It was created by Dominic Minghella[1] developing the character of Dr Martin Bamford from the Nigel Cole comedy film Saving Grace (2000).

[4] On 29 December 2022 a documentary entitled “Farewell Doc Martin” was shown on ITV, featuring behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and crew as they filmed the final series.

He obtains a post as the sole general practitioner (GP) in the sleepy Cornish village of Portwenn, where he had spent childhood holidays with his Aunt Joan (Stephanie Cole) and Uncle Phil, who owns a local farm.

Upon arriving in Portwenn – where, to his frustration, the locals address him as "Doc Martin" – he finds the surgery in chaos and inherits an incompetent receptionist, Elaine Denham (Lucy Punch).

His direct, emotionless manner offends many villagers, made worse by his invariably unpleasant responses to their ignorant, often foolish, comments.

Ellingham is very deadpan and dresses formally in a business suit and tie, regardless of the weather or the occasion, and he never takes off his jacket, even when delivering babies.

Despite this handicap, Ellingham proves to be an expert diagnostician and responds effectively to various emergencies in his medical practice; thus, he gradually gains grudging respect from his neighbours.

When she dies after a heart attack, her sister Ruth (Eileen Atkins), a retired psychiatrist, comes to Portwenn to take care of her affairs and eventually decides to use the village as a permanent retreat, offering Martin the support Joan had provided.

The prequels show Bamford as a successful obstetrician, rather than a surgeon, who finds out that his wife has been carrying on extramarital affairs behind his back.

After confronting her with his discovery, he escapes London and heads for Port Isaac, a small coastal town in Cornwall that he remembers fondly from his youth.

Shortly after he arrives, he is involved in the mystery of the "Jellymaker" and, following the departure of the village's resident GP, decides to stay and fill the vacancy.

[citation needed] The Martin Bamford character is friendly and laid-back, seeming to enjoy his retreat from the career pressures and conflicts he left behind in London.

He drinks and smokes carelessly, including a mild illegal drug, and has no problem getting his hands and clothes dirty by temporarily working as a lobster and crab fisherman aboard a local boat.

[25] In Greece, Kliniki Periptosi, an adaptation of the original series filmed in the Ionian Seaside town of Kardamyli,[26] was aired in November 2011 on Mega Channel with Yannis Bezos as Markos Staikos, a surgeon from New York.

[26] In the Netherlands, Dokter Tinus based on the original series began airing in late August 2012 on SBS6, with the main role being played by actor Thom Hoffman.

[54][55][56] As of 2018, Doc Martin was aired in New Zealand on TVNZ 1, in Iceland on RUV, in Italy on the Hallmark Channel from September 2007 (seasons 1-3), Rai 3 from May 2010 and various reruns.

The author employs some timeline shifting, linked to character internalisation and point of view, so the narratives are not always as linear as in the teleplays.