Podcast Portwenn: Doc Martin & Best Medicine

Chesla Wechsler
  • 5.0 (2)
  • TV Reviews
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to Podcast Portwenn — celebrating the world of Doc Martin, unofficially. I’m Chesla Wechsler and we’ll be discussing Doc Martin and Best Medicine. Whether it's Dr Ellingham or Dr Best, Martin Clunes or Josh Charles, Portwenn as one word or two, we're here for it. We'll talk about the show with people who are watching for the first time and people who've seen it all. We'll discuss the characters, the plots, what we appreciate about the show, you name it. Check the show notes for spoiler alerts! Doc Martin specific episodes contain spoilers for Best Medicine and are best avoided until you've watched multiple seasons of Best Medicine. Podcast Portwenn is an independent fan production — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Buffalo Pictures, ITV, Fox, or the creators of Doc Martin or Best Medicine. It will never generate money for me. If it is ever monetized, I commit to donating it all to charity.

  1. 2d ago

    Doc Martin Season 4 Newbie Reacts: Total Miscommunication, a Threat Named Edith, and a Baby

    Doc Martin newbie Patty is back for Season 4. Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes) wants to go back to London — or does he? Old flame Edith Montgomery (Lia Williams) is back in his orbit too, and this time she's angling to rekindle the romance, while Martin seems interested in her strictly as a colleague. Patty is not a fan of Edith either way. Patty isn't surprised by Louisa Glasson (Caroline Catz) showing up pregnant, but she is surprised by Martin's lack of growth — or is he actually backsliding? His blood phobia looks all but conquered by season's end... until the baby's messy arrival puts it to the test. There's a surprise of a different kind waiting at the chemist's, too: Patty did not see Mrs. Tishell's (Selina Cadell) husband, Clive (Malcolm Storry), coming. What's going on there? Patty also digs into PC Joe Penhale's (John Marquez) brother storyline and its unexpected forgery twist, plus the Al (Joe Absolom), Bert Large (Ian McNeice), and Pauline Lamb (Katherine Parkinson) relationship tangle — is Bert actually looking for love this time? Patty is warming up to him. Finally, the big payoff: the car chase, the birth, and Martin holding his own baby for the first time — though of course, he can't resist a comment. Since Patty has also watched Best Medicine Season 1, we close with a compare-and-contrast: how the American version handles its own hairball patient episode differently, how the blood phobia is explained, and what it means that Best Medicine's Eden Montgomery (Eliza Coupe) is teased to return in Season 2 the same way Edith Montgomery keeps reappearing throughout Doc Martin's Season 4. Patty's paying close attention to that one.   [00:16] Introduction and General Impressions [04:03] Character Analysis: Edith and Martin [05:28] Martin: Duty of Care vs. Caring and Miscommunication [07:32] Mrs Tishell and Clive [09:32] Bert Looking for Love [12:14] Bert, Al, and Pauline [14:19] Joe Penhale, Comic Relief [15:56] Martin's Treatment of Pauline's Uncle [17:51] Specific Scenes of Interest [23:51] Tangent on Tick-Borne Illness [24:37] Funny Lines about Serious Topics [26:52] So Much Miscommunication [28:36] Improving Blood Phobia [29:27] Pauline's 'Competency' [31:58] Going to London [36:36] Insults [38:13] The Birth - Finally! [40:34] Things to Point Out [42:12] Best Medicine Comparisons [45:05] Comparing Doc Martin and Best Medicine [45:40] A Baby Plotline [46:26] The Blood Phobia [50:21] Future Prospects and Character Arcs

  2. Jul 24

    Doc Martin Season 3 Newbie Reaction: Mark's Out, Joe's In, and What's Up with Martin and Louisa?

    Doc Martin newbie Patty (a Best Medicine veteran) tears through Season 3, which is a season of surprises. She spends half the season hoping PC Mark Mylow (Stewart Wright) is coming back. She hasn't yet warmed up to his replacement, Joe Penhale (John Marquez). Al Large's (Joe Absolom) return partway through the season was a tease but, alas, no Mark. Auntie Joan (Stephanie Cole) surprises everyone! IYKYK, right? Pauline Lamb (Katherine Parkinson) gets a jealousy-fueled rival at the surgery AND learns phlebotomy, making her far more useful than S1's Elaine (Lucy Punch). Then there's the big one: the Martin-and-Louisa Glasson (Martin Clunes, Caroline Catz) will-they-won't-they finally does, um, something. Patty walks through the concert date gone wrong, the mood-swing comment, the breakup, and everything that follows. Chesla and Patty cover what's believable, what the motivations of Martin and Louisa might be, and what it might mean for their futures. Martin Ellingham is, well, Martin: rude, blunt, whatever word you want to use — and some British terms send Patty and Chesla down a rabbit hole comparing US and UK vocabulary (Decrepit! Really?). They also start connecting the physical abuse hinted at in Martin's childhood to his bedside manner, and discuss how much compassion Martin has for patients compared to his drive to solve the medical mystery and heal. Best Medicine chat centers around composite characters: is Elaine (Cree) a composite of Elaine and Pauline? Is Mark Mylow (Josh Segarra) a composite of Mark and Joe? Plus, inevitably, dog comparisons. Season 3 leaves Patty more eager for Season 4 than any previous season-ending cliffhanger did. If you're English, help us Yanks out on vocabulary and whether you think the characters of Doc Martin seem genuine. If you have questions you wished Chesla would have asked, comment. If you have future-season questions you want asked, send her an email. [00:16] Introduction and Best Medicine Spoiler Warning [01:03] Constable Swap [01:59] Funny Lines and Language Use Differences [06:38] New Revelations about Martin Plus Other Developments [10:33] The Oakwoods Annoy Everyone! [12:02] Getting The Medicine Right [14:41] Martin's Social Ineptness and Miscommunications on Both Parts [16:12] Whoa, Auntie Joan! [18:15] The Proposal and Outcome:  Plausible? [22:22] If Louisa Wants Martin To Change, She Needs A New Approach [26:18] Mark/Joe, Elaine/Pauline, and Best Medicine Parallels [29:39] Doc Martin Seems More Authentic:  British vs. US TV Preferences? [33:10] Dogs [35:24] He's Trying.  Really! [39:06] Why Does Martin Say "You Won't Make Me Happy"? [40:59] Continuing to Watch [42:06] Best Medicine Lovers [43:27] The Sawle Sisters [47:17] Favorite Seasons Doc Martin, Doc Martin season 3, Doc Martin recap, Doc Martin reaction, Best Medicine, Doc Martin newbie reaction, Martin Ellingham, Martin Clunes, Louisa Glasson, Caroline Catz, Martin and Louisa breakup, Martin and Louisa relationship, PC Mark Mylow, Stewart Wright, PC Joe Penhale, John Marquez, Al Large, Joe Absolom, Pauline Lamb, Katherine Parkinson, Aunt Joan, Auntie Joan, Stephanie Cole, Elaine Denham, Lucy Punch, Elaine Denton, Cree, Sheriff Mark Mylow, Josh Segarra, Best Medicine composite characters, Doc Martin vs Best Medicine, Doc Martin American reaction, Doc Martin dogs, Podcast Portwenn

  3. Jul 16

    Doc Martin Season 2 Newbie Reaction: Patty on Parents, Best Medicine Parallels & Predictions

    Patty the Newbie is back for Doc Martin Season 2 with the perspective of a full season of Best Medicine behind her, and she's not shy about the comparisons. Elaine Denham (Lucy Punch) is gone, replaced by the far more competent Pauline Lamb (Katherine Parkinson), and PC Mark Mylow (Stewart Wright) gets his heart broken when his fertility test doesn't go the way he hoped. Martin Ellingham's (Martin Clunes) parents and Louisa Glasson's (Caroline Catz) father finally show up and explain a lot about why Martin and Louisa are the way they are. Patty and Chesla also cover Al Large (Joe Absolom) and Bert Large's (Ian McNeice) own paternity scare, Louisa’s complicated history with Danny Steel (Tristan Sturrock), and the two-part "On the Edge" hostage story that Patty and Chesla have a fundamental disagreement on. Plus: a full Doc Martin vs. Best Medicine face-off, a Britishisms tangent, a tribute to the late Sam Neill, and the line Chesla's been dying to use on someone in real life. [00:16] Introduction to Doc Martin Season Two [41:45] Best Medicine Comparisons [52:57] Predictions

  4. Jul 5

    When the Camera Turns Off: Doc Martin Fan Fiction Authors Kathy, Rob and Chesla on Craft and Canon

    What happens when the camera turns off in Portwenn? Host Chesla Wechsler hands the microphone to retired therapist Lisa, who moderates a rare roundtable conversation among three Doc Martin fan fiction writers: Kathy, Rob, and Chesla herself. Kathy (ke0212) is an actuary who discovered Doc Martin in 2011 and has been writing fan fiction since 2016, 5 stories and (maybe) counting, including the 200,000-word epic Just a Glimpse, which took two years to write. Rob (robspace54) found the show on PBS the same year; he has written 45 Doc Martin stories solo, plus 3 more as part of the Portwenn Hydra writing collective, across more than 10 different properties. Chesla (ccwex) came to the show in 2023, binge-watched it through the tail end of COVID, and started writing in 2024, after Rob encouraged her to give it a shot. She's written 11 stories so far. Together they explore what draws analytical, self-described nerdy minds to creative fiction writing; the difference between "architects" (writers who outline everything) and "gardeners" (writers who tend what grows, attributed to George R. R. Martin); and why all three find it nearly impossible to let Doc Martin go. Topics include: staying true to canon and writing alternate universes; the challenge of translating Martin Clunes's wordless expressions into prose; writing in UK English and using Microsoft Word's Read Aloud feature with a British accent to catch errors; researching wacky medical conditions to keep stories feeling like real Doc Martin episodes; the small-pond problem of overlap in a tight fandom; and what they'd say if Buffalo Pictures came knocking. They also discuss the emotional risk of posting your first chapter, the dopamine hit of reader reviews, including readers in Ukraine finding comfort in the stories amid war, and why none of them use generative AI for their fiction. Find Doc Martin fan fiction at fanfiction.net and AO3. 🎙️ Podcast Portwenn covers Doc Martin and Best Medicine on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. 💛 Support the charitable endeavors of the Cluneses: donate to Buckham Fair at buckhamfair.com [00:16] Introductions [03:16] Why Did We Like The Show? [05:38] Why Did We Write Fan Fiction? [09:17] Why Might Nerdiness Attract Us To Doc Martin? [12:11] Fan Fiction as a Springboard for Writing [13:49] Our Writing Processes [17:41] Goals or Rules in our Writing [22:07] Favorite Stories and Inspirations [29:00] Being a Reader and Getting Feedback from Readers [32:13] Yikes!  Posting that First Chapter [35:52] Understanding Canon in Writing [36:37] Imagining Collaborations with Producers [37:56] Favorite Story that Rob Wrote [38:49] Rob's Take on Writing Points of View and Tenses [39:40] Working in a Small Pond Leads to Similar Ideas [43:11] Rob's Take on Imagined Producer Interest [43:54] Chesla and Kathy on Playing in a Small Pond [48:00] Rob's Multiauthor Collaboration Experience [49:47] Writing During the Series Airing vs. After The Fact [50:12] Doing Research for Stories [54:46] Americans Can't Necessarily Get UK English Perfect [57:16] Trying to Write Martin Clunes' Amazing Facial Expressions [58:20] Thoughts on Artificial Intelligence [01:03:59] What's Published Online Can Be Discovered [01:06:49] How Do You Know When You're Done? [01:14:14] A Future for Doc Martin [01:20:20] Wrapup

    When the Camera Turns Off: Doc Martin Fan Fiction Authors Kathy, Rob and Chesla on Craft and Canon

  5. Jun 27 ·  Bonus

    Buckham Fair!

    Podcast Portwenn throws its support behind Buckham Fair, a fundraiser hosted by Martin Clunes and Philippa Braithwaite Clunes. Please, consider supporting them as a way to say thanks for the entertainment and educational content they've given us. Doc Martin, Best Medicine, and Podcast Portwenn don't exist without them.

  6. Jun 15

    Doc Martin Season 1 Fresh Eyes: A Best Medicine Know-It-All Watches Doc Martin for the First Time

    Podcast Portwenn Season 2 kicks off with a fresh twist on the Doc Martin newbie experience. Chesla is joined by Patty, a familiar face from the Best Medicine playlist but this time, Patty has just finished watching Doc Martin Season 1 for the very first time. Having already seen all 13 episodes of Best Medicine, Patty brings a uniquely informed perspective: she knows the American adaptation inside and out, and now she's meeting the gold standard original. Patty shares her first impressions of Doc Martin (Martin Clunes), describing him as oddly familiar: her background in high-tech workplaces has left her well-acquainted with brilliant people who struggle with social graces. She's immediately drawn to Aunt Joan (Stephanie Cole), appreciating how Joan holds Martin accountable with love rather than excusing his rudeness. The conversation digs into the memorable and sometimes uncomfortable moments of Season 1: the ketchup prank that crossed a line, the cringe-worthy halitosis comment that derailed Martin and Louisa's (Caroline Catz) first kiss, the dream sequence that fooled everyone (including the dog), and the awkward teenage crush that stretched believability. Comparing the two shows, Patty and Chesla examine how the characters translate across the Atlantic. PC Mark Mylow (Stewart Wright) comes across as shy and endearing in Portwenn, a contrast to his more blustery Best Medicine counterpart Sheriff Mark Mylow (Josh Segarra). The Elaines, Elaine Denham (Judy Punch) and Elaine Denton (Cree), share a knack for snark, but Best Medicine's Elaine showed a softer, more redeeming side much earlier. Al Large (Joe Absolom) in Doc Martin is nerdy and insecure, whereas Al Large (Carter Shimp) in Best Medicine struck Patty as warmer and more self-assured. They also explore the blood phobia backstory, laid out early and plainly in Doc Martin versus the slow, tantalizing drip of clues in Best Medicine, and debate whether Robert Best (Martin Clunes) and the writers can afford to keep audiences waiting much longer. The social geography of the two Portwenns gets a look too: Cornwall feels genuinely working-class and rural, while the Maine version reads as considerably more upscale, narrowing the gap between the doctor and his neighbors. Patty's predictions for Season 2: a rocky but progressing Martin-Louisa relationship, Mark as a temporary obstacle, and hopefully some growth from Elaine. She'll be back — and so will we. ⚠️ This episode contains Best Medicine spoilers throughout. Doc Martin viewers who haven't seen Best Medicine may want to take note.

  7. Season 2 Trailer

    Season 2: Gearing up for Best Medicine and Doc Martin Podcast Content

    Podcast Portwenn is back! Host Chesla Wechsler kicks off Season 2 of the podcast with a preview of what's ahead for both the Doc Martin and Best Medicine playlists. On the Doc Martin side, Chesla has already begun recording with a brand-new Doc Martin newbie with a twist. Also in the works: a special episode featuring Doc Martin fanfiction authors. If you've ever wanted to hear from the creative community writing in the Portwenn universe, that episode will be up your alley. For Best Medicine Season 2, Chesla has assembled a fresh-ish panel of Unspoiled fans (i.e., viewers who haven't seen Doc Martin) to react to the new season as it unfolds. Returning panelist Doug will be back, joined by Mel and Carol, who appeared in individual Season 1 episodes and are set to become regulars. Jennifer and Mackenzie may also contribute bonus content when their schedules allow. Chesla also highlights the Buckham Fair short, now on YouTube, discussing a fundraiser sponsored by Martin Clunes and Philippa Braithwaite, the team behind both Doc Martin and Best Medicine. The fundraiser supports the Dorset Hospital Emergency and Critical Care Departments, with donations accepted through August 2nd. Have ideas for the podcast? Want to be a guest? Have questions for the fanfiction authors? Reach out at chesla@podcastportwenn.com. New episodes are available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe on your favorite platform and join the conversation in the YouTube comments.

  8. May 13

    Sea Urchins, Blood Phobias & Sheriff Mark Deserves Better — Carol's Best Medicine Season 1

    Podcast Portwenn welcomes Carol to the panel — a Best Medicine fan from the Western U.S. who has watched every episode of Season 1 multiple times (including a recovery watch after shoulder surgery!). Carol is Unspoiled, meaning she has never seen the original British series Doc Martin, and she brings a refreshing first-generation fan perspective to everything from the humor to the heart of Port Wenn. Carol also arrives with a soft spot for Sheriff Mark Mylow (Josh Segarra) — and host Chesla is glad to have her. Season 1's panel didn’t show Mark a lot of love, but Season 2 is going to be different. Carol sees what others may have missed: under the goldfish-in-a-rock-band silliness is a genuinely good soul who would do anything for anyone, anytime. Consider this his podcast character rehabilitation arc — starting now. Together, Chesla and Carol dig into what makes Best Medicine stand out: the humor, the small-town community feel, the fish-out-of-water charm of Dr. Martin Best (Josh Charles), and the warmth of characters like Aunt Sarah Best (Annie Potts), Elaine Denton (Cree), and Geneva (Didi Conn). They also unpack the big unresolved questions heading into Season 2: What really happened in the Rosemary accident — and was Martin's father Robert Best (Martin Clunes) behind the wheel? Will Louisa Gavin (Abigail Spencer) allow Mark to be in her baby's life? What was Eden Montgomery actually doing showing up uninvited? Can the town survive economically without the Norwegian salmon farm — and what about those sea urchins the Aunt Sarah spotted? And will Martin ever get his medical license back after Glendon Ross (Patch Darragh) interferes? Carol is joining Chesla, Doug, and Mel as a regular on the Season 2 Unspoiled panel. You'll want to get to know her now. ⚠️ Unspoiled segment only — no Doc Martin spoilers in this episode. 🎬 Watch Best Medicine on Fox (live) and Hulu (on demand) 🎙️ Podcast Portwenn covers Best Medicine and Doc Martin on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. 💛 Love the show? Consider donating to Buckham Fair: https://buckhamfair.com.  See the short video describing the fundraiser.

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5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Welcome to Podcast Portwenn — celebrating the world of Doc Martin, unofficially. I’m Chesla Wechsler and we’ll be discussing Doc Martin and Best Medicine. Whether it's Dr Ellingham or Dr Best, Martin Clunes or Josh Charles, Portwenn as one word or two, we're here for it. We'll talk about the show with people who are watching for the first time and people who've seen it all. We'll discuss the characters, the plots, what we appreciate about the show, you name it. Check the show notes for spoiler alerts! Doc Martin specific episodes contain spoilers for Best Medicine and are best avoided until you've watched multiple seasons of Best Medicine. Podcast Portwenn is an independent fan production — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Buffalo Pictures, ITV, Fox, or the creators of Doc Martin or Best Medicine. It will never generate money for me. If it is ever monetized, I commit to donating it all to charity.

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