mofro says: ...to lay blame on Phillippa.Your post is incomprehensible.

Oh, just chill. There are two producers, one of which should be replaced - the misogynistic M Crowdy.
Enjoy your little show. Two years was enough for me.

Interesting idea! I have big problems with the way Louisa has been portrayed at times, and women in general at other times. Maybe Mr. Crowdy is the issue. I can't remember, but is he the big proponent of overplaying the "will they won't they"?

Over the years, most fans have focused on PB as the producer. We ignored - or (perhaps wrongly) thought Mark Crowdy's influence wasn't that large. It was from the 7 Grumpy Seasons that it became apparent to me that he has more input into the plot progression than I had previously realized.

I'm of the mind that MC should continue with this role even if that requires a shift in the show.

The little is what draws me to the show. It's like food or furniture that is made in small batches the old-fashion or traditional way. Most shows are "made in China" in an anonymous factory. This show is refreshing in that way. The imperfections are part of its value for me.

The Seven Grumpy Seasons with Mark Crowdy was shot, I believe, during filming S7E6 when Danny announces one of the youngsters has gone missing. To be interviewed during this tense part of the episode is unkind to Crowdy. He is trying to be nice to the interviewer and at the same time work at getting the scene right. The scripts in this series are getting harder to write, given the progression of the storyline. The Cluneses and Crowdy don't want boredom to set in. With better scripts when MC made Reggie Perrin and William and Mary, those series could have lasted a little longer. I think what fans are missing here are the Ben Bolt and Dominic Minghella touches.

I loved Mark Crowdy's enthusiasm. His interview left me with the sense that he loves the show and genuinely loves the characters and actors. A producer on set really just observes, so he has no reason to be horribly tense. The director and crew are the ones who are doing the grunt work. I've been at this fan business for a number of years now...and you know what? I've never read or heard much of anything about Mark Crowdy except that he's there and does his job. To suggest he is a misogynist is hallucinogenic speculation. Total rubbish. This discussion is getting too weird for words.

I have heard M Crowdy talk about this couple long before this latest PBS airing and his grasp is tight after listening to him discuss their storylines.
MClunes' position is that the Doc can't change and that he always gets things wrong. MCrowdy zeroes in on the Doc character in regards to their relationship, while her character is used as just the tool or the prop.

Crowdy describes the marriage as Martin's marriage, the relationship as Martin's relationship, their baby as Martin's baby - LOL never uttering the name Louisa at all, actually!

My issues is that her character is slowly but surely losing the very essence of Louisa Glasson and in
the attempt to make this story fly (and go on and on) its lost its romantic appeal (for sure) and its entertainment
value. Mark my words, soon they will be "two peas in a pod" or Martin and Louisa Bickerson.

Louisa was a unique part of the village and her own character. Part of the fun was watching and waiting for the
two of them to connect or cross paths. For the scores of fans that have fallen in love with PW and all its oddities,
it is a little jewel box of fun - enjoy!

Please let us know what your source of information is. I have seen all the PBS behind the scenes talks and have read literally almost every darn thing that has been written about Doc Martin/Martin Clunes and seen everything available from the early 1980's. This is no exaggeration. When I become interested in a subject I research it to death...and I'm familiar with this subject. So, think really really hard about where you that Mark Crowdy and Martin Clunes information came from. A simple "I forgot" will be enough to make me doubt the veracity of anything you say. I'd really appreciate reading or hearing about their differences in character interpretation from the source.

Also, Mark Crowdy was the person who wrote the "Doc Martin" movies and started the character's voyage to what it has become today. So DM is what he got from Craig Ferguson...put in movies and passed on to Minghella for development of the television series.

Also, the program is called "Doc Martin"...he is the principle character. Did you expect it to change to the "Doc Martin and Louisa" show.? I agree that they manipulated her character in some less than attractive ways as dcdmfan has mentioned but its just part of the story....part of the plot.

In any case, nice to see you're feeling better as your post today appears to be in English and easier to understand than the chaotic blather of the other day. And really really.....debate and linguistic intercourse are great, but if I really hated something I'd just turn it off, stop writing about it and find something better to do.

Wow.....and today Portwenn is a little jewel....very odd

Marchand. While I greatly miss the deft touches of writer, Minghella, and director, Bolt, I appreciate the direction in which BP has taken the show. I watched a quirky little show for 3 series, now I watch a good drama with a few comedy bits

For DCDMFan. I don't think Mark Crowdy has been mysoginistic, it is what he was told to do to the Louisa character that makes him appear to be such. Since BP decided to take the darker turn, Louisa has been his foil. Anything needed to further Martin's storyline meant that any change could be made to Louisa's personality. She had to play the bitch in series 7, so that Martin could allow his emotional, caring side to emerge. It was never Louisa who needed therapy but only Martin with his abysmal childhood, ruined surgical career, and social ineptitude. In s. 7 she was made to be more dysfunctional than him.

In my opinion a reason for the enhanced drama in the show was to garner more dramatic roles for Martin Clunes in alternate years. Since that doesn't seem to have happened, I wonder if BP will change course again in s. 8 and return to the quirky show. Martin became more verbal and nicer in s.7, leaving the door open to return to a lighter touch.

It wasn't dcdmfan that used the word "misogynistic". See above

You are right, but I wasn't responding to the poster who specially used the word. I was re-using the word in discussing with DCDMFan her comments about how Louisa and women have been portrayed in the show and whether Mark Crowdy had a hand in it. It is interesting to speculate on how the show may have differed if PB had used more women writers and an occasional woman director. My opinion is that it would not have mattered because the focus will also be on the male principal character and his storyline.

I agree...it would have to be a different show. The director can only do what they are told to do within the parameters of the series' story.

Wow.....and today Portwenn is a little jewel....very odd

Why yes, for the scores of fans that love PI or the fictional PW, it is a lovely place. It was a simple acknowledgement. It is what first drew me to the show. Thanks for allowing me to explain myself.

Please let us know what your source of information is. I have seen all the PBS behind the scenes talks and have read literally almost every darn thing that has been written about Doc Martin/Martin Clunes and seen everything available from the early 1980's. This is no exaggeration. When I become interested in a subject I research it to death...and I'm familiar with this subject. So, think really really hard about where you that Mark Crowdy and Martin Clunes information came from. A simple "I forgot" will be enough to make me doubt the veracity of anything you say. I'd really appreciate reading or hearing about their differences in character interpretation from the source.

I haven't forgotten - it was from what I recollect on YT. I do not have the DVDs so any behind the scenes production specials that either aired (on PBS) or loaded to YT is my best guess. I am not a hyper fan, so I cannot cite you date/time, etc. Are you saying I am making this up? You would say that?!? LOL - you're a trip. Crowdy's main interest is the character of Martin. Louisa is the prop. That is how I see it. As far as the actor's comments, he has often said that the Doc can't change; and, said at other times that the Doc doesn't get things right. And - MCr did make the comments just as I described.


Also, Mark Crowdy was the person who wrote the "Doc Martin" movies and started the character's voyage to what it has become today. So DM is what he got from Craig Ferguson...put in movies and passed on to Minghella for development of the television series.

Um, okay. I don't find that helpful, but thanks.


Also, the program is called "Doc Martin"...he is the principle character. Did you expect it to change to the "Doc Martin and Louisa" show.? I agree that they manipulated her character in some less than attractive ways as dcdmfan has mentioned but its just part of the story....part of the plot.

Manipulated her character...hmmm? Interesting choice of words. Thanks!

In any case, nice to see you're feeling better as your post today appears to be in English and easier to understand than the chaotic blather of the other day. And really really.....debate and linguistic intercourse are great, but if I really hated something I'd just turn it off, stop writing about it and find something better to do.


Well, we all have our good and days and our bad days, right? I know you can relate. I have turned it off. I have commented (occasionally) since the show last aired and I often find much better things to do. Thank you for your care and concern. LOL


Mofromco, you have occasionally offered advice and/or given direction () and commented on my posts. You seem so displeased with what I (and some others) have to say here on this forum. I would suggest that you consider just skipping my posts altogether. I wouldn't be offended in the least.

We have speculated that the reason for the more dramatic, or darker, turn of the show was to garner more dramatic roles for MC in the alternate years. I think you are right about the strategy they took - I guess beginning in earnest with series 6, but perhaps it was somewhat done in series 5 as well. It is interesting that he hasn't gotten any other acting roles in a while.

Poor Louisa has been through the ringer in terms of her erratic behavior since series 5 (IMO). I commend Caroline Catz who is trying her best to sustain a through line with the character. She brought it all home at the end of series 7 - at least she did the best she could with what she was given. I like the way she played the character's struggle to come to terms with her own issues - family history, co-decencies, etc. CC played the character NOT to simply bend to Martin's ways (as A LOT of Facebook people insist she should do). My take away was that CC had Louisa realize these things about herself, and her need (desire) to change came from within herself rather than as a reaction to settle and keep the peace with her husband. What I saw was CC putting a feminist spin on this character.

Speaking of, IS there a decent DM FB group? I joined one called "Doc Martin Fans" that turned out to be just a way for the group owner to sell DM DVDs from his/her Amazon store.

I do not agree MC is too "long in the tooth" to focus on the romance. Does romance only have to be between young, wrinkle-less people, glowing with youth? I completely disagree that just because a person ages he is no longer 1) attractive or 2) has the ability to the star in an romance comedy/drama.

I actually feel watching a mature romance and relationship between two flawed people, committed to staying together, dealing with their developing toddler, to be something of interest IF it is done with humor and gentle growth. It is not the age that is a limit, but the focus of the plot.

I follow three DM FB groups.
1) Doc Martin Series 7 - Spoilers Group -- very active and lots of contributors and handled well by Admin Connie Jefferson who keeps things moving.
2) Martin Clunes - Doc Martin Fan Group -- busy, and also Admin'd by Connie.
3) Doc Martin (Martin Clunes) Fan Club -- started by a Brit, Caroline Snoch with a significant Brit contingent. Not as busy usually.

All 3 of these are good about keeping spammers and sunglass sellers out of the pool. All are closed groups so you have to ask to join. They are made up of really well-behaved folks mostly who just go there to have a good time, share info, and discuss and are from all over the world. Lots of new people have joined so many old questions and comments are coming up for those of us who've been around them awhile.

MMD. Your second paragraph is exactly what should happen but we haven't seen that. At the end of series 7, we still do not know if Martin and Louisa will be able to live together in the way your second paragraph envisions

If the romance matured as the characters have, that would be one thing. But we saw in series 7 that they still have the same conflicts and misunderstandings as in series 1. Of course there will be a romantic aspect of their marriage, but it be good to develop their relationship as you said.

Dcdmfan. Agree completely about Louisa and Caroline Catz's brilliance in playing the role. I hope series 8 will allow her to work through her newly created demons as Martin began to do in series 7. Dr Timoney's injury forecloses her from continuing marriage counseling, and I hope Aunt Ruth will find a therapist for Louisa to see separately. Now that she has these problems, Louisa should have a chance at managing them.

Hello, Bloodphobia,

Yes, but my comments were directly related to the comment of DM/MC being too old to do romance. My point is that it is the PLOT, not the AGE, of the actors which should dictate the show's romantic inclinations.

I didn't like S7 and am not buying it (although yes, excellent finale). I agree with you we need a season of humor and gentle growth in M/L relationship, after the last two yucky seasons (for some of us). If they do that, the fact that MC has wrinkles will not deter me at all from loving every moment of the show.

MC works hard at being fit, runs fast in scenes that require it and has the quick reflexes of someone much younger. "Long in the tooth" - no way. I wish the (probably) young writers would realize this and that MC and CC are as capable of a loving, passionate scene as in the earlier seasons. They should prove that it is not unbelievable that despite their differences, they can still deal with a toddler AND be romantic at the same time. The conception that romance goes out the window once you hit your 50's is rubbish.

Amen to that, Marchrand.

And maybe in people's 60's, 70's and even 80's.

http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/doc-...-7-1201680230/

(courtesy of a post-er on the Doc Martin Series 7 Spoilers Group)

Lots of good romances between older characters, most notably in the recent "Last Tango in Halifax." In Doc Martin, the relationship between Martin and Louisa began 11 years ago in real time, but we can only conjecture what it is in Portwenn time. Based on the comments by Robert, the surgeon at Imperial, Martin hadn't published anything in 5 years, so I inferred that he left surgery 5 years ago. The comment by Robert was toward the end of Louisa's pregnancy. We know that the baby was one year old toward the end of series 7. So Martin and Louisa have known each other for at least six to seven years. During that time their relationship has not progressed very much, beyond the marriage and baby. They are still having the same misunderstandings begun with Louisa's first comment to Martin: "you got a problem."

For seven series we have been in the "will they or won't they" part of the relationship, which had to have a romantic element. After 7 years I don't think the "romance" is enough to sustain the storyline. As I said in a previous post, there has to be other conflict brought into the storyline so that the conflict isn't centered on Martin and Louisa. Similarly, I think they had the initial romance, but now the focus should move from the romance (although, of course,we long to have an element of romance in the story).

By saying that Martin Clunes is "too long in the tooth" to sustain the romantic storyline, I meant that what was believable 11 years ago, is not so believable now. If any of us saw the beginning of the show with Martin Clunes looking as he now does, would we have expected the romance between him and Louisa to be the center of the story? Would we have expected them to have a child?

I live in he land of trophy wives, so I am very used to seeing men of Martin Clunes age with very young women and very young babies, but that is not what Doc Martin is about.

Caroline Catz has aged as well. So your point is well taken -- if they looked 11 years ago as they look now, both of them, I don't think we would be expecting a romance that resulted in a baby. But we might still have expected a romance. People in their 40's and 50's do fall in love, I think. Would it have been as appealing? Maybe not.

At any rate, the "will they - won't they" is hopefully put to rest. And not before time.

Oh, hell, yes, Louisa needed counseling! From Day One. She was over-reactive, hyper-sensitive, brought a fear of abandonment into her relationships, and required DM to meet her "perfect partner" ideals. She could be a very poor communicator, set DM up to fail and then be upset when he did so, and was too gullible to others' view of DM/things in general (like how to treat a kidney infection when you are pregnant). She nearly reverted to being a child around her mother, when her amazingly non-nurturing, non-helpful mother was around, which caused problems in her relationship.

How can anyone think LG never needed counseling. From the first moment I saw her, yelling "You've got problems!" because DM was staring at her eye on the plane, I knew she was by no means a well-adjusted woman.

That the show has not shown her consistently and made her equally unpleasant as they made DM so, is one reason so many of us haven't been happy with the show over the last 2-3 seasons. But, even without that, yeah, she needed counseling!

I am amused that some folks are saying they only went to the darker drama to showcase MC's acting skills. I'm sorry to say I find that a completely illogical and non-sensical statement.

MC has a rich acting history already. He has done comedy, comedy/drama, and straight drama, documentaries. He is well known, and so is his acting. He doesn't have to prove his acting skills to anyone anymore. To say they would change the plot of DM simply to showcase his dramatic acting simply doesn't make sense. They changed the plot that way because creatively they wanted to. It was nothing more than that.