The Doc Martin Christmas Special is the final outing for itv’s curmudgeonly medic. 

After last autumn’s tenth and final series, Martin Clunes returns for one last festive story as Dr Martin Ellingham. According to Radio Times, it’s appropriately titled ‘Last Christmas in Portwenn’.

While the lengthy synopsis released for the Christmas Special pretty much reveals the whole plot, look here if you want to, suffice to say that the Doc manages to upset an entire village; he closes down its Grotto fearing that Santa has something contagious.

Joining Martin Clunes are all the show’s regulars; Caroline Catz, Dame Eileen Atkins, Ian McNeice, Joe Absolom, John Marquez, Jessica Ransom and Selina Cadell all appear. For this special, the guest stars are Ron Cook, Claire Bloom and Emma Amos.

Festive Nonsense

With the Doc hanging up his stethoscope, Martin Clunes has been talking about what we can expect:

“Snow, Christmas lights, the lovely Claire Bloom came back to play the character of the Doc’s mother, and Ron Cook as Santa.

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.”

However, he warns that the compassionate side of his character, glimpsed in the final scenes of the last series, won’t appear:

“The soft side was due to a massive loss of blood! That’s his excuse. He is a bit grumpy because of all the festive nonsense, and he is not sure his son should be infected by such nonsense, and wants him to place it where he places Christmas in his mind.”

The Doc Martin Christmas Special was written by Jack Lothian and directed by Nigel Cole. The producer is Philippa Braithwaite and the executive producer is Mark Crowdy. It’s made by Buffalo Pictures for itv.

There’s no air date yet- we’ll keep you posted.