I think we are still talking at cross-purposes, as sometimes happens.

My only point is that whatever teachers are taught or are not taught, here or in the UK, about childhood depression, it is not necessarily relevant to recognizing depression in adults, as children with depression may present differently to adults.

And I don't think i would have diagnosed DM with depression, either, although it may have been a "rule out." I would have at least strongly considered an anxiety disorder, or it may be one of those situations where the all purpose "adjustment disorder" actually fits best.

You had a UK teacher posting on here

One with a lifetime's experience in both Mainstream and Special Needs in all its variations. One who had worked closely with Social Services, tracking families across Inner-City boundaries to ensure families were constantly monitored.

However

With another of your sweeping generalisations you dismissed her as ' pompous '

Respect does have to be earned; but also LEARNED

Now we know the frustration Louisa feels in dealing with Martin's as yet undiagnosef psychological issue.

Where did CIVILITY suddenly go? Maybe it fell of the cliff with the baker when he was after chough's eggs!

Please do not get into this snarky / sarcastic / nasty stuff!

Rob

Apologies Rob

But I was the injured party; have never been called that in my whole life

Maybe I should keep away from the forum; it's not the fun place it once was

Rob

Most of the Brits have left this site because it doesn't permit sarcasm ( the number one British verbal sport) or differing opinions. During series 6, those Brits who expressed differing opinions of the show were dispatched quickly rather than made to feel welcome. Their opinions would have added to the mix of discussions on the show. I will go back as a quiet lurker, but I encourage Blue Eyes to stay. She is an insightful poster who should be treated with the respect she has earned in both her teaching career and on this forum. If anyone apologizes, it should be you to her

To be perfectly fair about this, Bloodphobia, many of us did try to welcome the new posters, who apparently took umbrage very quickly and didn't hang around to hear that many of us were not very happy ourselves with the general direction and tenor of the show, and were happy to discuss different opinions -- although initially disconcerted to read multiple one-line posts that suggested, essentially, that the show had turned to crap. That really does not count as sarcasm, nor is it discussable, really.

That said, I agree, irony is not something that Americans do well, on the whole, something often commented on by observers from earliest times of the Republic. ( Perhaps best done by Henry James, I think). As I have said, I have spent a fair amount of time in England and am acquainted with how many there feel about the U.S., and perhaps that has colored their responses to the forum.

I actually took your initial comment as quite humorous.

What's done is done, and I hope we can continue in a way that's respectful of cultural differences.

I did NOT call you 'pompous' - I said that you'd made a pompous assertion. (I've removed your dramatic pauses from the above, to save space.)

I posted some viewing figures and you said:-


And I said:-


- closely followed by:-


I do not appreciate being called a liar and/or a ratings-rigger - why would I even bother to do that? As you're so keen on TGBBO, here are the top viewing figures for the week of the final:-

STRICTLY COME DANCING (SAT 1830):- 10,662,000
STRICTLY COME DANCING: THE RESULTS (SUN 1920):- 10,192,000
DOWNTON ABBEY (SUN 2103):- 9,734,000
THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF (TUE 2000):- 9,447,000

As you can see, it came fourth - you are absolutely correct in your statement that "around nine million viewers watched the final of the Great British Bake Off on BBC 2". But making a statement like "here in the UK we do not ALL watch the soaps and ' talent ' shows wall-to-wall" is just spurious. We don't ALL, but lots do - as can be proved by the BARB figures.

To get back to the main point, did we know you were a UK teacher? I certainly didn't. You can't tie in this ratings discussion with that, it's got nothing to do with it. I'm sure people here will be only too pleased to hear from you on the subject of UK education, as a contribution is sorely needed - we are all groping in the dark. Why didn't you just reply to that point instead of having a wounded pop at me and my 'sweeping generalisations'?

As Bloodphobia said, this is a very difficult thread for Brits to belong to. I've always thought of myself as a fairly helpful poster with something to contribute in areas in which I'm interested or have some knowledge. I put up a lot of ratings stuff because I used to work in broadcasting, and it still interests me to a degree. I like to have down-to-earth chats about plotlines, behind the scenes information, etc. - but here it's all a bit of a crazy rarefied DM fantasy world, in which people have breathless discussions about what Louisa really meant when she said something whilst making a particular face, or if the positioning of a kitchen object might have some deep & obscure meaning. I may have come over as a bit of a bubble-pricker, because I'm too much of a realist to watch TV in that way. (And to sound harsh, I have a life! I'd rather apply that depth of introspection to my own life, rather than a mere TV show.) Yes, it's not very Brit-friendly here, and the welcome mat definitely does not get put out for us. And on that note, me and my 'sweeping generalisations' will bid you all good-bye, and retire gracefully from this thread, as it's clearly not the place for me. Folks, it's been real.

Well that sucks. It takes a multitude of viewpoints to enrich the discussions that take place here whether people agree with each other or not. It helps to see all side of things. Bummer to see you go.

SapphicGrrl, Blue-Eyes and Bloodphobia:

In case you haven't noticed there are many that no longer post on this board and they aren't all Brits. It isn't cultural differences as much as just plain ol' differences of opinion. I used to be a fairly regular poster to this board but withdrew except to hand out the occasional whackings with The Clue Bat™. Why? Because this board is little more than an echo chamber and there is no room here for someone who does not view Louisa as a martyred saint or keeps on pointing out to people that this show is not a fairy tale. Those who dissent from the message board 'party line' are crushed and run off. It's OK, they can keep on trying to pound the square pegs into the round holes here and wondering why things didn't happen the way they imagined and wanted it to be in series six and won't happen they way they want them in series seven, either (if there is one).

It is also hard to have conversations in this format because in a face to face conversation one can tell from body language, facial expressions and tone of voice the intent of the speaker. For over a decade people have used the /sarc tag at the end of a sarcastic statement in a post to indicate sarcasm because so many good natured sarcastic comments can be easily misread or misinterpreted. To make my own "sweeping generalization" from trying to help people concerning computer and internet related topics I can pretty much assume that most of the people here aren't very computer literate nor have they had much experience with being on other message boards. It might help if people here went back to using the /sarc tag around here.

Now to the subject which has caused this rift...What all of you seem to forget is that back in the 1960's and 1970's there was none of the psychobabble in the schools that you are all arguing about. Especially not in the upper class British boarding schools Martin Ellingham presumably attended. He doesn't have Asperger's. He doesn't have depression, ADD or any other initials you all have been tossing around. None of you apparently heard what Aunt Ruth said and if you did you didn't understand it, probably because all of you are trying to overthink the plumbing and trying to cram square pegs into round holes.

Interesting piece people have been passing around Facebook. Not saying anything about it, just posting as it seems relevant to recent storyline of the fictional story, on a fictional show, with fictional characters that provide fodder for one's imagination and allows a temporary and pleasurable escape from reality.

http://sethadamsmith.com/2013/11/02/...-isnt-for-you/

"Truly, love and marriage isn’t for you. It’s for others."

But maybe you can get a little thrill of your own too! Great article! Thank you posting that!

Rob

The mirror to S6 is in the closing few paragraphs. Fiction cannot be written completely void of knowledge or understanding from reality but fiction is fiction, and imagination or "what if" scenarios are boundless and very much a part of the pleasurable escapism that is fiction whether in a book or on the telly.

Brings to mind what the good Rev. Porter told him -- which he didn't seem to take to heart the first time he heard it.

Thanks for sharing.

Mr. Porter, the odd vicar was a jerk, but no fool.

I always love seeing DM interacting with someone who is just as ornery as he is or interacting with someone who is similarly bright. It always levels the playing field and brings out a different side of his character.

They are going to clean up financially with this manuever. You folks in the UK have already seen this latest series of shows...I imagine that you have repeats. Over here...Christmas is coming.....we who follow the show closely have either found a way to watch...which was borderline legit..if not illegal. In the past few weeks they have been put on Acorn TV which you have to pay for and have to do things to watch it on your 42" Samsung. Most fans will not see it before PBS...our "educational" channel....broadcasts it on regular TV in February. Many people will love to get the DVDs and see it as soon as possible. Great business move.

Well, I have an announcement to make today, but after reading today's posts I'm a little hesitant about being accused of having no life.

Oh well. I'm retired and can do whatever the hell I like

It's time to share with you all a project I have been working on for the last couple of months. I have created a fan website for Doc Martin that is mostly a repository of information about locations, cast, production, etc. The idea came when I wished to find an easier way to share my research into all of the Doc Martin locations. I have plans to add more as time goes on (some of the S6 stuff is not done yet) and the home page will alert you any new stuff. I would also like to do some interactive things to help make the next two years a bit more bearable - I just have to figure out how to accomplish some of the ideas I have in mind. Anyway, go in and have a look. I hope a few of you will find it "useful" .

www.portwennonline.com

Shop girl Your purpose in life is to make others happy and you do that in a HUGE way. Thank you.

Shop Girl, you are the BEST. Your photo should be in Webster's Ductionary next to "dedication." Brava!

I must say shopgirl, that you rock! Flipping across your masterpiece is like being in the production. You have made a wonderful treasure trove for fans and authors alike! Magnifico!!

Rob

And might I add (for at least the 3rd time ) for the show's creators as well !

Own up - who is the vintage radio enthusiast in the cast or crew of ITV's Doc Martin? So far I've seen a 1970's Grundig Yacht Boy, a 60's Bush TR90 and a Hacker Sovereign. A friend of mine spotted an Ekco U215 'toaster' radio on the top of Bert's fridge.
I think we should be told!

My bet is that it's Martin Clunes. I have read (somewhere) that he is a collector of antique radios and such. (ConnieJ will surely be able to pinpoint the reference.)

Thanks everyone. At least I know I have some friends here

As some of you know, I have been doing the research for about 2 years now - just finally have a better place to house it and more control over how it is accessed.

I have lots more I plan to do but need to take a bit of a breather. One area I want to add is lots more links and I plan to have different categories of links: Doc Martin articles, Doc Martin Reviews, Martin Clunes articles, Caroline Catz articles, other cast members articles, etc. If anyone has some links they would like to see there (I want to make it a really good place for reference material) msg me with them. This is something easy to post, so I will be adding new ones all the time.

I also have some ideas for some stuff we can have fun with for the next two years. I just have to figure out how to to the interactive stuff. Might have to take a course in HTML. Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks?