-A Brash Doctor takes on a Quirky Countryside Town in Britain’s Acclaimed Comedy-Drama Series-

What happens when a gruff doctor flees big-city life to work as a general doctor in a sleepy, picturesque English coastline town? The cultures clash and the sparks fly in the American Public Television-distributed series DOC MARTIN, a catchy, funny comedy-drama mixing elements of classic British sitcoms with sharp medical drama and a quirky, lovable cast of characters.

Airing Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. on WTVP-HD 47.1 beginning September 20th, this acclaimed series stars Martin Clunes (Men Behaving Badly, Jeeves and Wooster). Clunes' brash, brilliant Dr. Martin Ellingham (nicknamed Doc Martin, much to his discontent) was once a renowned London surgeon—until a sudden phobia leaves him paralyzed at the sight of blood. Leaving his old life behind, DOC MARTIN picks up as Martin heads to his childhood town of Portwenn in Cornwall, replacing their beloved general practitioner.

The townsfolk of Portwenn are an odd bunch—varying from the doctor’s young, incompetent secretary Elaine (Lucy Punch) to the heavyset, good-natured plumber (Ian McNeice) to the depressed town constable (Stewart Wright) who helps Martin navigate through the town. There’s also Martin’s spirited Aunt Joan (Stephanie Cole), a link to his past in Portwenn, and the beautiful town schoolteacher (Caroline Catz) who catches his eye. Martin’s brash and direct style conflicts with the easygoing mannerisms of the townsfolk of Portwenn, resulting in unexpected, humorous consequences as he deals with a bevy of strange cases and stranger personalities.

A humorous, hearty glimpse into the culture clash between big-city and small-country living, DOC MARTIN is destined to become a classic of British comedy.

DOC MARTIN, executive produced by Mark Crowdy and produced by Philippa Braithwaite, was acquired from the Digital Rights Group (DRG) for syndication to public television stations nationwide.

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About APT
American Public Television (APT) has been a leading distributor of high-quality, top rated programming to the nation’s public television stations since 1961. Among its 300 new program titles per year, APT has distributed about half of the top 100 highest rated public television titles for nearly ten years. APT programs include prominent documentaries, news and current affairs programs, dramas, how-to programs, children’s series and classic movies. America’s Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated, Rick Steves’ Europe, Doc Martin, Nightly Business Report, Moyers & Company, NHK Newsline, Lidia’s Italy in America, Globe Trekker, Simply Ming, BBC World News and P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home join numerous documentaries and performance programs popular with public television viewers. These programs include: For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots, Diana Ross: For One and For All, The Best of Soul Train, Johnny Mathis: Wonderful, Wonderful! APT licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service. Now in its 7th year, Create®TV -- featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming, and on the Web at CreateTV.com – is distributed by APT. APT is also a partner in WORLD™, in its 5th year, now featuring a mix of public television’s premier news, science and documentary programming and stories from the world over, with a complementary website at WORLDcompass.org (Note: This website does not work well with Internet Explorer). To find out more about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.

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