December 14, 2024

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Cornwall’s medical Scrooge bids an emotional goodbye

Cornwall’s medical Scrooge bids an emotional goodbye

To watch Doc Martin (ITV) is to enter an alternative universe. Here we are in the real world, unable to get a face-to-face appointment with a GP for love nor money. Over in Portwenn, people can’t step out of the house without the family doctor diagnosing them against their will. One chap was just trying to go about his business as the local Santa Claus when old misery-chops spotted him scratching his arm. That was enough for the doc to declare a medical emergency and close down the grotto. “Do you have a history of allergies?” he demanded. “No,” said Santa. “Do you have a history of ruining Christmas?” 

This was the last ever episode of Doc Martin. What a shame. You could argue that 18 years is long enough for any series, and perhaps there is a finite number of medical conditions that could afflict the residents of this village. Still, there are vanishingly few shows on television like this: a wonderfully grumpy lead performance from Martin Clunes, a solid ensemble cast and a show that had no interest in being bleak or cutting edge, just warm and entertaining. 

There was a touch of sadness in this episode, as Martin recalled his lonely childhood Christmases. We had a flashback to him running down the stairs on Christmas morning, only to find that his parents had left him all alone. Back in the present, Martin crashed the car to avoid hitting a free-roaming Christmas turkey, collapsed in the snow and developed hypothermia (never a dull moment in Portwenn), at which point his mother (Claire Bloom) appeared as a hallucination. She was a woman so horrible that it’s a miracle Martin didn’t turn out worse. 

But this was a Christmas special, so hurrah for happy endings. PC Penhale’s romantic gestures finally paid off, and Janice accepted his proposal. Morwenna and Al are expecting a baby. Mrs Tishell, the lovestruck chemist, finally accepted that her feelings were unrequited (after she jumped Martin under the mistletoe, which was ill-advised but at least resulted in a diagnosis of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease), cast off the neck brace and resolved to move on with her life. 

And, yes, even the doc finally got into the festive spirit, for the sake of his son. As Santa put it – well, not Santa, a man called Leonard, but let’s not quibble: “Do you want to know what the true magic of Christmas is? It’s being exactly who you are, but still your family wants you around even if you are an irritating b—-r.” Merry Christmas one and all. 

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