By James Williams
One of the world’s most popular television shows in the world has returned as season nine of Doc Martin can now be seen on the U.S. streaming service Acorn TV. For those of you in the U.K. Doc Martin can be found each Wednesday night at 9 pm on ITV and then less than 24 hours later here in the U.S. we get to see a new episode each Thursday on Acorn TV.
Kudos to Acorn TV and ITV for giving Doc Martin fans on both sides of the pond a chance to see their favorite show in almost real time. Acorn continues to lead the industry in getting shows from around the world directly to the U.S. market as fast as possible.
We begin series nine as our hero Doc Martin’s career is in jeopardy as he is in hot water with General Medical Council for — you guessed it — the way he treats his patients in a way that only the good doctor can. As for the love of his life, none other than Louisa (Caroline Catz, Murder in Suburbia) has ditched school and has sought out a new career as a child counselor.
Meanwhile, James is no longer a baby, he is three years old and very much a chip off the old block which has Louisa more than a bit concerned that he is becoming too much like his dad.
Without question, Doc Martin is one of the most charming and entertaining shows on television. The cast, the writing and the beautiful backdrop of the Cornish fishing village where the show is filmed all help to make Doc Martin a must-see show that fans simply can’t get enough of and it is why they are so happy season nine is finally here.
The interaction between Louisa and Martin as husband and wife is priceless. The relationship is a sweet and as quirky as the show itself, but somehow they make it work.
Series nine will see the old gang back again with starting with Dame Eileen Atkins (Aunt Ruth), Ian McNeice (Bert Large), John Marquez (PC Joe Penhale) and Jessica Ransom (Martin’s receptionist Morwenna Newcross).
So what can the many fans of Doc Martin expect? Well, I spoke recently to Clunes who was at home in London and during our chat for Stream On with Jim Williams he gave me some fun things to look for starting in episode one.
Check out my complete conversation with Clunes on this week’s Stream On with Jim Williams podcast.
James Williams is a graduate of Chamberlain High School and the University of South Florida (the Harvard of Hillsborough County.) At 23, he was the youngest major market news director in a major market working at WTOG TV, mixing his passion for news and entertainment with a long lasting love affair with sports.
Almost 40 years and seven Emmy Awards (32 nominations) later, Jim’s career includes producing and directing every possible professional and college sporting event to live concerts for Showtime, MTV.
Some highlights include the Big Ten football and basketball games of the week, championship playoffs for the NBA, NFL, NHL, as well as the MLS. World Cup soccer, the Olympics and Live Aid where he served as a coordinating producer in Philadelphia. On the print side, Jim has written for such diverse publications as Rolling Stone, Playboy and Sports Business Journal.
Jim was a featured columnist for both the Washington and San Francisco Examiner for nearly a decade, in addition to the thousands stories contributed to various web publications around the world.
He currently is the president of LJC, L.L.C. Media, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting company.