Silver Spring, MD —Featuring the two full-length films that inspired the huge hit dramedy currently airing on PBS stations across the U.S., Doc Martin: The Movies debuts on DVD from Acorn Media on August 30, 2011, proving there’s more than one way to tell a good story. BAFTA-winner Martin Clunes (Men Behaving Badly, Shakespeare in Love, Dirty Tricks, Reggie Perrin) stars as the kinder, gentler— but still slightly grouchy—Dr. Martin Bamford in the made-for-TV movies that introduced the misanthropic doctor and the picturesque Cornish fishing village of Port Isaac (later called Portwenn) before the television series’ launch in 2004. The 2-disc boxed set includes Doc Martin and Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie (162 min., $39.99, www.AcornOnline.com).

Martin Clunes stars in both feature-length films as Dr. Martin Bamford, an obstetrician whose reasons for leaving London are more personal than professional. Unlike ornery surgeon Dr. Ellingham from the new TV series, he’s not rude, irascible, or socially inept—he even smiles! But we get glimpses of his selfishness, short temper, and distaste for dogs.

In the first Doc Martin movie, the doctor flees to a coastal village to reassess his marriage and his career. In Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie, he resorts to camouflage, subterfuge, and folk magic to get what he wants: a secluded house in the country away from his nosy neighbors in town. Also starring Tristan Sturrock (Saving Grace, Bad Girls), Anna Chancellor (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Fortysomething) and Pam Ferris (Rosemary & Thyme).

The Doc Martin TV series is a huge hit in the U.K. with 9 million viewers and a fifth series commissioned, and is syndicated by American Public Television (APT) in the U.S. Acorn Media previously released Doc Martin Collection: Series 1-4 in April 2011 and Series 2 – 4 in individual sets between 2009-2010.

Street: August 30, 2011
SRP: $39.99 DVD 2-Disc Set: 2 programs – Approx. 162 min., – British drama - SDH subtitles
Contains partial nudity, medical scenes, and adult situations

Headquartered in suburban Washington, D.C., Acorn Media U.S. distributes distinctive home video releases to the North American market with a special focus on the best of British television. 2011 releases include Upstairs, Downstairs: 40th Anniversary Edition; hit BBC series New Tricks; U.S. debuts of new series Vera, Garrow’s Law, Reggie Perrin, Wired, Identity, and Single-Handed; more episodes from Doc Martin, Murphy’s Law, Marple, Poirot, George Gently, Murdoch Mysteries, Midsomer Murders; as well as the Blu-ray of Brideshead Revisited: 30th Anniversary Edition; and acclaimed documentaries from our Athena line. Acorn’s DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn Media at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com.