Doc Martin to end after 16 years with final series to air in 2021

‘The time has come to say goodbye,’ said the show’s writer and star

ITV’s hit medical series Doc Martin is coming to an end after 16 years.

The drama, which stars Martin Clunes as the curmudgeonly doctor, will air one final series - its tenth - next year.

In a joint statement, Clunes and series writer Philippa Braithwaite said: "We have loved making nine series of Doc Martin.  

“When we launched the series in 2004 we could never have imagined how much our loyal viewers would take to the grumpy Doc like they have.”

However, the pair admitted that they felt “the time has come to say goodbye” to the series and its characters.

The new series will start filming in spring 2021, and is scheduled to air later that year.

ITV head of drama Polly Hill said: “I just want to thank Martin and Philippa and everyone involved in Doc Martin, because it’s a brilliant, beautifully made series that has delighted audiences for many years.

“I am pleased that we are making series 10, and sad this will be the last, but respect their decision to bring it to a close.”

In Doc Martin, Clunes plays Dr Martin Ellingham, an irritable GP who moves to the soporific Cornish town of Portwenn.