Martin Clunes says Men Behaving Badly could not return ‘these days’
The actor hangs up his stethoscope after 18 years as Dr Martin Ellingham this year.
Martin Clunes has ruled out Men Behaving Badly returning, saying there could not be another series, adding “not these days”.
The actor shot to fame in the laddish flat-share comedy, which aired on ITV and then the BBC between 1992 and 1998, and featured Clunes as Gary Strang alongside Neil Morrissey’s Tony Smart.
Filming of the 10th and final series of ITV drama Doc Martin started in February this year in the Cornish fishing village of Port Isaac, with Clunes having played the show’s lead, grouchy Dr Martin Ellingham, since it first aired in 2004.
He told Saga magazine when asked if there could ever be another series of Men Behaving Badly: “God, no. Not these days. I mean we talked about things like Kylie Minogue’s buttocks and compared them to a racehorse’s.
“How could we do that now?
“But neither could you get a show like Doc Martin commissioned now.
“Someone would say, ‘Where’s the murdered prostitute in the opening scene?’”.
The final series of eight episodes of Doc Martin will reportedly air next month, with a Christmas special also planned on ITV later this year.
Having played the GP with a brusque bedside manner and a phobia of blood for more than a decade, the actor says playing a doctor has not turned him into an “unlikely sex sympbol”.
He told Saga: “No! Not that I’m aware of. I doubt there’s any sex in the minds of my lady Doc Martin fans.
“I suppose the smart suit and the whole medical thing might be a bit attractive. But, honestly, nobody’s throwing their knickers at me or any of that caper.”
“What we do have is The Clunatics – a global band of fans who are friends with one another, stay in touch and often visit Port Isaac in Cornwall where we film.
“Sometimes they bring gifts; an Australian lady recently came with a stuffed duck-billed platypus for me.
The actor turned 60 last year and said of the benefits of getting older: “Age gives you greater perspective; the younger me didn’t much enjoy having my appearance insulted or being ‘ear-shamed’, for example.
“Now, I think my ears are rather splendid and I realise they earned me roles I might not otherwise have had.”
Filming Doc Martin, which has boasted cameos from Hollywood star Sigourney Weaver on a few occasions, has been a family affair for Clunes as his wife of more than 20 years, Philippa Braithwaite, is the producer.
He vowed the last series of Doc Martin will be “extremely dramatic and extremely emotional”, adding: “We’re going out in style, believe me. Then there’ll be the Christmas special to look forward to.
“We’ve thrown the kitchen sink at that one too. No-one will be disappointed.”
Production company Buffalo Pictures also announced a documentary provisionally titled Doc Martin – A Celebration, giving fans a glimpse behind the scenes of the final series.
The September issue of Saga Magazine is out on August 23.
