Martin drives Louisa and their baby son back to her house in Portwenn,where the locals bring them presents. Diana Dibbs, Martin's nervous replacement,has already arrived,with her husband Gavin as her receptionist but Martin is not impressed by her competence - especially as she seems to have numerous ailments herself. Then he learns that Joan has died,causing him to stay for a ...
Martin's fear of blood has not decreased and he almost gags when he has to remove a pencil from a schoolgirl's ear. For all this he is still interested in returning to surgery. Louisa has left town and a visit from ex-student colleague Edith, now a high flyer in private practice, helps sway him. However, when Joan's friend Barbara has an accident caused by Mrs. Tishell's husban...
Martin deals with the case of a young girl who has been acting out. When Louisa Glasson mentions Ritalin to the mother, Martin tries to point out that she is not qualified to give that kind of advice. A new police constable, Joe Penhale, arrives in Portwenn but seems to have a peculiar medical condition. Martin's aunt Joan has a car accident and Louisa faints while teaching a c...
With Elaine away with her boyfriend, Martin finds himself with a new receptionist in the form of her cousin, Pauline who arrives unannounced. He assists his aunt Joan by examining her friend, Muriel Steele. Her son, Danny Steele thinks she is displaying early signs of dementia and wants to put her in a home. Martin's initial examination reveals her to be perfectly normal but he...
Martin Ellingham, a London-based surgeon, relocates to the picturesque seaside village of Port Wenn, establishing himself as the area's general practitioner. He grew up in the area having been raised by his now widowed Aunt Joan Norton. His reasons for leaving London and the high-paid life of a consultant are not clear initially but related to a phobia he has recently developed...
1. "True Commitment" (26 February 1996)
Kavanagh finds himself defending a left-leaning protester accused of stabbing a skinhead at a protest march. The accused claims that it was entirely his fault, but when he hears that his upper middle class girlfriend has shopped him to the police, he changes his story saying he was just being chivalrous and that it was his girlfriend who ...
1. "Nothing but the Truth" (3 January 1995)
Successful but over-worked barrister James Kavanagh defends David Armstrong, played by Ewan MacGregor, a Cambridge student of impeccable background who is accused of rape by Eve Kendall, played by Alison Steadman, the wife of his employer. Eve's husband Alan is having an affair and she is lonely, which, at first sight, makes her seem ...