Doc Martin Christmas special 2022: when is it on TV, cast, where is it filmed, is it the last ever episode?

The Doc Martin festive special ‘Last Christmas in Portwenn’ will close the curtain on the Martin Clunes comedy drama
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Martin Clunes and co. will return to Portwenn for one last hurrah in the Doc Martin Christmas special 2022. The special, Last Christmas in Portwenn, will cap off the ITV series which first aired back in 2004.

Since its debut, Doc Martin has become a much-loved comedy series and Martin Clunes has become synonymous with his namesake character. The feature-length Christmas special will air on Christmas Day and is expected to achieve a high audience share.

Martin Clunes in Doc Martin Christmas specialMartin Clunes in Doc Martin Christmas special
Martin Clunes in Doc Martin Christmas special

What happens in the Doc Martin Christmas special?

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At the end of season 10, Doc Martin decided that he would stay in Portwenn for Christmas with his wife and kids. But the doctor manages to cause controversy when he closes Santa’s grotto because he believes that St Nick has a contagious illness. Having managed to upset the children and his own son James, Martin is once again an unpopular figure.

When his wife Louisa attempts to organise a lantern parade, Agatha Higgins plans to shut it down over health and safety issues, and it seems like the Cornish town won’t have a very merry Christmas.

Clunes told ITV: "You can imagine the doctor isn’t too keen on Christmas for his own tortured reasons. It’s never stopped making me laugh, I don’t know why because if it was a real person who had had such an awful upbringing you’d feel nothing but pity for them, but because it is him it just makes me laugh."

Who is in the cast of the Doc Martin Christmas special?

  • Martin Clunes as Dr. Martin Ellingham
  • Caroline Catz as Louisa Ellingham
  • Ian McNeice as Bert Large
  • Eileen Atkins as Ruth Ellingham
  • Joe Absolom as Al Large
  • Jessica Ransom as Morwenna Newcross
  • John Marquez as PC Joe Penhale
  • Selina Cadell as Mrs. Tishell
  • Robyn Addison as Janice Bone
  • Emma Amos as Agatha Higgins
  • Elliott Blake as James Henry
  • Ron Cook as Leonard
Ian McNeice as Bert LargeIan McNeice as Bert Large
Ian McNeice as Bert Large

Where was the Doc Martin Christmas special filmed?

Doc Martin is filmed in Port Isaac, Cornwall and is set in the fictional town of Portwenn. The series was filmed there over summer 2022. Martin Clunes actually delayed production of the special because he crashed a car whilst filming.

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He was supposed to turn the car in front of the camera and stop, and the scene would then cut to a shot of the car (with a stuntman at the wheel) crashing into a tree. However, Clunes claimed that due to the fake snow he was driving in, he had no traction and he actually crashed the car himself, though thankfully he suffered no injuries.

When is the Doc Martin Christmas special on TV?

The Doc Martin Christmas special will air on ITV1 at 9:05pm on Christmas Day - it will be available to watch on ITVX shortly after it is first broadcast. The episode will be 90 minutes long.

Will Doc Martin return in 2023?

No, the Christmas special has been confirmed as the last episode in the comedy drama series. After 79 episodes over 10 seasons, the series will come to an end on Christmas Day this year.

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