Overview: He’s surly, tactless, self-centered, and uptight—but he’s the only doctor in town. Martin Clunes (Shakespeare in Love, Reggie Perrin) shines in this award-winning comic drama set amid eccentric townsfolk and spectacular scenery.

DVD Verdict: OK, so the basis of this purely-British, well, Cornish actually (as they will have you know!) is that a jug-eared (sorry, Martin!) haemophobic surgeon moves to said Cornish village (Portwenn - which is actually Port Isaac) where he becomes the local GP. A move that was brought on by his fear, and hence stomach reactions to blood, of all things, in the hustle and bustle of mainstream Truro!

The first season was great and really set the stall out for what to expect. But this second season, although sarcastically spot on, does trail off somewhat laugh wise; culminating in the last few episodes becoming a tad bit more, well, drama-ish

Episode one kicks off with the introduction of his new surgery receptionist, Pauline; a woman he finds immediately not suited for the job - and yet who sticks around until the very end regardless! 'Old Dogs' tells the tale of Louisa's (Caroline Catz - 'Murder In Suburbia') former love coming back to town to take care of his mother; a woman Doctor Martin has just diagnosed as having dementia! The fact that the will-they-won't-they relationship between the Doc and Louisa is still unresolved here just adds to the tale - that comes complete with a happy ending; courtesy of some real life evaluations.

Episode two, 'In Loco' is a slower tale where an accident at the local fish and chip shop (yummy!) leaves the owner in hospital and local plummer Mr. Large in charge of the shop! Louisa is up for headmistress at her school and the Doc finds himself deciding her fate - unwillingly as a 'silent' governor of said school! In episode three, 'Blood Is Thicker,' the tale primarily focuses on that of father and son Large (the local plummers). Although a weird Moors family and their secret culminates in a whooper of 'I never saw THAT coming'!

Episode four, 'Aromatherapy' is all about the sister of key character, PC Mark Mylow coming to town, bringing with her her herbal remedies. But when a local radio host seems to have an on-air slurring problem, drinking is the first symptom to be unfairly blamed. We also get to revel in the acting of an old time favorite of British TV (Hugh Lloyd) as he constantly complains of the stench that is eminating from him - until the final, semi-guessable reveal! Episode five is 'Always On My Mind,' and also features a huge UK acting favorite in Roger Lloyd Pack ('Only Fools And Horses'). When his wife dies at home, he blames the Doc who was in attendance and then takes his anger out on the Doc's aunt Joan. And my oh my, this one also comes packed with a totally unexpected ending!

Episode six, 'The Family Way,' is a heartbreaking tale in truth, but it goes a long way to show why the Doc is indeed so dull, so shut off, and so, well unengaging to one and all. When his parents come to visit it's nothing but an icy reunion for them all. His father sneers at his son's small practice, his mother tells him he was always unwanted, and it all is so dry drama that it might have you reaching for the fast-forward!

Episode seven, 'Out Of The Woods,' begins with the Doc refusing to be PC Mylow's best man to his only-recently fallen-in-love-with stranger-to-the-town lady friend! Young Large takes on the responsibility though, only to find that his stag night means a sleepover in the woods - which immediately doesn't get off to a great start as Mylow gets bitten by a snake! Hence, the Doc is in a race against time to locate him with the help of the mentally-challenged Park Ranger!

Episode eight, 'Erotomania' is the big reveal of this stranger-to-the-town lady that PC Mylow is planning to marry. Danny asks Louisa to move in with him, but she is still confused over who she loves - until one night where she and the Doc get drunk, they both profess their love for one another, and then the Doc falls fast asleep on the kitchen table! Leading perfectly into the last episode, a bonus episode called 'On The Edge,' is was an added special for the show in the UK back in 2006, but follows on nicely, as it turns out. Telling the tale of some rare species of bird that has made its home on the Portwenn cliffs, it features Louisa's dad coming back home, a bipolar (aka, in this case, completely nuts!) friend of his, some explosives, the loss of Doc's receptionist to medical school, and a man that keeps wanting to take the Doc's practising license away; due to so-called complaints about his people skills!

Knowing where the third season headed already, the comedy did actually leave the show in the year to come, replaced with more drama issues and such. Which you can kinda see happening here as the Doc makes one heroic medical save after heroic medical save - and somehow manages to still not have a clue about the love for him of Louisa!

And, whilst the entire core of original creators are present for this second series - save for Dominic Minghella, who wrote or co-wrote practically all of seasons 1 and 2 (and brother to the late Anthony Mingella), as he only co-wrote 4 episodes with his sister Edana Minghella - it's the absence of some prior actors that are really noticable ... if you care to look that deep, which I myself do not! These are all Full Screen Presentations (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and come with the Special Feature of:

Photo Gallery
Cast Filmographies