Hermione Norris on two special guest appearances as Doc Martin’s ex-girlfriend ‘It’s a window into the Doc’s past!’

Hermione Norris: "Sophie is an ex-girlfriend of Martin's. They were at medical school together and she's become a consultant. In my first episode (episode 4) she comes down to Cornwall and invites him to be a guest at a conference. She appears again later (in episode 6) at the conference he’s been invited to...

HN: "Yes, it’s a little window into his past; who he is and who he was. His wife Louisa is very kind and considerate, considering my character’s behaviour! Caroline Catz, who plays Louisa, is lovely. I liked her a lot!"

HN: "It was very warm and welcoming. I saw old friends I hadn’t seen for years, including (Happy Valley star) Jill Baker, who is in the [second] episode that I’m in, crew from Spooks and various projects I’ve done over the years… And Martin, who I've worked with so often! We’ve played partners or husband and wife about three times. He was my husband in John Mortimer’s Under the Hammer (1994) and in A Mother’s Son (2012). 

"Seeing people that you've spent huge chapters of your life with is lovely. Martin’s part of the fabric of my life and my career."

HN: "Martin did say, actually, ‘did you bring your dogs?’ I adore my dogs and couldn't do without them, but I've got a Great Dane, a Pointer and my daughter has just got a puppy Miniature Dachshund, so I've got the most ridiculous trio! Can you imagine a Great Dane on set? I couldn’t, there’s too much going on!"

HN: "Yes! I’ve done series all my life and it’s like running a marathon. So to be able to come in, do your turn and leave was a luxury. You can sit back and enjoy it!

"The other thing about being a guest on Doc Martin is you have an ailment. Hilariously with mine, Sophie gets up to all sorts of things. It’s quite mad what I had to do, but you dive in. Don’t think, just do! It’s quite extreme behaviour so that’s quite liberating. You don’t get to behave badly much in life, it’s always fun and one of the good things about my job."

HN: "Honestly, it’s like a different industry. When I started it was predominantly theatre that I wanted to do. I wrote to every single Repertory Theatre and sent out hundreds of CV’s saying I’d love a job. I hadn’t envisaged being on TV at all. There was only BBC One, BBC Two and ITV. You weren’t really even introduced to television at drama school then, it was a sort-of add-on, like a little project!"

HN: "I love playing a character for a long period of time. I fall in love with characters and I love watching them deal with whatever's thrown at them. It’s a real luxury."

NH: I love TV! It's amazing at the moment. I’ve just finished binge-watching Stranger Things and I'm watching Bad Sisters. I’m absolutely obsessed with Ozark. I appreciate a really good story to get into. 

HN: "I loved Ros Myers in Spooks. She was good fun to play - a liberating and empowered woman, you know? Then the darker stuff like [2002 BAFTA-winning] Falling Apart, which was about domestic violence, I thought that was a strong piece of work."

HN: "I don't think so. My interpretation was that Cold Feet was finished on the last series that we did [in 2020]. As a social experiment, it would be interesting to see those characters come back in their 70s or 80s and chart their journey."

HN: "A few months ago I shot a series called Riches. I’m not sure when it will be out, but it’s in the can. It’s about a very wealthy billionaire family and written and produced by Abby Ajayi [Inventing Anna, The First Lady]. That was a nice job with lots of gorgeous young actors. I love watching people at the beginning of their journey, it’s such a privilege. 

"Then, who knows… wait and see what way the wind blows!"

HN: "She is a catalyst, who sort-of sets it up, but it’s nothing to do with her. I won’t be blamed for any disruption to the much-loved Doc Martin. I’m distancing myself from that one!"