After developing a phobia of blood, surgeon Martin Ellingham is forced into a change of career. But while he may have retrained as a GP, he retains the aloof and tactless manner he displayed as a surgeon. When he's unleashed on the sleepy Cornish fishing village of Portwen, the inhabitants are in for a shock - they're more likely to receive cold-blooded diagnoses and personal insults than tea and sympathy.

Martin Clunes stars in this traditional family comedy drama as the doctor who is forced to move to Portwenn. Whilst in this sleepy Cornish hamlet (where he'd spent childhood holidays), Martin manages to insult almost every patient.

Things do not start well: Upon arrival, he insults local teacher, Louisa Glasson who inadvertently is on the board that will either accept him or reject him as the new doctor. Luckily, she and the others eventually accept him. Later, Martin and Louisa fall in love and eventually become engaged, but will it last?

Our Review: Doc Martin always looked set to be a hit, however things got off to a rocky start: the show was originally produced as a television movie on Sky but the project was dropped by the channel. The creator then decided to take the show to ITV, but they didn't want the show as it was. Instead, the show needed new characters and a different approach to the story.

Eventually Doc Martin made it to air. The first series went out during the autumn of 2004 and was an instant hit with viewers. The nasty doctor had won his place in the nation's hearts. As the series progressed, it became apparent that the show was more than just a comedy drama. The programme had brought with it something special - that un-definable magic that makes a show popular and successful. Since its debut, the series has spawned three further series and a feature-length special. The Series 3 finale attracted over ten million viewers!

The writing and acting within the series is unquestionably brilliant however one fault is that the characters appear to be flexible in their personalities and reactions to situations. This may be due to the fact that the programme is written by a team of writers, rather than the traditional single writer.

The show will return for a fifth series during the fall of 2011.