Doc Martin star Martin Clunes wraps filming on big new movie

The Doc comes to the rescue when Stewart's woodland weekend goes awry.
Martin Clunes in his Doc Martin days (Image credit: ITV)

Doc Martin star Martin Clunes has finished shooting a major new film by the people behind Fisherman's Friends, considered one of Britain's biggest independent films in recent times.

Clunes, who played blood-phobic doctor Martin Ellingham for 18 years in the ITV drama, is one of the leading actors in the new comedy-drama film Mother's Pride.

The makers tease: "Set against the backdrop of a West Country pub, Mother’s Pride tells the story of a failing pub, a divided community and a grieving family whose lives are changed by brewing real ale and entering the Great British beer awards."

Martin plays a main character called Mick Harley. The film aims to highlight the important role pubs play in communities and the alarming rate at which they're closing across the country.

Clunes is joined in the film by a string of top British acting names including Jonno Davies (Better Man, Kingsman: The Secret Service) as Cal Harley and James Buckley (White Gold, The Inbetweeners) as Jake Harley, alongside Gabriella Wilde (Poldark, Endless Love, Carrie) as Abi, Mark Addy (Game Of Thrones, The Full Monty) as Paxman, Lana Moorcroft (Fisherman's Friends: One and All) as Romy, Luke Treadaway (Lockwood & Co, Fortitude, A Street Cat Named Bob) as Edward Pritchard and Miles Jupp as Jeremy (The Full Monty).

Neil Morrissey and Martin Clunes in Men Behaving Badly with a lot of beer cans

Neil Morrissey and Martin Clunes are reuniting (Image credit: Getty Images)

Filming took place in Somerset and Wiltshire. There's no release date yet for Mother's Pride. The news comes after it was recently revealed that Martin would be teaming up with his Men Behaving Badly co-star Neil Morrissey for a new UK TV Gold series. 

The pair are heading on a road trip across France in Neil & Martin's Bon Voyage. Clunes said: "I'm really looking forward to all the sights, sounds, tastes, people and experiences Neil's lined up for me in France. Most of all, I'm looking forward to spending a great deal of time with my old mate Neil, who I've grown to miss more than ever since he's absconded to a country which he claims has the best scenery, food and wine on earth — is he right?”

Neil & Martin's Bon Voyage will be shown on Gold in 2025. You can watch Doc Martin now via ITVX.

David Hollingsworth
Editor

David is the What To Watch Editor and has over 20 years of experience in television journalism. He is currently writing about the latest television and film news for What To Watch.

Before working for What To Watch, David spent many years working for TV Times magazine, interviewing some of television's most famous stars including Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland, singer Lionel Richie and wildlife legend Sir David Attenborough. 

David started out as a writer for TV Times before becoming the title's deputy features editor and then features editor. During his time on TV Times, David also helped run the annual TV Times Awards. David is a huge Death in Paradise fan, although he's still failed to solve a case before the show's detective! He also loves James Bond and controversially thinks that Timothy Dalton was an excellent 007.

Other than watching and writing about telly, David loves playing cricket, going to the cinema, trying to improve his tennis and chasing about after his kids!