-In winter, the north coast of Cornwall is a pretty inhospitable place, battered by wind and rain coming in off the Atlantic.

The villages and towns that are so popular with tourists in the summer are quiet, waiting for the weather to turn.

But every other year, in one village, a transformation takes place.

The pub changes its name.

The fudge shop becomes a chemist.

The fish market's name is changed.

A restaurant returns to what it once was -- a school.

One large holiday cottage becomes a police station.

This place is Port Isaac, but it becomes the world-renowned village of Portwenn.

And here with his family lives a certain doctor -- Dr. Martin Ellingham.

♪♪ I'm Caroline Catz, and I play Louisa Ellingham, who's married to the Doc.

-Whoa!

Whoa!

-Portwenn's been our home for the past 18 years, and so much has happened here for all of us, as you can see.

But there's also a lot about the show that you might not know.

I want to let you in on some of our secrets and take you behind the scenes to meet the cast and crew so you can see just how we make "Doc Martin."

♪♪ It's February 2022 and the first day of the shoot.

We're back on the farm, which is our production base.

The finishing touches are being made to sets, costumes, and even me.

It's been great to be back.

It's just like we've never been away.

Yeah, it's been three years.

But I also have mixed feelings, as this 10th series, which includes a Christmas special, will be our last.

-Now that it's sort of about to be complete, I can approach it as a whole and allow myself some pride in it, which I don't know why I haven't before, but I've enjoyed its success in the way it's caught on in the different countries, and the feedback we've had has been really gratifying.

But the word "pride" has only just popped into my little brain, so... [ Engines thrumming ] -Let's go back 18 years, to 2004, to the very beginning of our story.

♪♪ -You've got a problem.

-But the show's not only about us.

-It has to work on 4 or 5 different levels simultaneously.

So you've got medical drama.

People are dying.

Martin has to get there before they die.

-Mrs.

Tishell?!

-I'm up here, Doc!

-Wonderful.

♪♪ -Doctor!

-Don't move.

-You've got situations comedy, you know, with Bert and Al and all those characters.

-Bodmin -- that's an endearing local term for "barmy," right?

-Well, Daphne du Maurier paints Bodmin Moor as a gothic symbol of murder and madness or granite skies and howling winds.

-You'll be going bodmin yourself in a minute, boy.

-Dad, not that one!

No!

-Well, at the real heart of it, on the top layer, is this really fantastic love story between Martin and Louisa.

-She wasn't really a huge part of the first series.

We didn't think she was going to be a big love interest, particularly.

We just put a possible love interest in there.

Had no idea it was going to become what it became.

-There was sort of an instant attraction-aversion thing going on, wasn't there?

-Yes.

-It was sort of -- But very interested.

They were both very interested in one another.

-Yes.

Yes.

That's a good way of putting it.

Yeah, they sort of piqued each other's curiosity.

-What?

-Nothing.

-No, say it.

-I'm assuming you have a... regular dental hygiene routine.

-Pardon?

Are you being serious?

Well, you know, Louisa's bad breath was diagnosed, and then we sort of walked away from that.

We decided her breath was definitely sorted out.

Couldn't keep going on about her appalling breath.

Would he have put up with it?

Probably not.

-I said no talking.

-That's rubbish, anyway.

Rubbish things people say.

-Martin.

-You're so beautiful.

You're so very beautiful.

Do you know that?

♪♪ -Okay.

If that's what you're going to say, I...

I don't mind you talking.

-Two people who unexpectedly have found each other.

They're both very different.

But I think the reason the show works is that you really believe they love each other.

-Right.

Now they have to live together, and that's -- that's what we'll explore now.

-We just agreed to get a dog.

Do we still have to get a dog?

-Is that relevant?

-I don't know.

-That's when we thought we'd run its course, when we got them together and they got married.

And then we found all sorts of ways to keep it fresh.

-And they kind of realized that they couldn't be together because they just didn't -- They just weren't made up in that way.

And it was really, really sad.

But they sort of made this decision to be apart and yet still sort of share a child -- -Well, she wasn't thinking straight.

She was pregnant.

-I need a break from you, Martin.

♪♪ -What do you mean?

-I'm not happy?

♪♪ I'm not making you happy, am I?

-Happy?

Why does everybody have to be happy all the time?

-And it seemed that once they'd decided to accept each other's differences, that they could probably go on.

-Go to your basket.

-Mary, go to your cot.

-James, that's no way to speak to your little sister.

She's not a dog.

-Now we've got two children... -Yeah.

-...and a dog.

-They definitely are the driving force of the show.

-Now, I know you told me not to, but... bought you a present.

-I may be married to Martin in the series, but in real life, he's married to the show's producer, Philippa.

-I was developing things, and then we had the office together, and we thought, "Well, why don't we just work together?"

And I think if we had met differently, socially, and then decided to have a company together, it might not have worked so well, but because we already had a working relationship, we could park it and just -- And we do different jobs.

I can't act.

-Me neither.

-He can't produce.

-[ Laughs ] -20 years ago, I wrote and produced a film called "Saving Grace" and met Martin.

-Any idea who the father is?

I think I know.

I looked at the test slide.

Some of the chromosomes had little kilts on.

-[ Laughs ] Very funny.

-I do have some bad news, though.

-What?

-There's a slight risk of ginger hair.

-They do these test screenings, and the character that came out the -- you know, was the most popular was the doctor.

-Look, don't mention the baby yet, okay?

I just want to tell him when the time is right.

-What baby?

Have a sweetie.

-Philippa and Martin were very friendly with, uh... -Nick Elliott.

-Nick Elliott, who ran ITV at that point.

-The drama -- Yeah.

-And he said, "Sure, I love it, but -- you know, love everything about it.

Keep everything the same.

But we want a different character."

-So, they set about inventing a different doctor.

-It just sort of came out of a -- trying to sort of wring out of Dominic Minghella, the first writer.

Said, "What car is he driving?"

He said, "An MG." I said, "Mm, no."

And then just struck with the thing of being wrong at every point.

It's wrong to wear a suit in the sea.

[ Laughs ] It's wrong to drive a car that big in Cornwall.

-And I do remember Nick Elliott calling me after he saw the first rushes the first week, and he said -- [ Inhales sharply ] "I think he's too grumpy."

-You -- get off the telephone and find the stopcock!

And you -- either get back to Delabole, wherever that may be, and don't come back or go and find a mop and work out how to use it!

-And I said, "Nick, hold your nerve."

-Yeah.

-He went, "Okay."

[ Both laugh ] -The set, every single doorway is designed to end there.

And the one -- that slanty thing in the hallway going up to the kitchen... [ Thuds ] -Ohh!

Ohh!

-...I can hit that angle at any speed.

[ Chuckles ] And it's all been sort of designed so that I'm wrong.

♪♪ -Then they needed an expert for the medical stories.

-Dominic Minghella approached me.

So we took an exercise book and a biro, and we wandered down to Kensington Park Road to Cafe Rouge, and we sat down one lunchtime and we wrote six pages of funny stories that had -- real things that had happened to me.

And the one that springs to mind most of all was the story of the man who had grown little breasts.

-Wow.

-And this was a real event that had happened in my medical practice where a man had been exposed to his wife's estrogens.

-Estrogen is a female hormone, and used to excess, it's possible that, during intercourse, some may have transferred, and, um... -Dominic thought this was marvelous.

And he said, "Have you got any more stories?"

And so they rolled out.

The more you think about them, the more odd stories would come out.

And that was the foundation of that first series.

-He's fantastic.

Like, reams of ideas.

And we'll go, "Yeah, that's great."

"That one won't work."

"That's great."

And then we start integrating his ideas with the writers' ideas.

-The story always demands the doctor's doing something other than sitting at a desk with a prescription pad.

-Our gifted makeup designer, Alice, has the daunting task of making realistic prosthetics for Martin's handiwork.

-I made a hand by taking a life cast of the actress's hand and made a mold.

Made the hand from silicone, painted it.

I put one layer in and then build it up so that you can get the veins underneath the skin.

I put a hole through the finger and stuck this end of a really tiny tube onto the nail for the blood to be able to come out.

-Ready?

-Mm.

[ Sizzles ] Oh!

-And we used it, and it worked very well.

-So that I can make an oblique anastamosis with a large enough diameter.

-Good.

Very good.

-Taking out somebody's gallbladder.

There was an outstanding prosthesis that was created for that.

And best of all, the nurses involved and the theater sister that was handling the instruments across, they were the genuine team from that operating theater.

And I think they probably loved doing it, and they made a really good job of it.

-Pulse rate stabilized at 105.

Blood pressure restored.

-There's a lovely story here where Louisa's father has -- has been allowed out of prison and turns up unexpectedly.

-Uh, hello, love.

-What are you doing here?

-But this man arrives with motor neuron disease, which everyone knows has an inevitably declining prognosis, sadly resulting in the death of the patient.

And -- And so he's come to say goodbye to the family.

-Is your hand all right?

-Fine.

-This man has some sensory symptoms.

He's got some numbness, some tingling.

-You say you have tingling and numbness in your hands and feet.

Well, I wouldn't expect to find that with motor neuron disease.

-Doc Martin spots this, and he does a nerve biopsy.

Called a serial nerve biopsy.

Takes a little pinch of a nerve using anesthetic from down by the ankle, and it gets sent off to the lab, and we get the new diagnosis -- chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.

Another reason to send Martin a voice file for how to say it.

-According to the biopsy, it's intense inflammation of the endoneurium which is causing demyelination.

It's CIDP -- chronic inflammatory demyelinating Polynesia.

[ Laughter ] -Well, I really struggled with birdshot chorioretinopathy, which is what Anne Reid had.

Not only do you have arcus senilis, you also have birdshot chorioretinopathy.

-Is that good or bad?

-And I couldn't get it out on the day, and she laughed at me, which is unprofessional of her.

But then -- But now I can say it at the drop of a hat.

-And how he does it, I don't know, because Martin is just -- doesn't even hesitate on them.

-And actually, quite charmingly, we had a letter from the Birdshot Chorioretinopathy Society saying, "Thank you for shining a light on our disease.

Nobody can -- Nobody's heard of us or can pronounce us."

-Do people come up to Martin and ask him for medical advice?

-He gives it.

-[ Laughs ] -Without even being asked.

If someone's been given antibiotics, he's, "What have you been given?"

It's like, "You're not a doctor."

[ Laughter ] -We haven't had your father in yet.

-Yeah, we have.

Kevin Doyle.

-Oh.

What was wrong with him?

-No, it was my mum.

She had something in them.

It was something else.

[ Both laugh ] It came from us.

-But I healed her.

-Oh, yeah.

-That's the main thing.

-Yeah, you sorted it all out.

Don't you worry.

-[ Laughs ] -You see, we remember it all really crystal clear.

-We were in Paris, and there was a whole load of middle-aged women who went past and -- on these huge Segways in the center of Paris.

And we just heard this scream, and she went flying into a wall just really hurt herself, covered in blood.

And Martin just turned into Action Man.

Went flying over the road.

[ Laughs ] It's like, "What are you doing?"

Bent down.

So she was sort of semi-conscious, and she just looked up and went, "It's Doc Martin."

[ Laughs ] ♪♪ -[ Exhales ] -Yep, that's it.

The heart's got a rhythm.

♪♪ -This is the last ever "Doc Martin" read-through, traditionally held in Port Isaac's village hall.

-Get down from there!

-Dr. Ellingham!

[ Laughter ] -But getting the scripts to this stage can take two years of work.

-On "Doc Martin," we kind of bounce ideas backwards and forwards for stories, for the series, for the characters.

-I'll put an idea in for an episode or an idea for a medical story.

I wouldn't necessarily write it.

It might go to another writer, but it's quite a collaborative process.

-It's very, very hard finding writers who can write comedy, not that we're full-on comedy, but who can write with wit.

There's just not many writers who can do that.

-No other show written like this on British television.

Would take an awful long time to write it.

And I think that shows in the end product, I think.

-Because the scripts are good, and that's gold dust in this business.

You know, it's easy to play somebody who's got such an overriding impulse, which is simply love of the doctor.

-I could just eat him with a spoon.

-What's happened to your face?

-My face?

Nothing.

Oh, unless you mean my new lipstick.

I thought I'd try a different shade.

-Right.

-She genuinely believes that they were meant to be together and one day they will.

-It says Martin on it.

-Yes.

-Martin.

-Oh.

Thank you.

-It was a pleasure.

♪♪ -We came up with the idea that Mrs. Tishell, who is obviously a pharmacist, was stealing her own medication, which made her go a little bit loopy, and her already predisposition towards Martin got out of hand.

-So, basically, there's a drugged-up lunatic on the run with your baby.

-We wanted for Martin to finally be able to declare to Louisa that he loved her.

-And Martin does this big speech at the end to Louisa.

But it was a really great scene.

It was a really great speech, brilliantly delivered and brilliantly written.

-And I do hate Portwenn.

I hate the people, their pinched faces and their ridiculous accents and their unerring knack of catching any virus that comes within a 5-mile radius.

They spread contagion like a bushfire.

But it's where I want to be.

Because you're here.

Because of you.

Because if I'm with you, nothing else matters.

What I'm trying to say is...

I love you.

-Oh, my God.

[ Baby cries ] ♪♪ I love you, too.

-Give me one last chance.

Please.

-That poor, deranged woman will probably throw herself out of the window now as an expression of her love.

-And thanks to great scripts, I have the privilege to work with some fabulous actors.

-I think she's coming down.

-I said to my husband, "They've asked me to be in this.

Just have a look at one of them."

We put one of them on, and we both finished, and we both looked at each other and said, "It's lovely, isn't it?

It's so charming."

So he said, "Let's have another one on."

And we sat and we watched three all in a row.

And he said, "Well, I think you'd be terribly silly not to do this."

-Kenneth Cranham plays Louisa's dad, and his name is Terry.

Terry Glasson.

-Glasson.

I don't believe that name at all, do you, Glasson?

-Well, that's what his name is.

-Okay, fine.

There we are.

-Deal with it.

[ Both laugh ] We've had Caroline Quentin as a vet.

-You still need a license, so pack it up.

-Pig.

-What?

-Give me the pig.

[ Toy pig oinks ] -Claire Bloom as Martin's mother.

-You would see me homeless, destitute, cast out in the streets?

-Of course not.

-Well, thank you.

-I wouldn't see you.

I'd have no further contact with you at all.

-Ben Miller has been in three series.

-Oh, Ben Miller, yeah.

Yeah, we've had great guests.

-He wouldn't be able to live with himself!

How would he live with himself?!

-Vincent Franklin is in this last series and has been in the show from the start.

-Listen.

I backed you coming here.

And I get him in and interview him 'cause I think he'd be great for this job, or at least we're desperate for G.P.s, and he's better than nobody because he is a bit of a weirdo.

-I've told you, go away!

-All right.

-And then, of course, there's Sigourney Weaver.

-Yeah.

-Well, Sigourney and I have known each other for 40 years plus, and we're very, very close friends.

-And Selina said, "Can Sigourney be in it?"

so I laughed, walked away.

-And then Martin rang, said, "Sigourney said she wanted to be in it?

Do you think she really meant it?"

I said, "Yeah, of course.

What is this, both of you?

Yes, they do.

They both -- You both want each other.

You make it work.

So, we wrote a part, and then she wanted to come back and do it again, and she was just delightful.

-Just go away, please.

-We particularly wanted to have a physical fight because we thought that'd be very funny.

-He thinks you're nuts, as well.

You know that, right?

-No, that's a lie.

No, that -- We have a very special relationship, the Doctor and I.

-In your dreams.

-No!

Take that back.

-It's the truth.

-It's not the truth.

-Deal with it.

-No.

-Let go with me, you psycho!

-[ Screams ] -Aah!

-It was great.

I mean, I really had to go with her.

I really took a slug at her.

'Cause she's trying to get the doctor, I think.

What's not to like?

Lots.

[ Laughs ] -Then there are other four-legged stars.

-Taffy, stay there.

-They need a bit of direction from Martin.

-I like animals, so it's always fun to put lots of animals in.

Of course, we've got Buddy.

I mean, unfortunately, I had the episode where Martin almost put Buddy down, as well.

So I seem to get all those sort of things.

-Come through.

This way.

-It was a rubber dog last series.

Rubber Dodger.

And I did operate on him.

And that was quite -- [ Laughs ] It was seeing this -- They'd made the thing so beautifully, and I could actually literally cut the little dog's tummy open, and it would open, and it would bleed slightly.

It was such an amazing piece.

And poor Sonia, Dodger's owner, when she came in and she saw the little thing, she started crying.

[ Laughs ] And it was very, very tense.

And Dodger was so good in that whole story.

[ Chuckles ] -This is Taffy.

He is the new dog that's taken over from the very experienced old guy here, Dodger, who's retired.

They're all rescue dogs.

So here they are, in their Winnebago.

-Have you come to see your friends?

[ Dogs barking ] -Shut your face.

[ Both laugh ] How are you?

-I'm fine, thank you.

-Oh!

[ Dogs barking ] [ Laughter ] -It just struck me as funny that somebody who didn't like dogs, if they really liked him, they'll follow him regardless of his loathing for them.

Hello, old boy.

-Anybody who seems to come to Port Isaac to watch the filming brings their dog with them.

-If I want to find Martin in a busy day, I'll just follow the dogs.

Because I know that at the end of all these leads, he's going to be there, and he always is.

-Yeah.

-[ Laughs ] -You can't stop filming.

-[ Laughing ] We've lost him for a -- for a half an hour while he says hello to all the dogs.

-A collie -- a collie springer.

-Martin certainly charms the dog owners.

-You are very welcome.

Thank you very much.

[ Laughter ] -But what is he actually like to work with?

-Quite unbearable at times, but... [ Laughs ] -She has a massive crush on the doctor, and everybody knows it.

-We're telling people about the subtext that we put about.

-Filming outside the surgery always draws a crowd, but having all these people around can cause problems.

-This is a public highway, and we can't close it.

So every five minutes, 20 people have to walk through.

And the more it happens, the more cross and grumpy I get with him, and it's not his fault.

-When we're in the village working you'll -- you'll find people from all over the world come to see you.

It's like a Mecca.

Big Americans, Australians.

-Big Americans.

-They all say the same thing.

"Do you realize I've come all the way from Australia?

And then you say, But then it's funny because then sometimes.

-You get people who say, We've come from Somerset, and you realize, you think, "Well, they've come from Texas, mate," so... -Priscilla and Gary, and we're from Virginia Beach, Virginia.

-And they've found themselves at the sort of end of Cornwall in this tiny little village.

And they're -- they're just so happy to be here.

-But it's so cool.

This is all real.

Like, this is real place.

-Hi.

I'm Gloria Guyer, from Cincinnati, Ohio, and about six years ago, I started a club called the Bert Large Lovers Group.

But now we're up to almost 5,000 members.

And every Thursday night, we have a dinner, which Bert attends, and every Sunday afternoon, we have tea party.

-I just want to show you this book.

Because inside it, it's got all these people in America who have got pictures of me, and they've place them in all sorts of places, like in gardens, sausages there.

-I feel like with Bert, he's a type of friend everybody would want.

If you said, "Bert, I want you to meet me at 3:00 a.m. on the Platt.

Bring dynamite and candy," he'd show.

-Bert's not the only one with his own fan club.

There's a rival club appropriately named The Clunatics.

-I watched a show from the first series to the ninth series seven times.

And each time you watch it, you find something that you missed.

-Anita Bush.

-Iona Castle.

-Iona Castle.

-Helen Highwater.

I mean, you just go on and on.

-Nick DaSilva.

-Yeah, Nick DaSilva.

Scott Chase.

"Scotch eggs."

-Scotch egg.

-Anita Bush?

-No, Doc, this is my mum.

-Iona Castle?

Go through.

Helen Highwater.

Albert Ross?

-About time.

-Mr. Gleebles is next.

-He can wait.

Sit down.

-Sorry, Dan.

-I had never been abroad until 2018.

I took a step, you know, that I probably would have never done had it not been for "Doc Martin," Martin Clunes.

-In all honesty, I'm sure if Martin Clunes emigrated to America, they'd make him the president.

'Cause they absolutely love him out there.

They really do, you know.

-2% of people come to Cornwall just because of "Doc Martin."

That's been worth way in excess of £100 million.

But another 7% say that it's actually a great influence on them coming.

So you can see that, over a decade, this has really been worth hundreds of millions of pounds to the economy of Cornwall.

-People come from across the globe to Port Isaac, as the U.K. series is now shown in hundreds of countries.

But some even make their own and often, shot for shot, just copy ours.

-You've got a problem.

-[ Speaking French ] -What is your problem?

-[ Speaking Spanish ] -Back in Port Isaac, Ian makes the most of the many visitors.

-Ian charges for photographs and collects an awful lot of money for local charities and the lifeboat.

-Well, he's got a little bucket there.

"Oh, can we take your photograph?"

"Well, you can, but I would like something put in there, and paper would be preferable."

-This lady has just given us £20 for the lifeboat.

I think that's fantastic.

Absolutely.

Thank you very much.

-Like all the fans, there's one person in particular who doesn't want the series to end.

-You have to st-a-a-ay!

Please!

-Mrs. Tishell is desperate.

Only she can stop Doc Martin leaving Portwenn, she thinks.

Back in frosty February, the crew started planning a complicated sequence for the end of episode one.

-This is where...Abigail?

Is that her name?

Yeah.

Her car goes off the edge and ends up hanging over this bit of the edge here.

Is it safe to put the actress in the front seat of the car?

-Oh, yeah, that's fine.

-Yeah, oh, yeah.

-Did you get that?

[ Laughter ] It's safe.

-The actor is Fay Ripley.

Luckily for her, she won't be doing the driving.

Here's her stunt double making final adjustments on the day of filming.

And, yes, that is a wig.

-Are you happy?

Do you want to do one more?

-No, I'm happy with that.

-You're happy with that?

-Yeah.

-Same side.

[ Tires screech ] -I worry about that car going over with a stunt woman in when there's a drop.

I really worry about that.

-The deal is, if they -- they make sure I'm all right, and I'll buy them a beer tonight, and then that's -- that -- it all kind of works out.

[ Chuckles ] -I don't want it to go too far, but I don't want it not to go far enough.

I want it just right.

-I know you do.

-It hasn't quite traveled as far as we'd like, so Nigel would like the front door, driver's side, to be sort of teetering with a bit more jeopardy over the cliff, and we didn't quite get that.

So we're going to have another go, extend the cable slightly further, and hopefully this time, we'll achieve a bit more jeopardy, so... [ Tires screech ] -Hydraulically now, we can tilt the car using a remote mechanism to exact angle we want.

So when we're shooting in there, it's going to look like the car is moving and tilting on the edge.

Hopefully.

Maybe it won't.

But then I'll lose my job.

-When I got asked to sort of hang over a cliff, I did check that I had a legal will.

I then got very blase.

I've been having a cup of tea in there.

-He needs to get the tube up her nose, nose and kind of sort of wiggle it to get it into position.

-It's a trick that he -- only Doc Martin can do.

-Well, luckily, that's who we have.

-But does it matter if that's popping out my nose?

-Don't be difficult.

[ Both laugh ] Use the other nostril.

[ Laughter ] The other nostril's your own.

-[ Laughs ] -I want my agent.

-[ Laughs ] -And then he touches a bag to the other end of the tube, which is helping her breathe.

Because the myasthenia gravis has stopped the muscles of the diaphragm working.

-It means that all the muscles associated with breathing have stopped.

-And have you done this in a car perched on the edge of a cliff?

-Not often.

-No.

-No.

-Have we made this up?

-Yeah.

[ Both laugh ] -Because some of the dialogue doesn't really sort of work with the... with the physicality of where we are and what we're doing.

-Am I getting notes on camera?

-[ Laughs ] It's just not working, what you're doing.

-What's going on?

-Really nearly -- -Now I got dead eyes.

-No, you can use -- [ Both laugh ] Use the puffer bag.

-So we're just having a little break for a lunch.

But of course, it's not a break.

We're still working, aren't we, Nigel?

-Are we?

-We are.

Well, I am, anyway.

So, with a sequence like this, Nigel would have done a shot list.

Nigel will also have a storyboard that is done, which is each shot that we do.

-Caroline does all this kind of paperwork, so we know where the shot is so we can find things.

But most importantly, everybody out there is worrying about the lighting, worrying about the sound, worrying about this and that and the other.

She's my second pair of eyes.

And somewhere in here, in this extraordinary brain, she's trying to keep track of it.

In my opinion, we have some of the funniest and most creative actors working today.

I mean, if you've got Selina, Mrs. Tishell, you've got John Marquez, or, you know, um -- -Martin Clunes.

-Martin -- Oh, is he in it?

-Yes.

-Oh, God, I keep forgetting.

And they're always coming up with stuff.

-That's no good.

Call an ambulance.

-Martin's selling the fact we're on a cliff edge here.

Just watch.

So, there's no cliff here.

But look, you kind of feel there is because he's selling it.

And, you know, that's when you're really grateful to the cast.

-She's not out of the woods yet.

-And if you think acting is glamorous, if you think, "Oh, I'll be an actor.

I get pampered.

It's all so easy."

No, you try spending a whole day with a plastic tube up your nose.

-Action.

-Another problem is that when we shot Martin standing there, the sun was out.

When we shot this going, the sun had gone in.

And we'll be able to cut that car out and place it within that sunny shot of Martin, and it'll be a seamless car going over a cliff on a sunny afternoon in Cornwall as opposed to a cloudy one that we've ended up with.

-Once Nick and Nigel have finished the edit, it's over to Colin, our composer.

[ Tense music plays ] -When the car is hanging over the cliff and they're inside and trying to rescue the lady to get her out, you pointed out quite rightly, that I put a "Psycho" thing in there, and it was quite "Psycho."

-It was.

-It was -- Because I was -- You can imagine, I'm trying to think, "How far do you push that drama?"

-On the count of 10 -10?

-Right.

No.

5 would be better.

It's much quicker.

Actually, now I think about it, we could just do -- -Well, just do it now!

Ready?

-Okay.

-Go!

-I know where we're going with this.

And if I come off piste, which I sometimes do -- I think, "Oh, I'll try something" -- Philippa will say, "No, come off.

You need to be over here."

So that's all good.

-A couple of moments I did where I was really pushing too hard for a -- for a comedy joke.

And, you know, I still cringe when I think about them.

So if an actor comes in and starts doing a big comedy performance, I have to shut them down.

You know, just explain that, you know, "Watch Martin.

He can be incredibly funny, but always you feel like "He's the character."

-I think the thing about Doctor Martin is, he's terrible at small talk, and he's fantastic at the big talk.

But when you're in real trouble and you ring him because you are about to drown, he will drop everything and come.

And we all need friends like that, don't we?

You know?

But what is, I think, a real testament to this show is that most of this crew I've worked with before, and I don't mean last time I was here, but the time before that and the time before that.

Because if you're happy, if you're prepared to spend six months of your life here, surrounded by this monstrosity of a place, you sort of become a little unit.

-It's not like some hideous showbiz family nightmare where we're sort of going to the Ivy.

It's like it's here.

You know what I mean?

We're at The Angry Anchovy for a good pizza and a good bit of shouting.

-Yeah, Wednesday night quiz night.

-It's great because, you know, we always win.

-Number 35.

What is P.C.

Penhale's police number that he wears on his shoulder?

-No!

-No!

-Come on, John!

You got to get this one.

[ Laughter ] -I'll come to you in a minute.

[ Laughter ] Number 31.

-How was it this village became the right home for "Doc Martin"?

-Well, Port Isaac we inherited because of "Saving Grace."

But there was a time when we went around Cornwall looking for a new village.

Came back to Port Isaac and thought, "It's just perfect because it's the right size."

You get that amazing view in the harbor.

-It has fantastic views, fantastic light, brilliant cliffs, and some fantastic architecture.

-When we write the scripts, think, "Well, yeah, it's fine.

It's good," and then you see the actors do it, A, 'cause they're brilliant, so it always brings the script to life, and then you see the backdrop.

Wow!

So we're very grateful to this backdrop.

-But the village hasn't always been happy to be turned into a film set.

-There was a couple of series, it was a bit sticky, um...

But then I think once they got it realized that it was a good setup, it was -- it was kind of a two-way street.

-There's always the small -- a small contingent, and there always will be wherever you go filming.

You won't want film crews there.

-So, Martin and Sandy and one or two said, "Well, look, tell you what you do.

If the series makes money, Port Isaac makes money."

-Buffalo set up a trust, and they backdated it, as well.

They didn't have to do that.

You know, they showed willing and an understanding, as well.

-They stipulated when we got it that it should be, particularly for the old and the young of the village.

-There'll always be a fund in Port Isaac to use for the children for whatever they want to do.

-The show's unique look is down to the skill and artistry of our production designers.

-Well, we're blessed with Antony and Jane because we just know they are going to take care of every detail.

I do tease them that there is a color called mouse back that just tends to pop up on every -- [ Both laugh ] Mouse back.

-Well, we had to locate our key characters' houses, or in the case of the surgeries, we looked at various places, and we settled on the house we've now used, which is beautiful and has that view across the harbor.

-I rented it initially off of a lovely couple, and we did change their lives.

They had to sell because the amount of people looking in the windows.

And I did feel feel guilty for that because I did cause that.

-But, of course, it's very small inside, as most of the cottages are in the village.

So we decided to build a couple of the rooms, and then over the years and over the series, we've increased it until we built virtually the whole house now upstairs, downstairs, including the roof for the Christmas special.

-All right, Leonard.

-We always have to work with the village and try and let their normal life and working flow as much as possible.

So there's many places, particularly the chemist, which in Port Isaac is the fudge shop.

So we have to dress it very quickly often, and then redress it and strike it so it's always back as fudge shop for the weekends.

-Because I know we have changed the village.

I do know that.

And I do understand that that's not always a great thing, but it won't go on forever.

I don't suppose that it'll be that busy, but I think it's -- it's been a good thing.

I think it's been a good thing.

-Having local examples of people that have started as a runner and worked through to be juniors in a department and work their way through is really, really exciting for those people.

-Yeah, my daughter did a couple of years work experience with "Doc Martin."

-We're rolling!

-We're rolling!

Quiet, please!

-And now she's a runner in this series.

So, yeah, very happy.

-Certainly, it's interesting as they know we're going, real feelings come out, and the the warmth and the genero-- The people are being so generous to us and so appreciative of what we've done for the village.

Now that we're going, they can say it.

-So we leave.

The village will miss us, and I think we'll -- we'll miss the village.

Particularly the co-op.

[ Both laugh ] It's a very good shop.

-For the finale of episode 3 in this series, there are plans for Martin to fall into a deep hole.

-So it's quite a complicated, layered operation with stunts, special effects, us, actors, the whole caboodle.

-If he's super happy, and he feels safe, and he looks confident, then Martin will do it.

-It's not a big fall.

It's just a matter of -- of landing safely.

-Should we look at one?

-Let's do it.

-Come on.

-You've got to take that step as if you were just walking normally and selling that, even though you know, in the back of your mind, you're gonna be falling.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Now, if you were to run, you'd go in there.

-Can Martin -- -He won't be running.

-He'll be walking with intent.

-I know, but that's what I'm saying.

Just got to sort his intent out.

-He won't be running.

'Cause I know what Martin's like.

-Jamie, how long does it take to reset it each time?

-I reckon 30 minutes.

-Oh, wow.

-The guys will have to replace the boxes if they get flattened, and then we have to redress the tarpaulin with the leaves.

And we got three men in the woods collecting bags of leaves so we're ready to go.

-Man, if we get this done, we can go down the beach and have a swim.

-And then we can do the hide while you're swimming.

We'll carry on working.

-Did you get that?

[ Both laugh ] -And then this is the net.

-This is -- -Yeah.

We changed one.

-Two, one.

-There you go.

-Whoa!

That's great.

-Yeah, that's really good.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

And that's just picking up.

Now you're on to another rig.

-Right.

-So, on action, it literally takes him up.

-Yeah.

Just literally... -Stewart.

-He's got a knife.

I haven't!

Oh, hang on.

Yes, I have.

-[ Laughing ] -Whoosh!

-I'm less concerned about hurting myself than making it look right.

Do you know what I mean?

That's what -- But I suppose it's not like a disposable kind of stunt where we only get one go.

I can try and fall in the hole better, but it'd be a big setup.

You can do another take while I'm in the ambulance.

[ Laughter ] -We had some lovely weather the last few days, but yesterday, it started to get pretty dark, and so it was very hard for the focus pullers to keep things sharp.

But Luke's doing a fine job, and I'm confident we're going to get it.

-It's been a good week, though.

We've got some great stuff, and, yeah, it should -- this sequence should just top it all off.

It's a nice way to finish.

Again, just as long as the weather is kind to us.

-Raining.

[ Chuckles ] ♪♪ -Stewart!

-He's got a knife!

-No, I haven't.

-Oh, sorry, yes, I have.

-Whoa!

-Bloody hell!

-Oh, my God.

-Doc!

Help!

[ Cracking, grunts ] -Doc!

-I think I am the least appearing regular character in the longest running TV show.

-And the girls.

I mean, those girls are just hanging out, giggling all the time.

I mean, what is that about?

-You're very perceptive.

-And you can see them getting on really well, and it's all going very well until he says that he's got his giant squirrel standing beside him.

-Antony, this is Doc Martin.

Remember, I was telling you about him, And then suddenly, of course, he found himself held prisoner.

Stewart is always taking people prisoner.

[ Gun cocks ] [ Gunshot ] ♪♪ -Did you see that?!

The audacity!

-Some days, it feels like I never left.

So it feels like sort of time traveling 18 years.

Yeah.

-In the last week of the shoot in each series, we all get together for a cast and crew photograph.

[ Cheering ] This one is a special one.

We know it'll be our last.

[ Cheering ] [ Camera shutter clicks ] [ Cheers and applause ] -We've had the weather, as usual.

The difficulty of the location of getting all the gear down there, Martin, being such a difficult actor, and, you know, such a prima donna.

He didn't hear that, so... -[ Laughs ] We have the normal weather problems.

And in addition to that, you have the tide.

We need to set certain levels of... [ Laughs ] I've just been fired.

This is my P45.

-Feels very strange for it to be finishing.

Um...

Particularly to be finishing because I think my last scene will be here, as well.

That's quite nice.

-It will be a sad moment.

It's Port Isaac, isn't it?

Put it on the map -- worldwide.

-And now we've reached the end.

-Late scene complete, guys.

Caroline Catz and Eileen Atkins.

And Elliot.

-Seen Pete?

-And Rupert and Taffy and Willow and Betty and all the kids.

Guys... [ Applause ] ♪♪ -Little did I know when I was on the interview panel on the first scene, and I said, when we get to the end, I'd like to be in the last seat.

So, this is it.

[ Both laugh ] Yeah, 18, 19 years.

-I've been in every -- every episode, every series, except the second one.

-Yeah.

A shame that it's coming to an end, 'cause -- 'cause it will never happen again.

This will never happen again.

-No.

-Sad as we are, I was thrilled to receive an award from the sound department.

And this is because I rigged my own mic.

-Parts complete on Ian McNeice, folks.

Angela, Buffy.

-Listen up, guys.

-Imogen, Alice, and Rose, guys.

That's some pretty significant... [ Cheers and applause ] -We only live about 10 minutes down the road from each other, so... -I'll never get to see Robin again.

-I'm never gonna speak to her again.

[ Both laugh ] ♪♪ -I keep remembering it every every 20 minutes.

I think, "It's the final day."

But, yeah, it's quite -- quite significant.

-So now we're just waiting for Monsieur Clunes to do his Lexus work.

Other cars are available.

And then, we'll be -- I think the whole -- the whole team is wrapped.

The whole shoot is wrapped.

It's been a really -- -Forever and ever.

-Luckily, with a crack team and the crew, as well, we've managed to get it done, I think, and we're suitably and rightly ending with a shot of Martin running butchly from his car in a manner of an action hero.

♪♪ -Drop out.

The end.

Check it.

-Coming in, guys.

Come in for a sec.

-Most of us aren't accepting this is the end.

We're waiting for a Bert spin-off.

-Just want to thank everybody for everything.

I'm gonna cry.

I couldn't think of a better place to end our very, very last scene.

And thank you all.

You're all fantastic.

We're going to miss you.

[ All shouting ] -I'd like to do a bit from "Riverdance," please.

[ Laughter ] I can't add to that.

I know what each and every one of you does, and I really love the way each and every one of you does it.

So thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this show such a joy and a pleasure and a success.

Ta la!

[ Cheers and applause ] -Oh, man.

Man... -Well, congratulations.

♪♪ ♪♪ -It's funny the things that you, um... -It's just, um -- it's -- it's emotional walking through here with it all...gone.

It makes me so emotional.

I think it's just because everything that we built, everything we started was here, and it's all been taken away.

It's really sad.

It's -- It's...

It really gets me.

I just... -Oh.

-This is it.

We'll never see it again.

-I'm okay with that.

-I know, you're fine.

-You cry at "Britain's Got Talent," but you don't worry about this.

-[ Laughs ] Because it's sort of exciting now.

It's exciting because it's like -- Well, you have to tear the circus down in order to move it on to the next town.

-But this circus has been here for 18 years.

-I know.

It's been a long stay.

-It's just -- It's very sad.

It's like taking your house down.

That's what it feels like.

It feels like demolishing your house.

It's all over.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪