Martin Clunes shared a sad update regarding the passing of a Doc Martin co-star on The One Show last night.
Actor Martin, 63, played the irascible GP for Portwenn for ten series between 2004 and 2022. His portrayal as the grumpy medic was beloved by viewers, as were the other residents of the sleepy Cornish village in the ITV comedy drama.
But towards the end of Thursday (May 1) evening’s episode of The One Show, viewers were updated about a sad loss in the cast.
Martin Clunes shares Doc Martin news
That’s because Dodger – who played the Doc’s pooch Buddy – has died.
Recalling the times Dodger was on set for filming, Martin reflected on how his Doc Martin character seemingly wasn’t as fond of animals as Martin is in real life.
Dodger appeared in the show from the fourth series in 2009 until the ninth series in 2019. He retired after being diagnosed with dementia – and did not appear in the final, tenth series in 2022.
He was fantastic that boy. Sadly no longer with us.
“Oh Dodger, oh yeah!” Martin reacted when the issue was raised. “He was fantastic that boy. Sadly no longer with us.”
‘Dodger was fabulous’
Martin also chuckled about how Dodger’s Buddy was supposed to be drawn to the Dr. Martin Ellingham character.
“That was the joke I thought,” Martin said. “That someone who hates dogs, but they all love him, and they just hang out with him.”
Martin also remembered ‘pushing the boundaries’ with his and Dodger’s performances.
“So I had to yell at him, throw him around, do all sorts of things… but I never shouted really at him. I just waved my lips around and added in the shouting later,” Martin went on.
He continued: “Me and Sonia Turner, his trainer, and Dodger, we just had such fun on that. Pushing the limits of what we could do with him. And he was fabulous.”
Elsewhere in the programme, Martin also expanded upon how caring for animals helped him with his grief following his father’s death.
He explained: “When my dad died I was sent away to boarding school and I wasn’t flourishing there really. Somebody put me in charge of letting the animals out, the donkey and the turkeys and the chickens and everything, every morning, and putting them away at night and feeding them.”
Martin added: “I still find that peace – if I am doing something around the farm I will take a couple of dogs with me and just hang out with them and we’ll do that together. I do like that.”
Read more: Inside Martin Clunes’ love life – from ‘rotten’ first marriage to famous wife
The One Show airs on BBC One on weeknights from 7pm.
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