Silver Spring, MD — Akin to House and Northern Exposure, the delightful fish-out-of-water series Doc Martin, Series 4 debuts on DVD from Acorn Media on July 6, 2010. Martin Clunes (Shakespeare in Love, Men Behaving Badly, Reggie Perrin) shines in this award-winning comic drama set amid eccentric townsfolk and spectacular scenery. Doc Martin is a huge hit in the U.K., with 9 million viewers, and airs on PBS and is syndicated on APT in the U.S. Series 4 of the hit dramedy sees two unexpected arrivals that complicate the good doctor’s already messy life (8 episodes; $39.99; www.AcornOnline.com).

Dr. Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes) is brilliant, dedicated, and highly efficient. He’s also brusque, abrasive, and terrified of blood. Once a successful London surgeon, he’s now a general practitioner in the idyllic Cornish fishing village of Portwenn, where he’s every bit as eccentric as the villagers he serves.

After his wedding day disaster, Doc Martin is even grumpier and ruder than before. His former fiancée, Louisa (Caroline Catz, Murder in Suburbia), has left the village to avoid embarrassment. The doctor himself plans to return to London as a surgeon—if he can conquer his fear of blood. But it’s hard to leave a place as charming and full of eccentric characters as Portwenn.

Matters quickly become complicated when Louisa moves back with startling news. Meanwhile, Martin’s old flame, Edith Montgomery (Lia Williams), takes a job at the local hospital and sets her sights on the doc. Sparks and rumors fly as patients crowd his office: a shouting oil rigger, the inept local constable, a woman who sees her dead husband’s ghost, and a man who eats his own hair. Facing all this, will Doc Martin leave Portwenn after all?

Doc Martin debuted on ITV in the U.K. in September 2004. Since then, four series have aired. A fifth series has been commissioned by ITV. Filmed in the idyllic Cornwall village of Port Isaac, Doc Martin won the 2004 Best TV Comedy Drama at the British Comedy Awards.

Street: July 6, 2010
SRP: $39.99
DVD 2-Disc Set: 8 episodes on 2 discs - Approx. 367 min. -SDH subtitles

Headquartered in suburban Washington, D.C., Acorn Media distributes distinctive home video releases to the North American market with a special focus on the best of British television. Acorn’s DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn Media at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com.