Cornwall-based Doc Martin now has global band of fans known as "The Clunatics"
Star Martin Clunes has revealed they often visit Port Isaac where the show is filmed
Last updated 22nd Aug 2022
Star of the Cornwall-based series Doc Martin, Martin Clunes, has revealed the show now has a global band of fans known as "The Clunatics" who often visit where it is filmed.
The actor who shot to fame in Men Behaving Badly has been opening up in an interview with Saga Magazine.
Filming of the 10th and final series of ITV drama Doc Martin started in February this year in the Duchy fishing village of Port Isaac, with Clunes having played the show's lead, grouchy Dr Martin Ellingham, since it first aired in 2004.
The final eight-episode series will reportedly air next month, with a Christmas special also planned on ITV later this year.
Having played the GP with a brusque bedside manner and a phobia of blood for more than a decade, the actor says playing a doctor has not turned him into an "unlikely sex symbol".
He told Saga: "No! Not that I’m aware of. I doubt there's any sex in the minds of my lady Doc Martin fans.
"I suppose the smart suit and the whole medical thing might be a bit attractive. But, honestly, nobody’s throwing their knickers at me or any of that caper.
“What we do have is The Clunatics – a global band of fans who are friends with one another, stay in touch and often visit Port Isaac in Cornwall where we film.
"Sometimes they bring gifts; an Australian lady recently came with a stuffed duck-billed platypus for me".
The actor turned 60 last year and said of the benefits of getting older: "Age gives you greater perspective; the younger me didn’t much enjoy having my appearance insulted or being 'ear-shamed', for example.
"Now, I think my ears are rather splendid and I realise they earned me roles I might not otherwise have had".
Read more: Doc Martin star asks to stroke visitor's dogs while filming FINAL series in Cornwall
Filming Doc Martin, which has boasted cameos from Hollywood star Sigourney Weaver on a few occasions, has been a family affair for Clunes as his wife of more than 20 years, Philippa Braithwaite, is the producer.
He vowed the last series of Doc Martin will be "extremely dramatic and extremely emotional", adding: "We’re going out in style, believe me. Then there’ll be the Christmas special to look forward to.
"We've thrown the kitchen sink at that one too. No-one will be disappointed".
Production company Buffalo Pictures also announced a documentary provisionally titled Doc Martin – A Celebration, giving fans a glimpse behind the scenes of the final series.
The September issue of Saga Magazine is out on August 23rd.