Martin Clunes has no immediate plans to retire Portwenn's grumpiest GP Doc Martin, despite claims that the much-loved show would be coming to an end after series nine.
The series 8 finale aired on ITV this week, which featured the very welcome return of Hollywood actress Sigourney Weaver as American tourist Beth Traywick. She delighted viewers as she appeared at the Cornish surgery for a meeting with Clunes's doctor Martin.
It had initially been reported that the show would end after series 8, then it was claimed that it would be concluding in 2018 with series 9.
But Clunes has told Digital Spy that the drama has only been commissioned by ITV until series 9, so it could continue beyond then depending on the plans of the broadcaster.
"That was the last one [series 9] we had commissioned," the actor explained. "We don't just decide to make it on our own, ITV have to commission it.
"And ITV has commissioned the ninth. We don't have a commission beyond that. Ask me again in two years."
On whether fans could expect any other Hollywood cameos in next year's series after the popular turn by Sigourney, the Men Behaving Badly star went on: "Harvey Keitel said he wanted to be in it, but only after he heard Sigourney was in it.
"I don't think he knows what it is anyway. One of our producers knows him, but I don't think it was serious. I don't think we wrote a part for him."
The Telegraph
Victoria Ward
27 OCTOBER 2017 • 7:23PM
Martin Clunes, the actor, has accused actresses of flirting with movie producers in a manner he likened to “prostitution”.
The Doc Martin star, 55, worked with disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein on 1998 blockbuster Shakespeare in Love.
He told The Sun at a charity event: “Some of these actresses, there are some draped over him in a club.
"It's not news that these predators allowed some people to ... I don't know.
"Of course it's absolutely ghastly. It's a form of prostitution — the oldest game in the book."
More than 50 actresses have claimed 65-year-old Weinstein sexually assaulted them and he is the subject of police investigations in London, Los Angeles and New York.
But while more than 19-years have passed since their much-watched show about the hapless interactions between four thirty-something friends came to an end, Caroline Quentin admits the near-two decade gap was not an issue after reuniting with Clunes on the set of medical drama Doc Martin.
The actress, 57, takes a fleeting role as Angela Sim on the Cornwall based show, which stars Clunes, 55, as the titular Dr. Martin Ellingham, a frequently irked vascular surgeon who trades London life for a remote Cornish village after developing haemophobia – a fear of blood.
‘When I work with Martin it’s like no time has passed at all,’ she explained during an appearance on Monday morning’s edition of Lorraine.
‘There's something about mucking about in an adult environment that's great, and generally annoying everyone around us.’
We're about 40 minutes apart so we see each other all the time,' she explained.
Off-screen, Caroline raises children Emily and William with second husband Sam Farmer - a former runner on BBC show Jonathan Creek, where they met - in rural Devon.
But she believes the modern world, all too often defined by rapidly evolving technology and contrasting ideologies, has increased her responsibilities as a mother.
British Comedy Guide
Tuesday 21st March 2017, 9:18am
Filming is underway on Series 8 of hit ITV comedy drama Doc Martin.
ITV has confirmed that filming has just begun on location in Port Isaac, the picturesque Cornish village which doubles as the fictional sleepy Portwenn.
All the regular members of the cast are returning to the popular series, as crews begin filming eight new episodes.
Martin Clunes reprises his role as Dr Martin Ellingham, the GP with a brusque bedside manner and a phobia of blood; with Caroline Catz playing his wife and local school headmistress, Louisa Ellingham.
After having therapy to save their marriage in the last series, they face the challenge of living happily together with their baby James Henry.
Martin Clunes says: "I'm thrilled to be back on the beautiful North Cornish coast to shoot Series 8 of Doc Martin. The Doc is as obstinate as ever, but he is trying his best to be a better husband and father."
Also returning to the series is Dame Eileen Atkins who plays the central character's formidable Aunt Ruth, a woman who is beginning to doubt the wisdom of going into business with Bert Large and his son Al.
Ian McNeice is back to play Bert Large, with Joe Absolom as Al. Bert is desperate to make his home distilled whisky a success, but there's a shortage of customers willing to buy. Meanwhile guests are not exactly flocking to Al's bed and breakfast, and he fears he will have to close the doors for good.
Meanwhile wedding bells are ringing for unlucky-in-love PC Joe Penhale, played by John Marquez. In the last series he popped the question to the Doc's nanny Janice Bone, played by Robyn Addison, and is now looking forward to marital bliss. Will the course of true love run smoothly at last for Portwenn's police officer?
Martin Clunes is back in Cornwall filming the seventh series of his hit ITV comedy drama Doc Martin.
The actor from Dorset took a break from filming to speak exclusively to ITV West Country about his love of the county.
It feels like a second holiday in a way, even though it's hard work. It's a five month slog of very long hours but it's such a nice place to be. There's a lot of hanging around in our game but look where we get to hang around. The amount of hours I've spent gazing out to sea here.
– MARTIN CLUNES, "DOC MARTIN"
Port Isaac has become Port Wenn for the popular series Credit: ITV News
The entire cast and crew stays in the Cornish village of Port Isaac for five months during the busy filming schedule.
The new series, which airs in the autumn, will feature four local babies who have been picked from 150 hopefuls to share the role of the doctor's son.
Around 800 local people also auditioned to be extras.
While we were on set we bumped into a pair of "Clunatics" as Martin Clunes' fans are known as. These two women have travelled all the way from the States to see behind the scenes.
NORTHERN ECHO
First published 02:02 Monday 9 March 2015 in Entertainment & Lifestyle
ITVARTHUR & GEORGE EPISODE 3Pictured: MARTIN CLUNES as Arthur AND HATTIE MORAHAN as Jean.These images are the copyright of ITV/DOYLE 2014 LTD. (19965343)
SHE'S due to be seen in a fictional TV adventure with an elderly Sherlock Holmes, played by Sir Ian McKellen, in Mr Holmes, so there's a detecting connection for Hattie Morahan at the moment as millions watch her as the real life Jean Leckie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's love interest in three-part series Arthur & George.
Morahan admires her character’s patience and fortitude for waiting so long for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Martin Clunes) to propose marriage.
“I think it must have been very difficult at the time to contend with other people’s gossip and sense of scandal. They had to endure that quite a lot; people making assumptions about the relationship. We still don’t know whether they were utterly platonic before his wife died. To give them the benefit of the doubt, it seems that is what they tried to do. I think there was an awful lot of gossip. When they got married there was a lot of sneering about their relationship. The good thing is that they remained together until he died, and they had children. It was obviously an absolute meeting of souls," says Morahan.
Would the actress have waited that long? “If this is the person you love more than anything else in the world, then what can you do. It is going to make you more miserable walking away from the relationship. There is a moment in the story where we see her reaching the end of her tether, and saying ‘It’s been great, I don’t regret a moment, but I can’t do this any longer’. Her taking that step makes him reconsider his position."
Joe Absolom reveals he’s broke after working on Death in Paradise, but doesn’t regret taking a guest role in BBC1’s Caribbean murder mystery.
In a laughter-filled chat with What’s on TV the laidback Doc Martin and EastEnders’ star explains why he likes being a jobbing actor and is enjoying fatherhood. He also spills the beans on the return of Doc Martin and tells-all about former co-star Kevin Costner’s close encounter with a bee!
You guest star in Death in Paradise as volleyball coach Aiden Parker. Was it a tough job to say yes to?
“I know, I know… tough sell! I was supposed to be going on a family holiday to France to visit my mum and dad when I got the call from my agent telling me I’d been offered a part in Death in Paradise, and could I go to Guadeloupe instead?”
How did your family react when you told them?
“They’d been really excited about France and looked so sad when they heard I was off to the Caribbean for two weeks. So my girlfriend and I decided we’d make it work and take all three kids too. My parents were gutted and a bit jealous. And it turned out it rained in France when we were supposed to be there! We’re absolutely skint now of course, but we don’t want any sympathy. It was a good way to spend money and we all had a fantastic time.”
How nice is it to be offered a role and not have to audition?
“It doesn’t usually happen. It’s only happened once before with Midsomer Murders. Auditioning underlines my little foibles! I can go into the audition room and even though I’ve rehearsed something and felt good about it at home, suddenly I think things like ‘I don’t like this chair’. But I like being a jobbing actor, it's interesting and good fun. Yet the reality is sometimes you only do one or two jobs a year.”
Is that enough?
“No! Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t. The fact we went to Guadeloupe as a family – that’s an amazing experience. Listening to stories and meeting really interesting characters - our family photos with all the Death in Paradise cast and crew are fantastic.”
Were your children impressed by you?
“No, they were impressed by the pool! My little boy learned to swim. For Liz and me it was the best holiday we ever had, even though I had to work nearly every day. It’s a beautiful place with a beautiful atmosphere. Kris Marshall and Danny John-Jules’ kids were there too, and everyone got on fantastically.”
Did you have to do any special preparation for the role of volleyball coach Aiden?
“They told me to get a tan because I was so pasty and the character is supposed to have lived on the Island for 10 years!”
Does this mean Death in Paradise now rivals Doc Martin as the best job in television?
“Doc Martin really is a great job. We film in Cornwall and it’s really good fun with lots of very nice people. But that’s now been usurped by Death in Paradise. They flew me to the Caribbean – and when you’re not working you can sit around a hotel pool!”
What’s next for you?
“The new series of Doc Martin starts filming in Cornwall in March. I might have to get a proper job while I’m waiting for that – these kids keep growing!”
READ MORE HERE: http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/tv-news/news/joe-absolom-i-m-skint-but-death-in-paradise-was-worth-it
EXPRESS
Published: 06:08, Sun, February 15, 2015
By SIMON BUTTON
“But that’s what’s brilliant about this job,” she beams. “You get to dip into other people’s lives, doing other things, researching, finding things out, and it becomes all-consuming as you try to immerse yourself into the mind-set of another person. That’s really brilliant. You almost get the best of both worlds.”
Like so many chameleon-like actors, it’s easy to be taken aback at how different she is in reality from the characters she plays. From tough-talking Helen Morton in DCI Banks to feisty Louisa Glasson in Doc Martin, it’s understandable to think Caroline will be equally frosty. In reality, she is softly spoken and very different from the characters she plays – and she loves them all the more for that.
“Obviously there are elements of yourself you bring to roles, but Louisa and Helen are both so different and that’s what I enjoy – playing roles that are diverse,” says Caroline.
“You immerse yourself in a new character and I’m not sure which bits of myself go in and which don’t.”
That, she suggests, is for others to decide. Caroline, 44, admits Helen probably isn’t the easiest person to live with.
“And when the new series starts, she’s had some big, big problems with her husband, so it’s going to be interesting…”
“Louisa is a fantastic character because she’s so direct and she doesn’t care what people think about her. There’s a great liberation in playing a character who is very forthright and speaks her mind. She’s clumsy and blunt, while at the same time she’s just trying to get to the bottom of things,” Caroline says. “She’s quite practical and it’s not like she’s being unkind – she’s just trying to sort through what she says and all the irrelevancies and get right down to the nub of the matter. I find that very entertaining.”
The seeds of a career in acting were planted early for Caroline, whose parents took her to see shows at Manchester venues such as the acclaimed Royal Exchange Theatre and the Opera House.
“I was so lucky to have that exposure to stuff and to be taken by my folks to see these amazing productions,” she says. “Going to the theatre was the thing that did it for me and especially going to the Royal Exchange where, incidentally, I’ve never worked, but I’d like to one day.”
When, or if, she treads the boards in her hometown’s most prestigious venue, it won’t be under her real name. She was born Caroline Caplan and when she started working assumed it was cool to keep the moniker. Then someone urged her to give Equity a call and she was told the name was already taken. “And I was like, ‘What?’” she says.
As Caroline is Jewish, she wanted a Jewish surname, and decided Catz had a nice ring to it. Studying at RADA in the days before mobile phones, she popped into a phone box. “Someone had drawn little cats everywhere, so that was my final decision on the matter,” she laughs. “You’d think you’d spend days, months or years agonising over a new name, but I didn’t even have anything in reserve. It wasn’t thought out – it took about three seconds.”
So the name Catz wasn’t in homage to Katz Delicatessen in New York – where Meg Ryan famously faked an orgasm in the movie When Harry Met Sally? Caroline yelps at the idea! “No, but funnily enough we were in New York recently. We didn’t eat at Katz, but we took some photos. I loved New York. It was my first proper visit and I was absolutely blown away by it.”
INDEPENDENT
GERARD GILBERT Author Biography
Wednesday 25 February 2015
"When I tell people I'm playing Arthur Conan Doyle on TV, some of them ask, 'Oh, is Benedict Cumberbatch in it?'," says Martin Clunes, illustrating a common blurring of distinction between the creator of Sherlock Holmes and his creation. Sitting in a carriage on a steam train on the Bluebell Railway line in Sussex (the same locomotives used in Downton Abbey, as it happens), with Clunes suited, booted and cloaked in full Victorian-Holmesian outwear, it's easy to understand the confusion. "London taxi drivers tell me that American tourists have sort of heard of Conan Doyle," he says, as we chug through the countryside, "but they think he was a prime minister. Mind you, they also think Sherlock was prime minister."
So to be clear: Clunes is filming a scene in ITV's new three-hour adaptation of Julian Barnes's 2005 novel Arthur & George, in which Barnes fictionalised real events from 1903 when Conan Doyle – rich and famous from the proceeds of his Sherlock Holmes stories, but widowed and bored – took it on himself to investigate what he saw as a miscarriage of justice. Staffordshire solicitor George Edalji, the Anglo-Indian son of a vicar – and the victim apparently of long-standing racial prejudice – had been convicted of mutilating livestock. "There's no way he could have cut those animals," says Clunes. "He was a bookish, disabled, poor-eye-sighted solicitor."
Clunes's wife, and the co-owner of a production company that also makes the actor's enduring ITV hit Doc Martin, Philippa Braithwaite, optioned Barnes's novel – with no real intention, she tells me, of casting her husband as Conan Doyle. "It wasn't written for Martin; it was just because I loved the book," she says. "I didn't know anything about Conan Doyle. I just picked up this book and it was a real case that just seemed so bizarre. And this was before any of the big Sherlock Holmes revivals had started really, so it was a coincidence that Sherlock had become so huge while we were working on this."
"I knew she was beavering away on this and slugging it out with Julian Barnes's agent and trying to satisfy them," says Clunes. "When I read the book I couldn't instantly see what Philippa had seen because it doesn't scream out 'televise me' when you read it, but she's obviously much smarter than I am." Peter Fincham, director of television at ITV, had, in his previous job as controller of BBC1, tried to persuade the channel to film Barnes's novel, but had been told it was "BBC2". "In the way that people say those things," says Clunes.
DIGITAL SPY
By Katy FinbowTuesday, Feb 10 2015, 10:36am EST
Martin Clunes stars as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in a new trailer for ITV's Arthur & George.
The three-part series is based on the Julian Barnes novel of the same name, covering true events in the life of the Sherlock Holmes creator.
Following the death of his wife, Conan Doyle is encouraged to find something to occupy himself with. He soon discovers the case of George Edalji (Arsher Ali), who has been wrongly accused of several high-profile crimes.
Accompanied by his servant Alfred 'Woodie' Wood (Charles Edwards), the novelist sets out to prove George Edalji's innocence.
The series also takes a look at Conan Doyle's relationship with younger woman Jean Leckie, who eventually became his second wife.
Orlando Sentinel
By Hal Boedeker
Staff writer
January 19, 2015
Good news for "Doc Martin" fans.
Martin Clunes, star of that series, will play Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in "Arthur & George," a series from PBS' "Masterpiece" later this year.
"Masterpiece" announced new offerings Monday at the Television Critics Association meeting in Pasadena, Calif.
"How perfect that 'Arthur & George' will air on PBS, as public television has been such a wonderful home to 'Doc Martin,' " Clunes said in a statement. "I'm sure that our new series will be a treat for 'Doc Martin' fans, and for everyone who enjoys a terrific drama."
The three-part "Arthur & George" is based on Julian Barnes' novel about a half-Indian son of a vicar. Doyle investigates whether the vicar's son has been framed for a crime.
A modern-version of Sherlock Holmes with Benedict Cumberbatch has been a major hit for "Masterpiece."
"Masterpiece" also will present "Home Fires" about women living in a rural British village during World War II while the men are away fighting. The cast includes Samantha Bond, who plays Lady Rosamund Painswick on "Downton Abbey," and Francesca Annis of "Reckless."
"Masterpiece" executive producer Rebecca Eaton was taking a well-deserved victory lap as the show flourishes.
"For 'Masterpiece' to be the No. 1 show on PBS in its 44th year is historic,” she said in a statement. "We are proud of the work of our British partners and grateful to all of our American supporters."
"Masterpiece" scored a 3.6 national household rating (live+7) in 2014. That rating is up 80 percent from 2010 -- an astonishing figure as the TV universe fragments.
"Masterpiece," which is presented by WGBH Boston, has expanded to offer "Grantchester" at 10 p.m. Sundays after "Downton Abbey." That entertaining mystery with James Norton and Robson Green started this week.
And "Masterpiece" has potentially one of the year's biggest shows: "Wolf Hall," an adaptation of Hilary Mantel's novels, on April 5. Emmy-winner Damian Lewis ("Homefront") plays King Henry VIII, and Tony-winner Mark Rylance is Thomas Cromwell.
PBS had other drama plans, not related to "Masterpiece." Public television plans a six-episode drama about Civil War nurses. The show will film in Virginia air on Sundays starting in winter 2016.
INDEPENDENT
Julia Molony
PUBLISHED
17/11/2014 | 02:30
Benedict Cumberbatch might have his Cumberbitches, but Martin Clunes could give him a run for his money with his Clunatics.
They are the devoted fans of Doc Martin, the television show in which he stars. They run on-line discussion groups, are unwavering in their devotion, and even turn up at the actor's home wearing Doc Martin masks. It sounds a bit scary, but Clunes is entirely sanguine. "We have a fair on our farm every summer, and they come in their droves. And they give thousands of pounds - we do it for local charities and the Clunatics, even if they don't come, they send money. I've been sent sleigh bells for my horses, all sorts of things. English fans just generally want a signed picture, whereas the Americans want to tell you a bit about themselves, and what it means to them."
Clunes is wearing a smart suit and his British Horse Society pin. He is the president of the society and today, in the middle of a film publicity campaign, dashed out to give a speech to the members before coming back to resume talking to journalists in Claridges.
It's an indication of the two worlds he inhabits - down on his farm in Dorset surrounded by horses, cows, chickens and dogs, with interludes spent making films and telly.
He and his wife, the renowned producer Philippa Braithwaite, run Buffalo Pictures production company together. They make Doc Martin, are currently filming a television adaptation of the Julian Barnes book Arthur and George, about Arthur Conan Doyle, and are behind an array of nature-focused documentaries which Clunes fronts.
But it's Doc Martin which has arguably been their most high-profile collaboration, both in the UK and abroad. "People do absolutely love it, which is very gratifying. You get people sending in scripts, that they've gone to the trouble of registered delivery post."
He's a busy man at the moment having accidentally conquered America with Doc Martin and today is promoting his latest film project. Nativity 3, Dude Where's My Donkey?! is the third instalment in the seasonal children's comedy set at the fictional St Bernadette's school. It's full of Christmassy high-jinks and is all improvised. The kids who are cast are not given scripts or characters, but are asked just to be themselves. "They're the lesson… because they live in the moment and that's what you have to do to improvise," Clunes says. "You have to get right there with them." Working with large groups of primary school kids is, he admits, "completely chaotic. But that's why they shoot so much and take a year to edit it. What you don't get is hokey kid actors doing dialogue. They're just being themselves."
It's good, old-fashioned silly fun for the under 10s. Clunes's character Mr Shepperton, is a school-teacher whose wife has died, leaving him to raise his daughter Lauren alone.Things get more complicated when he is kicked in the head by a donkey, loses his memory, and can't even recognise Lauren.
"It's not the first time in my working life that I've told stories that have come close to the notion of abandonment, and they've always got me," Clunes says. His father Alec Clunes, who was a well-known actor, died when he was eight, and it was only afterwards that Martin discovered his parents had split up and Alec had left the family for a while. "There are all sorts of types of abandonment, but I know it's something I tap into and I guess it's because of that sense of losing people at a young age. Because kids just have needs, don't they? And what rocks them is 'who is going to look after me,' and I think you either do or don't carry that through with you as an adult," he says.
MAIL ON LINE
By FEHINTOLA BETIKU
PUBLISHED: 14:36 EST, 12 November 2014
UPDATED: 18:44 EST, 12 November 2014
He's best known for portraying Gary Strang in Men Behaving Badly.
But appearing to be on his best behaviour, Martin Clunes cut a dapper figure as he shot scenes for the upcoming drama Arthur & George on Wednesday.
Making an appearance at Hughenden Manor in High Wycombe, the 52-year-old actor went back to the 19th century as he got into character as British novelist and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Set in 1903, the television series, which is an adaption of Julian Barnes’ novel Arthur & George, will document true events that took place in the life of Sherlock Holmes author Arthur Conan Doyle.
Directed by Stuart Orme, whose work includes Goodbye, Mr. Chips, the drama was written by Ed Whitmore.
Arsher Ali, Art Malik, Emma Fielding, Charles Edwards, Hattie Morahan and Sandra Voe also feature in the three part series.
MAIL ON LINE
By MADLEN DAVIES FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 09:35 EST, 5 November 2014 | UPDATED: 12:46 EST, 5 November 2014
A young boy who stars in the film Nativity 3 defied the odds to become an actor and dancer after doctors warned he may never walk or talk again after brain surgery.
Ben underwent a nine-hour operation because the plates in his skull had not fused correctly after birth.
The youngster, from Cannock, Staffordshire, was diagnosed with craniosynostosis when he was two years old.
His terrified family were told he may not survive, but Ben, who attends the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, recovered.
He has since gone on to launch an acting career and win dance titles including European freestyle champion.
He beat 500 other hopefuls to the role of Bob in the first Nativity film - turning up for the auditions wearing fake tan, fluorescent green hot pants, matching leg warmers and a T-shirt emblazoned with the words Born To Dance.
Ben's mother, Jill Wilby, said: 'He just loves these premieres.
'He loves having his picture taken and mixing with stars on the red carpet.
WHITNEY GAZETTE
First published 01:30
Friday 31 October 2014 in News
Martin Clunes and Charles Edwards filming in Witney
TV star Martin Clunes has been filming scenes for his new drama at a Witney museum.
The Doc Martin actor was at Cogges Manor Farm for nine days between Monday, October 20, until yesterday to film ITV show Arthur & George.
TV star Martin Clunes has been filming scenes for his new drama at a Witney museum.
The Doc Martin actor was at Cogges Manor Farm for nine days between Monday, October 20, until yesterday to film ITV show Arthur & George.
Mr Shone said the cast and crew had moved around for filming in London and Staffordshire but had been glad to have a base where they could stay for longer.
He added: “The whole cast and crew have been really lovely to work with and very considerate.
“Martin Clunes and the other actors were lovely — very chatty and friendly. He’s a real animal lover so he’s been stroking all the animals in the farm.”
The drama is an adaptation of a novel by Julian Barnes.
ACTOR Martin Clunes filmed scenes for a new TV drama series at the Sue Ryder hospice in Nettlebed.
The Doc Martin star and Men Behaving Badly visited Joyce Grove for the filming of Arthur and George, a three-part adaptation of Julian Barnes’ novel for ITV. He plays celebrated author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Graham Campbell, head of support services at the hospice, said: “They were here just for a day doing some scenes inside the hall and reception area. They set up from 7am, started filming about 10am and finished about 6.30pm.
“There were a lot of people watching as a lot of families had come in to visit their relatives.
“All the crew — the runners, the assistant directors — were charming. They were very nice to our patients and relatives that were held up for 30 seconds while they took a shot.”
The film crew also captured some exterior shots of the Jacobean-style manor house, which was built in the 1900s and was once the home of James Bond creator Ian Fleming.
Mr Campbell said the producers approached the hospice, saying the wood paneling and huge fireplaces made it an ideal location for the production. The drama is based on an intriguing series of true events in the life of the Sherlock Holmes’ creator.
Conan Doyle recaptures his zest for life by pursuing and challenging a notorious miscarriage of justice — the case of George Edalji, a hard-working solicitor and son of a vicar.
Arthur and George also features Conan Doyle’s relationship with Jean Leckie, a much younger woman with whom he enjoyed a platonic relationship while his wife was alive. Jean eventually became his second wife.
Other members of the cast include Arsher Ali, star of Four Lions and Silent Witness, as George Edalji, Art Malik, who appeared in The Jewel in the Crown, as his father, the Reverend Shapurji Edalji, and Emma Fielding, star of Silk and DCI Banks, as his mother Charlotte Edalji.
Steve November, ITV’s director of drama, said: “Arthur and George explores what we think we know about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s life. It’s a fascinating insight into the man who was to become one of the most famous of his age.
If you’re a child of the nineties your little heart is about to do somersaults – Men Behaving Badly is back in a one off special for this year’s Stand Up To Cancer.
Beer-swigging, burping, foul-mouthed housemates Tony (Neil Morrissey) and Gary (Martin Clunes) are being reunited for the first time in fifteen years as part of the night to raise funds for Cancer Research.
The mindless chit chat about TV and women is back, although sadly it looks like the long suffering lady folk Dorothy (Caroline Quentin) and Deb (Leslie Ash) will not be returning judging by the promo shot, where they are played by two blow up dolls.
In the scene, Gary finds an online clip explaining the importance of checking your nuts. He asks Tony: Have you checked your nuts?’
To which Tony responds: ‘No, I just say stuff. Some of it makes sense, some of it doesn’t.’ Oh those guys.
Then, after Gary clarifies, Tony tells him: ‘I get my girlfriends to do that, and in return I get to check their breasts’.
Georgia Hardie has been named Prince's Trust Young Achiever at tonight's Pride of Britain Awards, after overcoming a troubled upbringing to make a success of her life.
At just 11-years-old Georgia Hardie found herself homeless after her alcoholic mother's unpredictable behaviour forced her out of the family home.
She spent the next three years sleeping in secret in her sister's room at a hostel, where she would hide under the bed if staff came knocking, or staying at friends' houses.
She was handed the award by actor Martin Clunes at the glittering ceremony at London's Grosvenor House Hotel.
The actor said Georgia was “the most incredible example and ambassador for the Prince’s Trust. which stops so many people falling through so many nets”.
Georgia said: “Being homeless at 11 is terrifying. You feel isolated and stressed.
"This award means so much to me. I never imagined out of all the people I could ever come close. I've been trying not to cry because I haven't worn waterproof mascara.
BLACKMORE VALE MAGAZINE
By mbarber | Posted: September 30, 2014
Julia’s House development director Sarah Clark with Martin and Philippa Clunes
Julia’s House patrons actor Martin Clunes and impressionist Debra Stephenson pitched in at the Julia’s House annual Butterfly Ball, helping to make the event a stunning success.
The event which took place at Canford School was attended by 160 guests and raised £40,000.
Martin Clunes conducted the charity auction which including two lots he had donated - a walk-on part in the next series of Doc Martin and one of the suits his character wore in the hit TV show. They turned out to be the star lots, attracting combined bids to the tune of £2,250.
Debra Stephenson rounded off the evening by singing the opera classic Oh Mio Babbino Caro.
Martin Clunes plays celebrated author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in Arthur & George
Martin Clunes plays the celebrated novelist and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in a three-part adaptation of Julian Barnes’ novel, Arthur & George for ITV. Filming begins this week in London and Staffordshire on the drama, which is based on an intriguing series of true events in the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who famously created the detective Sherlock Holmes.
Conan Doyle recaptures his zest for life by pursuing and challenging a notorious miscarriage of justice. It is the case of George Edalji, a hard-working solicitor and the son of Hampshire vicar, Reverend Shapurji Edalji and his wife Charlotte. George has served seven years in Pentonville Prison for allegedly mutilating animals and sending threatening letters. The offences have become known as The Great Wyrley Rippings.
Following the death of his wife, Louisa, Conan Doyle has become a “bore and a sulk” by his own admission. All around him do their best to bolster Arthur from his grief and mourning including his beloved ‘Mam’ who implores him to “sink his teeth into something. If not a book then some new pursuit.”
Set in 1903 in Staffordshire, Hampshire and London with the backdrop of Conan Doyle’s family home, Undershaw, Sir Arthur joins forces with his trusted manservant, Alfred ‘Woodie’ Wood with whom he has a very strong bond.
On learning of George’s plight and glimpsing the headlines concerning the Great Wyrley Rippings, Conan Doyle urges Woodie to arrange a meeting with George, who is released from prison after serving three years of his seven year sentence. Now at 27, George is desperate to clear his name so he can return to his career.
Arthur & George also features Conan Doyle’s relationship with Jean Leckie, a much younger woman, with whom he enjoyed a ‘platonic’ relationship whilst his wife was alive. Jean eventually became his second wife.
Martin is joined by a prestigious cast including Arsher Ali (Four Lions, Complicit, The Guilty, Silent Witness) as George Edalji, Art Malik (The Jewel in the Crown, True Lies, Upstairs Downstairs, Holby City) as his father, the Reverend Shapurji Edalji, Emma Fielding (Silk, DCI Banks, Kidnap and Ransom) as his mother Charlotte Edalji, Charles Edwards (Downton Abbey, Trying Again, A Young Doctor’s Notebook) as Woodie Wood, Hattie Morahan (The Bletchley Circle, Outnumbered, Eternal Law, Sense and Sensibility) as Jean Leckie and Sandra Voe (Breaking the Waves, Vera Drake, The Winter Guest, Holby City) as Mam.
