If you’re a committed fan of the ITV show Doc Martin, no doubt you’ve watched the whole seven series with gusto. However, there were rumours that once Series 7 had finished its run, that meant the end for the socially inept doctor. Now we want to put your minds at rest, and confirm that there’s set to be another series, scheduled to be filmed in 2017, although this really is likely to be the last outing for the Doc and his friends.

Earlier this year the cast and crew of the popular TV show were invited to dinner by ITV bosses to thank them for their stellar work, which led to an all time ratings’ high of 7 million viewers for the series. When you think that that’s about the same number of viewers as received by Downton Abbey, you can see why the TV bosses were extra pleased. In fact they were so pleased that they announced there and then at the dinner that another series was on the cards.

Now popular on both sides of the Atlantic,  ITV probably had no inkling of how successful this show was going to be when it was first aired in 2004. However, Martin Clunes’ portrayal of Doctor Martin Ellingham , a doctor who can’t stand the sight of blood and whose bedside manner is dour, to say the least, has made the show into unmissable viewing for its legions of fans.

Despite its popularity, members of the cast, including Clunes, feared that the finale of Series 7 spelled the end of the show. They had the traditional wrap party, although they did notice a few subtle differences. For a start, the food and drinks were the best they’d ever experienced at an end of series party, plus the bosses organised a photograph of all the crew and cast together, another one-off occurrence. This set everyone thinking that the show had finally run its course, especially as the finale of the series had wrapped everything up nicely with no real loose ends. However, TV bosses know a good thing when they see one, and they decided to give the winner of a British Comedy Award for Best Comedy Drama, another lease of life.

Clunes, who plays Doc Martin, is nothing like his on-screen character, who’s deadpan, grouchy and curmudgeonly, but in reality is kind-hearted, warm and funny. Plus, he loves the fact that he gets to film in some of the most beautiful areas on the Cornish coast. The whole crew and cast decamp to Port Isaac for four months of the year, living and working together, just like one happy family, complete with four to five hundred ‘spectators’ every day, who are keen to catch a glimpse of the show being made.

However, if you can’t wait until 2017 to get your fix of Doc Marten, taking an organised Doc Martin tour is probably the next best thing. Imagine it now, joining a fully guided walking tour around Port Isaac, which doubles as the fictional seaside village of Portwenn. Located on the Atlantic coast of north Cornwall, it really is a beautiful place to visit. The tour includes all the main locations used in the show since it first hit our screens 12 years ago, such as the Doc’s house and surgery, the school where Louisa teaches and the pharmacy run by Mrs Tishell. What’s more, the tour itself is led by a local resident who’s also been an extra on the show so, of course, you’re bound to hear some show secrets and insider gossip.