Doc Martin star Martin Clunes has revealed that the popular ITV series pays tribute to his late golden cocker spaniel in the upcoming tenth and final series.
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In the new episodes, viewers will be introduced to Martin and Louisa's new baby, Mary Elizabeth, who was named after the 60-year-old actor's beloved pet.
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Chatting to the Daily Mail's Weekend magazine about season ten, the 60-year-old spoke about his dog, whom he shared with his producer wife Philippa Braithwaite: "She was beautiful. Whenever anybody mentions Mary Elizabeth in the programme I get a vision of that pretty little dog."
Mary was Martin and Philippa's first dog, whom they welcomed after the pair tied the knot in 1997.
The new series, which airs on Wednesday 7 September, will see Martin reprise his role as the cantankerous Doc Martin for one last outing.
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Chatting about what fans can expect from the upcoming episodes during an appearance on Good Morning Britain last week, he teased a very dramatic ending.
© Photo: RexMartin with his dogs Tina, Arthur and Mary in 2008
"I'm not a doctor at the beginning as you saw and Louisa's taken over my practice, but I don't think it's a spoiler to say that I will see patients again later in the series," he explained.
"It really builds to a terribly dramatic conclusion, really dramatic. Then the series finishes and then a few weeks later we have our Christmas episode."
The medical drama, which first aired back in 2004, is coming to an end after 18 years.
© Photo: RexMartin plays the titular character in the popular ITV drama
Speaking about the reasons behind the show's finishing, Martin admitted that inventing 18 years' worth of storylines for a character "who doesn't like anyone" has been "tough" for his wife, who produces and writes the show.
"Poor Philippa, she's worked on every single script, 84 of them and none of them are easy because you've got a main protagonist who doesn't like anybody and nobody likes him and go from there," he told This Morning hosts Rylan Clark and Ruth Langsford in August.
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"It hasn't been easy, it's been tough. We don't want to repeat ourselves," he added.
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