Wednesday, February 11, 2015

In My Mind I'm Living in Port Wenn, Doc Martin inspired

In My Mind I'm Living in Port Wenn,
Doc Martin inspired

Port Isaac is a small and picturesque fishing village on the coast of North Cornwall,
In my mind, I'm living in Portwenn T-shirt
UK. The cottages are charming and the roads very narrow, barely enough room for cars to get past pedestrians.


The scenery is breathtaking with rolling hills and the beautiful ocean. The tourism industry may now join fishing as local industries that bring revenue into the local economy. In recent years, the town has certainly gotten its share of publicity from the show Doc Martin.

I read that Martin Clunes confirmed there will be a Series seven, filmed in 2015 and that this season may be their last. Do you want to see Doc and Louisa stay together finally?

On the show, Port Isaac is referred to by the fictitious name, Port Wenn (aka Portwenn). As good as the program is, the acting and the writing, one of the elements that makes Doc Martin a joy to watch is the location. Port Isaac, what we viewers know as Portwenn, is idyllic. 

It may be portrayed as a bit of a fairy tale, but by the end of the show you're often left with the feeling, "Aaaahhh, I'd love to live there." So when things get stressed, just think about that little town. Like they say, this is one way I can go 'to a happy place' in your mind. :)

The show's success has been such that fans will soon be able to enjoy the adventures of Dr Ellingham in an entirely different format altogether - publishers Ebury has bought the rights to two novelizations based on the ITV series.
-- per comedy.co.uk

"Doc Martin in 2007" Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
via Wikimedia Commons

A show that sneaks up on you, in a quaint little village

Doc Martin, nothing to do with the line of shoes, is a tv 'dramatic comedy' from the UK. The man in the title role is Martin Clunes as Doctor Martin Ellingham. His career as a successful London surgeon hits a roadblock when he develops a phobia of blood. The 'Doc' ends up hired as the GP in Portwenn, a fictional Cornish fishing village.

The show is filmed in Port Isaac, North Cornwall. Doc Martin, as he's known to the people in the village, is brusque and has no bedside manner. He's the high-speed city guy thrown into an environment of laid back villagers. He is about symptoms, test results, cold facts, eating sensibly and deadlines while those around him are able to stop and enjoy a leisurely drink at the pub.

The supporting cast of characters is very good as well. Caroline Catz as cheerful, common sense schoolteacher Louisa Glasson, almost immediately gives the Doc more to quiver and quake about as the two try mainly unsuccessfully to forge a romance. Any personal relationship is difficult for Doc Martin. 

Stephanie Cole is the Doc's Aunt Joan who's sort of a buffer between him and the community. She can serve as a 'translator.' The show doesn't need special effects. It's not in your face or loud. It is character-based. Seasons, or series as they're called in the UK, are far apart. Series 4 aired in the UK, if my information is correct, in 2009. Series 5 began filming in 2011.

The setting of the show is certainly part of what makes it appealing, and the beauty of the surrounds help to make the doctor himself look so out of place. He is usually the only person wearing a suit, he walks in a very determined, very tight, pent-up manner, eyes straight ahead. All around him is the beautiful coastal village of Portwenn. Looks like circumstances are conspiring to soften him up at least a little. The end of season four something happens that could help with that. Maybe?


Doc Martin: Series 5
Wow, Julie Graham who played Martin Clunes's on-screen wife in William and Mary (loved that show!) has appeared on series five. She plays the wife of PC Penhale (John Marquez). A while back they did mention that he'd been married.

Clunes is known in the US for shows such as Men Behaving Badly and William and Mary. He has also done a series on The Islands of Britain and a wonderful documentary about The Secret Life of Cats which is currently showing on some PBS stations in the USA. 

Stephanie Cole is known for Waiting for God. Katherine Parkinson plays receptionist Pauline. Be sure to check out Parkinson in the film, Pirate Radio.
Doc Martin began in 2004 and has had four seasons, all of which are available on DVD. A fifth season is scheduled to begin filming in 2011. Countries outside the UK have aired it and the show has been on some PBS stations in the US.
Image from Amazon


How do you spell it?
On Doc Martin, sometimes when you see the town's name on a sign, it's a little

In my mind, I'm living in Port Wenn
maternity T Shirt

Customize your shirt or jacket
by color, style and size
fuzzy if it's meant to be one or two words. Because of this, the T-shirt is available as two words, Port Wenn or Portwenn. It's also available long sleeves or short, in a wide range of colors and fabrics. If you want something in a dark color, choose a lighter text/font.


Simply click on the "See All Styles" button to choose the type of clothing from a baby romper to a jacket, hoodie, tee, tank, etc for kids, teens, men or women.

When Doc and Louisa had their baby and the birth was broadcast for the whole village to hear.

Anything like the on-again, off-again relationship between the doc and Louisa? Hard to say.

Talking about the Making of Doc Martin

Doc Martin stars one of my favorite actors, Martin Clunes






 
Doc Martin Bloopers Outtakes



Are you one of the lucky people who's visited Port Isaac and maybe even seen them filming the show?

So many famous programs and movies have taken advantage of the scenery in Cornwall, UK. Alfred Hitchcock knew about the spectacle of the area's cliffs and the sometimes raging waters below. The only Hitchcock film ever to win a Best Picture Academy Award was Rebecca. It was set at Manderley, the country house on a cliff in Cornwall. Jamaica Inn was also set there. Both were written by Daphne Du Maurier.


Reminiscent of Louisa's Flat

White Rose Cottage
If I'm not mistaken, Louisa's home says White Rose Cottage on Doc Martin. Turns out that there is a White Rose Cottage that is a "spacious seaside bungalow, situated on the beautiful North Cornwall coast."

The web site says, "Polzeath is a beautiful seaside resort with an excellent surfing beach." We've seen Louisa headed off to go surfing. There are a lot of local landmarks that you could see if you visited Port Isaac that you've seen on the show.

YouTube has lots of videos that people have shot and uploaded. Whatever those buildings are really called, whatever they were called before they now have 'new' names, too. We all know 'Doc Martin's House.' :-) As the people of Port Isaac know, publicity is a give-and-take kind of thing.

Also it mentions that the cottage is only 30 minutes from the Cornwall Eden Project. I've included a link to a lens about that project.
(Image from their web site)

After four seasons, Stephanie Cole left Doc Martin. She joined the cast of Coronation Street, playing Sylvia Goodwin, the mother of Roy Cropper.
Katherine Parkinson also left the show after season four. She played receptionist Pauline Lamb. Did you see her in Pirate Radio? It's a great movie.

Parkinson and her husband had a baby daughter in 2012. She appeared in the play, Before the Party at The Almeida Theatre in London.

Dame Eileen Atkins is  Doc Martin's Aunt Ruth.
Jessica Ransom is the new surgery receptionist, Morwenna Newcross.




In my mind, I'm living in Port Wenn
iPad Tablet Sleeve choose size



William and Mary: Seasons 1 & 2
William Shawcross (Martin Clunes) and Mary Gilcrest (Julie Graham) (Dirty Tricks, Butterfly Collectors) co-star in this poignant British Comedy about an undertaker and a midwife. 


It's described as "brilliantly written, quirky and often moving British TV comedy about two people tripping down the imperfect path of romance together" and this is very true. 

We found this when grieving for a lost family member and it made it even more special.



A chat with Stephanie Cole from Coronation Street, Waiting for God and Doc Martin. What's your favorite of Stephanie Cole's characters?



Related Articles of Interest: 

Frank Thornton, Captain Peacock Are You Being Served?

Top Ten British Comedies on Amazon Prime

The Frog and Blue Peach, Naming Ideas for Pubs, Restaurants ...

Waiting for God, Stephanie Cole






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