(Photo: Getty Images) 
Today brings exciting but also kind of bittersweet news for Doc Martin fans. Martin Clunes and castmates have started shooting the final season.
ITV announced Thursday (February 17) that production began this week in Cornwall, South West England, with Clunes joined by fellow regulars Caroline Catz (Louise Ellingham), Dame Eileen Atkins (Aunt Ruth), Ian McNeice (Bert Large), Joe Absolom (Al Large), John Marquez (PC Joe Penhale), Jessica Ransom (Morwenna Newcross), and Selina Cadell (Mrs. Tishell).
Once again, filming is taking place in around Port Isaac, the pretty fishing village that stands in for the show's fictional home, Portwenn. The new season will comprise eight episodes plus a Christmas special. On top of this, ITV announced an extra treat for fans. You can look for a documentary about the show, provisionally titled Doc Martin – A Celebration.
"I have loved going to Cornwall to make Doc Martin over the last 18 years, and I have looked forward to returning to this beautiful county this year for the tenth and final series," Clunes said in a statement. "The people of Cornwall, and Port Isaac in particular, have always been so helpful to us when we are making the series."
"We have some great story lines for the new series, and for the Christmas special, which I hope Doc Martin fans will love," added Clunes, whose wife Philippa Braithwaite is the show's producer. "I shall miss Cornwall, and all the lovely people we have worked with. But it is the right time to say farewell to the Doc, and Portwenn."
The ninth and most recent season of Doc Martin premiered on ITV in 2019. In the U.S., you can watch all nine seasons over at Acorn TV. You can also check out our recent features on Martin Clunes and Dame Eileen Atkins.
Are you looking forward to the final season of Doc Martin?