Martin Clunes

The Doc's blood phobia is getting worse, as is his consequent insomnia, which is also beginning to disturb his wife Louisa in the marital bed. Maybe it's time he saw that psychologist his Aunty Ruth recommended, particularly when there's an unfortunate and very public incident involving Doc Martin, dopey police officer Penhale and a staple-gun. Penhale (John Marquez) causes widespread panic in Portwenn after jumping to conclusions about an asbestos scare.

But nothing is quite as terrifying as the sight of Martin's poised, chilly mother (played by Claire Bloom) who turns up on his doorstep with some news which, if delivered to any sentient human being other than Martin (Martin Clunes) being would be cause for thoughtfulness and sadness. But not the blithely unempathetic Doc, oh no. Not in a million years.

Appearing in a highly popular drama series alongside a cast of much-loved actors would be enough to give most performers a dose of paralysing stage fright. But baby James Ellingham isn't fazed at all (well, to be accurate, all eight babies who play him). He plays up to the camera beautifully, stealing every single scene. The little 'un is a perfect foil to Martin Clunes's cantankerous GP who, it turns out, is not the only grump in the village. Ruth's neighbour Mr Moysey (Ronald Pickup) is just as antisocial and ill-tempered.

"Come back in five days," the doctor tells him abruptly after a brief medical examination. "What happens if I drop dead before then?" snaps Mr Moysey. "We'll cancel the appointment."

The humour of Doc Martin isn't subtle and the storylines are either sledgehammer-obvious or ludicrous to the point of surreal, but I laughed out loud more times watching this than I have at many so-called comedies.

Martin Clunes and Ronald Pickup shine in Episode 4

Part of the reason why these scenes were so brilliant is because of the talents of both Martin Clunes and Ronald Pickup.

A mystery man is found unconscious on the beach by two improbably bearded fishermen, and Doc Martin (Martin Clunes) rushes to his aid. But what caused his blackout and will he hang around to find out? Meanwhile, Louisa is juggling the new baby while selflessly helping others and blowing her fringe out of her eyes. And Ruth's got a secret admirer. Will the kindly-yet-gruff, big-eared GP be brutally maimed in a frenzied knife attack or will he just sort it all out as usual? Tune in to find out.

After their disastrous honeymoon last week, newlyweds Louisa and Martin return to what passes for normal life in pretty Portwenn. Louisa (Caroline Katz) is back at school and baby James's new childminder Mel, throws the house into chaos when she's late for work. Martin (Martin Clunes) is uneasy about handing over his precious son to her, largely because she's constantly scratching herself. Martin's hopeless beside manner soon sends the new nanny into a fury and the Ellingham family into chaos just as they are about to entertain guests at dinner. Stand by for some comedy business involving a baby monitor.

It's a rare thing but the pleasure of Doc Martin (ITV) is in the minor characters, the pepperings of humanity who surround Martin Clunes's borderline sociopathic central figure.

This made the opening episode of the current series rather tough going, as much of it was spent with just the Doc and his new bride, Louisa, traipsing about the woods in their wedding finery - a shotgun-toting spin on the old nightmare honeymoon night chestnut.

Obviously, Doc Martin is a fantasy show - it seems remarkably easy to get an appointment with the Portwenn GP - but it goes off the rails when it strays from its quirky community beat. Many shows get that horribly wrong, with all the supporting characters reduced to caricatures, but Doc Martin has created a credible TV community and it's a shame when it wastes them.

The idea last night was to pack some emotional muscle into Doc Martin and Louisa's oddball romance but it came across as laboured farce. It was back with babysitting Ruth (an underused Eileen Atkins), PC Penhale and a comedy power cut that Doc Martin got its old familiar glow back.

Last night's TV: Doc Martin

As Martin Clunes's melancholic doctor returns for his wedding day, the anthem could be: here comes the bride and gloom.

Doc Martin, ITV, review

This enduring hit for ITV (the first series aired back in 2004) is by now rather flat. Though the cast members, particularly Martin Clunes in the title role, are all perfectly good, and the script and pacing are fine, the package is as cosy as an advert for fabric softener.

Martin Clunes and Caroline Catz shine

It's fair to say that Doc Martin will never be a critically acclaimed piece of work, but the drama is full of well-crafted characters and brilliant spots of comic timing.

Doc Martin review

The quickest way to kill off a comedy is to throw a wedding. So we could only hope Doc Martin's nuptials would come a cropper before Martin Clunes and Caroline Catz reached the altar.