Series 5 (2011)
On 1 April 2010, ITV confirmed the commissioning of a fifth series of Doc Martin. Series Five began airing at 9pm on Monday 12 September 2011.
| Episode No. | Series No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Viewers (millions) |
Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 1 | "Preserve the Romance" | Ben Bolt | Ben Bolt | 9.85 | 12 September 2011 |
| Curmudgeonly GP Martin Ellingham's plans to resume his career as a consultant in London are put on hold with the birth of the baby he fathered with his now estranged partner, Louisa Glasson. At the surgery, new GP Dr Diana Dibbs is excited to begin work, but Martin begins to have serious doubts about her competence after she misdiagnoses patients, dishes out prescriptions for totally inappropriate drugs and advises patients to up dosages if problems persist. Pauline has been sacked, moved away and replaced as receptionist by the new doctor's husband, much to Dr Ellingham's shock. Later, Ellingham receives some devastating news: the day previously when driving over Bodmin Moor to visit Louisa in hospital with the new baby, Aunt Joan had a heart attack and died at the wheel of her car. | ||||||
| 32 | 2 | "Dry Your Tears" | Ben Bolt | Richard Stoneman | 10.31 | 19 September 2011 |
| Determined to get to grips with fatherhood he asks Louisa to move into his house so he can help to raise their child. He even suggests that Louisa and 'baby' could move to London with him. Louisa is none too sure about the move to London. Meanwhile, Aunt Joan's sister Ruth Ellingham turns up at Portwenn for Joan's funeral. Aunt Ruth is a doctor like Ellingham and his father Christopher "Chris", but is fully qualified, trained, and talented in medicines, psychology and phobias; she is a therapist and and psychiatrist. Aunt Ruth, Aunt Joan, and Ellingham's father Chris were all siblings. Ellingham turns Joan's funeral into a medical warning. Aunt Ruth has no intentions of staying until Martin reveals that Aunt Joan's farm is all Ruth's. | ||||||
| 33 | 3 | "Born with a Shotgun" | Ben Bolt | Jack Lothian | 10.05 | 26 September 2011 |
| Ellingham has a new receptionist, Morwenna Newcross an attractive in-her-early-twenties girl who replaces Pauline Lamb and Elaine Denham. Morwenna fails to make a good impression on the doc by arriving late on her first day. Her grandfather William Winchelcy gives her some 'magic pills' to make sure she is on time, and bright as a button at work. Sleepless nights are taking their toll on Martin and Louisa. Tempers are frayed as they try to find ways to comfort their constantly wailing baby. Meanwhile, Aunt Ruth is dealing with an artistic intruder, Micheal Dunwich, on the farm who has stolen the hub caps from her car and whose mother, Mrs Dunwich, is having mysterious abdominal and mental problems, and also believes her son is tryiong to poison her. Can Dr Ellingham and Constable Penhale solve the mystery? | ||||||
| 34 | 4 | "Mother Knows Best" | Ben Bolt | Chris Hurford, Tom Butterworth | 10.08 | 3 October 2011 |
| It's Portwenn Fun Day and the village is buzzing with excitement about this major fund raising event. PC Penhale is in his element rallying the runners and whipping up support. The event sparks culinary rivalry between Bert Large who runs Large's restaurant with son Al and Mark, the landlord of the Crab and Lobster pub. They are both keen to take advantage of the day to boost their takings by providing food for the runners and spectators. Also, Louisa's mother arrives unexpected, And Martin and Louisa find their baby is sleeping through usual feeds until they find out her mother gave the baby some of her brew to calm it down. | ||||||
| 35 | 5 | "Remember Me" | Paul Seed | Jack Lothian | 10.29 | 10 October 2011 |
| PC Joe Penhale has an unexpected visitor in the shape of his ex-wife Maggie, who appears to have completely forgotten that they split up a couple of years ago. Joe takes her to Large's restaurant, where fellow diner Martin quickly spots that Maggie is showing symptoms of amnesia. Louisa's mother Eleanor catches up with her old school friend Paul, a local fisherman, who takes her out on a date. Morwenna arrives at the surgery with an injured foot and the doctor grimaces at the sight of the blood as he treats the wound. PC Penhale warns Martin and Louisa that if they do not register a name for their baby soon, the state will be forced to step in. In the end they name their son James Henry Ellingham. | ||||||
| 36 | 6 | "Don't Let Go" | Ben Bolt | Chris Hurford, Tom Butterworth | 10.49 | 17 October 2011 |
| In an effort to get Maggie to stay in Portwenn after she gets the all-clear, PC Joe Penhale tries to prove that he is the man for her – and even engineers situations where he can show off his macho side to impress her. Maggie does eventually leave but she and PC Penhale part on good terms. Martin steps in when school caretaker Mr Coley becomes confused after breathing carbon monoxide and puts the children of the school at risk. Tensions mount between Martin and Louisa as they find themselves unable to agree on anything, from schooling for their son to what to have for dinner. Feeling that things will never change, not wanting to move to London and that Martin is incapable of showing affection Louisa takes James and moves in with her mother. | ||||||
| 37 | 7 | "Cats & Sharks" | Paul Seed | Richard Stoneman | 10.48 | 24 October 2011 |
| Bert Large's restaurant business is in financial trouble. He can't even afford the food and drink for a charity event to raise money for Florence Dingle's cat sanctuary. Mrs Dingle is distraught. She desperately needs the money to continue to look after the cats and kittens in her care. Bert is also being chased by loan sharks Alastair Tonken and his son Norman for the repayment of £1,000 they gave him to clear his debts, warning of repercussions if he doesn't pay up. Mrs Tishell's infatuation for Martin increases, encouraged by his continued separation from Louisa. Martin, assisted by Morwenna, performs an emergency hernia operation on Louisa's mother Eleanor and saves her life when the ambulance's arrival is delayed. | ||||||
| 38 | 8 | "Ever After" | Ben Bolt | Jack Lothian | 10.26 | 31 October 2011 |
| Mrs Tishell, the chemist/pharmacist, can no longer hide her infatuation with Dr Ellingham and she decides that she must take drastic action, fuelled by a cocktail of drugs that are affecting her judgment. Martin asks her to look after James for the day. Mrs Tishell mis-dispenses eyedrops to PC Penhale causing him to crash his Land Rover. Mrs Tishell mistakenly thinks that Martin has sent her a covert message through a young couple he has treated and vanishes with James to a nearby holiday home. The drugs, for a few hours, cause her to think that James is her and Ellingham's son. Martin, Louisa, Aunt Ruth and PC Penhale chase after her. To coax her out of the locked house, Martin pretends to profess his love for Mrs Tishell and a desire to stay in Portwen, while actually aiming his remarks at Louisa. James Henry is rescued, Martin and Louisa profess their love, kiss and reconcile. |
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