wren himself. He’s a big fan of the show, he lives in Mississippi.
Transcript
Today on Go Nomad, we visit Doc Martens Port Isaac, where comedy found its perfect cure.
Speaker A:From:Speaker A:Over 10 seasons and 80 episodes, audiences followed the gruff but brilliant Dr. Martin Ellingham, the Clune's famously prickly GP, who traded London surgery for small town medicine after developing a blood phobia.
Speaker A:Port Isaac stood in for Port Wren, a fictional town so vivid it felt like another character in the show.
Speaker A:Stone cottages, winding hills and a harbor framed by grazing cattle gave the series a cinematic charm that was never just window dressing, as one local put it.
Speaker A:It was like a double whammy how setting and story fit together so perfectly.
Speaker A:The show evolved as organically as the village did.
Speaker A:Doc's receptionist changed from Pauline to Morwenna, and Louisa, the schoolteacher who captured Martin's affection, became pregnant just as he was offered a prestigious job in London.
Speaker A:His plea for her to join him was met with a firm no, she was staying and so was he.
Speaker A:Doc Martin never made things easy, neither for the patients nor for the viewers.
Speaker A:His blunt demeanor, which some described as borderline Asperger's, clashed with his clinical brilliance, and he ran to emergencies on foot, swatted aside hecklers calling him a tosser, and refused small talk in favor of getting the job done.
Speaker A:As Clunes put it in a this morning interview, doc was a protagonist who doesn't like anybody and nobody likes him.
Speaker A:Eventually, Port Wen warmed to its surly gp.
Speaker A:When a replacement doctor crumbled under pressure, the townsfolk lined up outside Doc Marten's surgery, pleading for his return.
Speaker A:It was their way of saying, we trust you now.
Speaker A:After the Series finale in:Speaker A:Buses rolled in from America, Iceland and beyond.
Speaker A:A visitor from Mississippi described the pilgrimage as coming home to comedy's cathedral sites like the old schoolhouse and Fern Cottage.
Speaker A:Doc Marten's fictional surgery building, perched on the hillside, became sacred ground for fans.
Speaker A:Even tour guides got in on the magic, explaining how filming took place out of sequence.
Speaker A:An interior classroom shot would cut lift.
Speaker A:Later, exterior footage would show Louisa and her pupils walking through familiar blue gates.
Speaker A:Local extra Michael Meekins appeared in six episodes.
Speaker A:He recalled, I wasn't there at the very beginning.
Speaker A:I came back from Spain in season four.
Speaker A:But what an inspired choice.
Speaker A:The setting wasn't just scenery.
Speaker A:It was part of the soul of the show, and the community embraced the experience wholeheartedly Danielle Harrison of the Saint Etalan Paris Council noted local people in Cornwall worked as extras, as and crew cast members became friends.
Speaker A:And even now the Doc Martin Fund supports projects for seniors and youth in Cornwall.
Speaker A:Martin Clunes himself earned admiration not only for his portrayal of Doc Martin, but for his off camera warmth.
Speaker A:Meekins chuckled.
Speaker A:He loves dogs.
Speaker A:Between takes, he'd chat with dog owners and the director would call Martin.
Speaker A:Come on.
Speaker A:He'd trot back into character when needed.
Speaker A:A visit to Port Isaac today is more than a fandom fix.
Speaker A:It's a full sensory experience.
Speaker A:No narrow lanes wind upward to fern Cottage, seagulls perch on chimneys and the harbor sparkles below.
Speaker A:Cottages crowd around a small church that cheekily instructs visitors to enter.
Speaker A:At the rear, a sign worthy of Doc Marten's own dry wit.
Speaker A:Medicine is set to air in the:Speaker A:But for many, the original will always be the original prescription, a dose of humor, humanity and coastal charm that keeps drawing fans back.
Speaker A:The legacy of Doc Marten still rush Port Isaac's cobbled streets, arms rigid, voice raised, shoving through the crowd on a never ending house call.