[mmDerdekea]

Originally Posted by statesidefan

So what you're saying is that you like to see a well-dressed man undressing?

Somehow I'm thinking that you're thinking that I'm not really thinking well watching a well-dressed physician in PW taking off his jacket and instead I get all emotional and non-sensical and don't quite make sense.

I agree!

[mmDerdekea]

Originally Posted by ReneeBird

Man, I sure wish someone would make a DM music video with ZZ Tops song, "Sharp Dressed Man!"
I'm going to ask Sendibo!

Great idea!!!!!

[SusieSagitarius]

Originally Posted by Shop Girl

Wow. I wish I knew a way to get this video to Martin because he would love it. My sister in law posted the link to FB.

It is a small town in Colorado where every spring this big ranch needs to move 700 horses from their winter pastures to their spring pastures and they run them right through the main street in the town. Amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbo8GDMsIz4

Oh, boy! thank you for taking me back home on the range. Sometimes I think I've lived in the big city tooooooo longggg. Such gorgeous creatures and it brought back lots of memories of seeing those kinds of events. And wishing I was up on horseback, too.

And thanks to the other poster for the Chincoteague link back to Marlon Perkins and his Wild Kingdom, too.

[statesidefan]

I am going to see if Dominic Minghella will answer the top 3-5 most compelling questions from us, his Doc Martin fans. I don't know whether he'll consent, but I want to be ready if he does. And I want to present these in the most provocative, interesting way possible that will entice him to reply.

If you could pose a question or two to DM, what would it be?

[NewPark]

Originally Posted by statesidefan

I am going to see if Dominic Minghella will answer the top 3-5 most compelling questions from us, his Doc Martin fans. I don't know whether he'll consent, but I want to be ready if he does. And I want to present these in the most provocative, interesting way possible that will entice him to reply.

If you could pose a question or two to DM, what would it be?

I'm thinking about questions, but meanwhile, what do you think the chances are that he would ever consent to a "chat" as in perhaps chat room, with some obsessively devoted superfans? or would even asking him predispose him not to answer any further questions?

[statesidefan]

Originally Posted by NewPark

I'm thinking about questions, but meanwhile, what do you think the chances are that he would ever consent to a "chat" as in perhaps chat room, with some obsessively devoted superfans? or would even asking him predispose him not to answer any further questions?

Well, obviously he is thought of highly by the huber-Doc Martin fans - and, as I said earlier, I personally think he's quite a lovely person. But he is a busy man and I, imagine, one who necessarily protects his privacy and his personal time. Then there is the issue of whatever confidentiality agreement came from the split - or just the general ethics of not wanting to say anything that could be construed to be critical of BP, its principals, or the show. I want to tread respectfully here - BUT I do think it would be prudent to compose a few top questions that are worth his time, things he would know and would want to talk about. I want to have them ready and I would appreciate everyone's help ASAP. Many thanks in advance!

[NewPark]

Originally Posted by statesidefan

Well, obviously he is thought of highly by the huber-Doc Martin fans - and, as I said earlier, I personally think he's quite a lovely person. But he is a busy man and I, imagine, one who necessarily protects his privacy and his personal time. Then there is the issue of whatever confidentiality agreement came from the split - or just the general ethics of not wanting to say anything that could be construed to be critical of BP, its principals, or the show. I want to tread respectfully here - BUT I do think it would be prudent to compose a few top questions that are worth his time, things he would know and would want to talk about. I want to have them ready and I would appreciate everyone's help ASAP. Many thanks in advance!

That all makes sense. Thanks for thinking of this and for being our intermediary!

I hope very much that Digital Spy does another set of interviews with cast principals, particularly MC and CC, before S6 airs, as I think their interviews were the best by far in eliciting non-canned and informative answers from MC. It may be that they were just far better prepared than most interviewers, or MC and CC were aware that they were talking to a devoted subset of their fans.

Anyway, so far I can come up with only two questions. I am limiting myself roughly to the first two series, as I think those are the ones he would know most about.

1. Does Doc Martin know how he feels about Louisa almost from the beginning? or he is in denial? If he knows, how does he explain his reluctance to act on those feelings -- his initial reluctance to accept Louisa's invitations, his panicky refusal of her declaration of love at the end of Erotomania? Is he shy, inhibited, disbelieving in his capacities as a romantic partner, just not wanting the inherent messiness of romantic entanglements?

2. What was Doc Martin like, socially and interpersonally in London? Did he have a few other friends like Chris Parsons? attend social events (I picture him in a dinner jacket)? with female companions? perhaps a few one-off romantic encounters with no relationship implications? (you see what I'm getting at here.) I want to know this because I'm interested in whether the character could function better in a more "sophisticated" environment and part of his handicap in PortWenn is that he can't accomodate himself to a very different social climate, or whether he is just a loner and an isolate from the get-go.

Well, I don't know how you word those in a pithy way, but for now those are my curiosities about the character we see in S1 and S2.

[statesidefan]

Originally Posted by NewPark

That all makes sense. Thanks for thinking of this and for being our intermediary!

I hope very much that Digital Spy does another set of interviews with cast principals, particularly MC and CC, before S6 airs, as I think their interviews were the best by far in eliciting non-canned and informative answers from MC. It may be that they were just far better prepared than most interviewers, or MC and CC were aware that they were talking to a devoted subset of their fans.

Anyway, so far I can come up with only two questions. I am limiting myself roughly to the first two series, as I think those are the ones he would know most about.

1. Does Doc Martin know how he feels about Louisa almost from the beginning? or he is in denial? If he knows, how does he explain his reluctance to act on those feelings -- his initial reluctance to accept Louisa's invitations, his panicky refusal of her declaration of love at the end of Erotomania? Is he shy, inhibited, disbelieving in his capacities as a romantic partner, just not wanting the inherent messiness of romantic entanglements?

2. What was Doc Martin like, socially and interpersonally in London? Did he have a few other friends like Chris Parsons? attend social events (I picture him in a dinner jacket)? with female companions? perhaps a few one-off romantic encounters with no relationship implications? (you see what I'm getting at here.) I want to know this because I'm interested in whether the character could function better in a more "sophisticated" environment and part of his handicap in PortWenn is that he can't accomodate himself to a very different social climate, or whether he is just a loner and an isolate from the get-go.

Well, I don't know how you word those in a pithy way, but for now those are my curiosities about the character we see in S1 and S2.

Excellent, NewPark! Here's one I was thinking of: How much did what the DM actors brought to the characters you've created change how/what you wrote for them?

[mmDerdekea]

Originally Posted by statesidefan

Well, obviously he is thought of highly by the huber-Doc Martin fans - and, as I said earlier, I personally think he's quite a lovely person. But he is a busy man and I, imagine, one who necessarily protects his privacy and his personal time. Then there is the issue of whatever confidentiality agreement came from the split - or just the general ethics of not wanting to say anything that could be construed to be critical of BP, its principals, or the show. I want to tread respectfully here - BUT I do think it would be prudent to compose a few top questions that are worth his time, things he would know and would want to talk about. I want to have them ready and I would appreciate everyone's help ASAP. Many thanks in advance!

It's a good idea, and NewPark's questions are great.

But, in his previous response about the Buddha he did make it clear that his effort on the show was 10 years ago and he was struggling from his memory to answer.

It may be, you know, that he is not really keeping up with his creation like we are. And, he is definitely involved with other projects that his mind is mostly focused on.

I would think, perhaps, quizzing Lothian or other writers, who have been with the show actively over the years might make more sense. Obviously they have been involved in the evolution of DM, and the uncovering of his persona, much more than Minghella.

[ReneeBird]

Originally Posted by NewPark

I do also miss Edana Minghella. She was part of the writing team for S2, and she is an interesting figure -- besides being part of that family, she has been both a psychiatric social worker AND a jazz singer.

If you like Jazz, you can go to Edana's website and listen to some of her songs. She has a beautiful voice. I bought her CD for my parent's and they love it. (Which reminds me, I need to "borrow" that from them!) Here's a link to her website:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...41867550,d.aWM

[dmbesotted]

Originally Posted by mmDerdekea

It's a good idea, and NewPark's questions are great.

But, in his previous response about the Buddha he did make it clear that his effort on the show was 10 years ago and he was struggling from his memory to answer.

It may be, you know, that he is not really keeping up with his creation like we are. And, he is definitely involved with other projects that his mind is mostly focused on.

I would think, perhaps, quizzing Lothian or other writers, who have been with the show actively over the years might make more sense. Obviously they have been involved in the evolution of DM, and the uncovering of his persona, much more than Minghella.

I was interested in knowing if the DM series was the idea of MC/PB or Mingella and from a very sparse number of comments in various reviews, it seems that the premise of the new DM was indeed from MC/PB and they hired Mingella as the lead architect of the series. That is not to say that they continue with his precise outline.

In reading some of your comments about Dominic Mingella, I also went to his blog. And I saw two very contradictory comments about the issue of Aspergers. In May 2012 he inicated that this was deliberate, and in August 2012 said it was to be left to the viewers imagination. And he repeatedly says that he is no longer involved in DM and does not know what it going on with the characters or plot.


So I would agree that going to the writing team is a more likely road to information if they are either willing or able to share.

[statesidefan]

Originally Posted by mmDerdekea

It's a good idea, and NewPark's questions are great.

But, in his previous response about the Buddha he did make it clear that his effort on the show was 10 years ago and he was struggling from his memory to answer.

It may be, you know, that he is not really keeping up with his creation like we are. And, he is definitely involved with other projects that his mind is mostly focused on.

I would think, perhaps, quizzing Lothian or other writers, who have been with the show actively over the years might make more sense. Obviously they have been involved in the evolution of DM, and the uncovering of his persona, much more than Minghella.

Mona, I think you should reach out to Lothian and let us know what you find out.

[NewPark]

Originally Posted by dmbesotted

I was interested in knowing if the DM series was the idea of MC/PB or Mingella and from a very sparse number of comments in various reviews, it seems that the premise of the new DM was indeed from MC/PB and they hired Mingella as the lead architect of the series. That is not to say that they continue with his precise outline.

In reading some of your comments about Dominic Mingella, I also went to his blog. And I saw two very contradictory comments about the issue of Aspergers. In May 2012 he inicated that this was deliberate, and in August 2012 said it was to be left to the viewers imagination. And he repeatedly says that he is no longer involved in DM and does not know what it going on with the characters or plot.


So I would agree that going to the writing team is a more likely road to information if they are either willing or able to share.

The Asberger's comments are quite interesting, aren't they. What they imply to me is that a lot of the "meaning" and character motivation is left somewhat ambiguous, to the viewer's imagination or interpretation. So to the answer of my first question (above) I think he could easily answer, "all of the above" or "whatever it means to you."

I do think though that while he might not remember details, he might have some more general recollections of what he was hoping to accomplish with his characters, and in general have an idea of the relationship between the producers, him as architect and the individual episode writers.

[dmbesotted]

Originally Posted by NewPark

The Asberger's comments are quite interesting, aren't they. What they imply to me is that a lot of the "meaning" and character motivation is left somewhat ambiguous, to the viewer's imagination or interpretation. So to the answer of my first question (above) I think he could easily answer, "all of the above" or "whatever it means to you."

I do think though that while he might not remember details, he might have some more general recollections of what he was hoping to accomplish with his characters, and in general have an idea of the relationship between the producers, him as architect and the individual episode writers.

If the premise and the character was based on MC/PB plans, then it would seem that whatever was put together by Mingella had to pass their test. Now that would be interesting to know. I just really see Mingella as hired help, not 'creator' as he is billed - I think that is just contractural.

Actually, I think the series would have had less success if they had stuck to the S1 Doc. He was too close to normal. Moving him along the socially inept/unacceptable path made him and the story lines funnier. Martin Clunes has said that playing DM like this is a bit liberating

I found this remark about John Cleese on Wikipedia

Comment about John Cleese leaving Monty Python -
He gets bored more easily than the rest of us. He's a difficult man, not easy to be friendly with. He's so funny because he never wanted to be liked. That gives him a certain fascinating, arrogant freedom
.

[statesidefan]

Originally Posted by NewPark

The Asberger's comments are quite interesting, aren't they. What they imply to me is that a lot of the "meaning" and character motivation is left somewhat ambiguous, to the viewer's imagination or interpretation. So to the answer of my first question (above) I think he could easily answer, "all of the above" or "whatever it means to you."

I do think though that while he might not remember details, he might have some more general recollections of what he was hoping to accomplish with his characters, and in general have an idea of the relationship between the producers, him as architect and the individual episode writers.

Yeah, I think that's right. It's not like he doesn't remember anything. Just that as time passes sometimes certain things are a bit fuzzier. And that wouldn't just be true of Minghella, but others, too. I'm still interested in any ideas for good questions.

[dmbesotted]

Aspergers -

http://life-with-aspergers.blogspot....oc-martin.html

It looks like this link was posted perhaps last year about this time - likely on a previous forum. Just thought I would post it again.

[dmbesotted]

DCI Banks

According to IMDB S1 and 2 only had 8 total episodes so maybe we in the US will not have to wait too long to see our 'Miss G' in a whole new role.

I watched Cold is the Grave last night on local PBS. Very well done. Actually I will be glad to be without his current annoying female partner.

[cc.cookie]

Originally Posted by NewPark

That all makes sense. Thanks for thinking of this and for being our intermediary!

I hope very much that Digital Spy does another set of interviews with cast principals, particularly MC and CC, before S6 airs, as I think their interviews were the best by far in eliciting non-canned and informative answers from MC. It may be that they were just far better prepared than most interviewers, or MC and CC were aware that they were talking to a devoted subset of their fans.

Anyway, so far I can come up with only two questions. I am limiting myself roughly to the first two series, as I think those are the ones he would know most about.

1. Does Doc Martin know how he feels about Louisa almost from the beginning? or he is in denial? If he knows, how does he explain his reluctance to act on those feelings -- his initial reluctance to accept Louisa's invitations, his panicky refusal of her declaration of love at the end of Erotomania? Is he shy, inhibited, disbelieving in his capacities as a romantic partner, just not wanting the inherent messiness of romantic entanglements?

This is from dominic minghellas blog in the doc martin comments section:

Thanks for your question(s). I love Caroline too, and just to be clear I always wanted the relationship between Martin and Louisa to be the heart of the show. The debate then becomes about how you keep the tension going and keep the audience interested. Any comments you may have seen from me would probably have been me saying Martin and Louisa should NEVER get together! By which I mean of course that the relationship should never be too easy.

[NewPark]

Originally Posted by dmbesotted

Aspergers -

http://life-with-aspergers.blogspot....oc-martin.html

It looks like this link was posted perhaps last year about this time - likely on a previous forum. Just thought I would post it again.

Totally fascinating site, dmbesotted. Especially the part about "Aspies" in love with NT's -- Neurotypicals.

Now back to "Cold is the Grave."

[ReneeBird]

Series 4, episode 1: Better the devil. Should be called, Better the yeller. Doc yells A Lot in this ep. He yells at Clive several times, and yells at medical technicians when trying to get a ct scan for Edith's patient. Funny episode!

[NewPark]

Originally Posted by dmbesotted

Aspergers -

http://life-with-aspergers.blogspot....oc-martin.html

It looks like this link was posted perhaps last year about this time - likely on a previous forum. Just thought I would post it again.

I've now gone through this site in more detail, and the parallels with DM are so striking (to me at least) that it's positively scary. Read the blog posts on the side as well as the main post.

maybe it's just made too much of an impression on me but it's like they used these diagnostic criteria/traits as a blueprint for the character. (who then interpreted it with a lot of latitude). Someone please tell me I'm all wet.

[dmbesotted]

Originally Posted by ReneeBird

Series 4, episode 1: Better the devil. Should be called, Better the yeller. Doc yells A Lot in this ep. He yells at Clive several times, and yells at medical technicians when trying to get a ct scan for Edith's patient. Funny episode!

I love Clive in this episode. When he responds 'Wha..' after the ear cleaning - what a classic.

And I don't really hate Edith until the very end. But shame on DM for not owning up in front of Edith - and actually he never really does. Even after she knows the baby is his it is his attitude that gives Edith her license.

[dmbesotted]

Originally Posted by NewPark

I've now gone through this site in more detail, and the parallels with DM are so striking (to me at least) that it's positively scary. Read the blog posts on the side as well as the main post.

maybe it's just made too much of an impression on me but it's like they used these diagnostic criteria/traits as a blueprint for the character. (who then interpreted it with a lot of latitude). Someone please tell me I'm all wet.

No, they really made some good points when pointing out his traits against the diagnostic criteria. Hard to pull away from it.

A lot of people on Minghella's DM blog commented about the Aspergers, many women said they understood why Louisa left - they talked about having lived with a husband with Aspergers.

[NewPark]

Originally Posted by dmbesotted

I love Clive in this episode. When he responds 'Wha..' after the ear cleaning - what a classic.

And I don't really hate Edith until the very end. But shame on DM for not owning up in front of Edith - and actually he never really does. Even after she knows the baby is his it is his attitude that gives Edith her license.

How do you interpret the look on DM's face when Edith visits him at his cottage and they are talking in the surgery? It was kind of a "soft" look, to me, and perhaps even a touch of affection/longing? And he did seem very open and at ease with her, perhaps more so than almost ever with Louisa.

[dmbesotted]

Originally Posted by cc.cookie

This is from dominic minghellas blog in the doc martin comments section:

Thanks for your question(s). I love Caroline too, and just to be clear I always wanted the relationship between Martin and Louisa to be the heart of the show. The debate then becomes about how you keep the tension going and keep the audience interested. Any comments you may have seen from me would probably have been me saying Martin and Louisa should NEVER get together! By which I mean of course that the relationship should never be too easy.

But didn't you think that was pretty ambiguous also, how does
NEVER get together equate to never be too easy? Seems those are in opposition.

And IMO the reluctance for DM was based on his initial meeting of Louisa and his social ineptitude.

Recall though at the festival in the 1st episode that he is a bit flirty with Louisa - before he realizes that he is her doctor and then runs after the Colonel.