Doc Martin will return with a sixth season on American Public Television stations

BOSTON (March 19, 2012) ­– Next year, DOC MARTIN will indeed be making another house call to American audiences with a new season of this popular series. American Public Television (APT), a leading distributor of high-quality, top-rated programming to the nation’s public television stations, is proud to confirm plans for a sixth season of the hit English comedy-drama DOC MARTIN. Supplied by Digital Rights Group and distributed by APT's Syndication service, the program will release to public television stations in late 2013. The series is produced by Buffalo Pictures, in association with Homerun Productions.

DOC MARTIN has now aired for five successful seasons on ITV1 and has been broadcast in more than 70 countries around the world; American Public Television first distributed the series to U.S. viewers in 2007, and it now airs to widespread critical acclaim (airing in 19 of the top 20 United States markets). Nearly 50 public television stations have added the fifth series of DOC MARTIN to their schedules (check local listings).The program is a consistent high ratings winner in primetime, frequently earning the highest rating on local public television the night it is broadcast. In fact, KCET in Los Angeles just dubbed it "the #1 rated regular series on public television in Los Angeles."

With the premiere of the fifth season in the U.S. earlier this month, American audiences have already started inquiring about a sixth season. "Martin Clunes announced another production year is in the works, and local public television stations in the United States have already begun contacting APT for information so they may assure their viewers it will be locked into their schedule," explained Eric Luskin, vice president of APT's Syndication service.

Since 2007, DOC MARTIN has grown in audience appeal in the U.S., entertaining audiences with its mix of hilarious hijinks and poignant character drama. When gifted but socially inept London surgeon Dr. Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes; Men Behaving Badly) develops an incurable fear of blood, he is forced to pack up his career – and his life – in a retreat to the quaint seaside village of Portwenn, Cornwall. Nicknamed “Doc Martin” by the locals within minutes of his arrival, the curmudgeonly doctor faces his fair share of problems as Portwenn’s new General Practitioner. From an underfunded office in disarray and a spunky receptionist who expects him to answer the phone, to Doc’s own romantic struggles with the local schoolteacher, Louisa Glasson (Caroline Catz), there’s never a dull moment in this seemingly idyllic little town.

This fifth season of DOC MARTIN premiered on England's ITV1 in September 2011 with 9.85 million viewers, maintaining its position as the network’s highest-rated drama series. The series gained praise from British publications like The Telegraph and Metro for its sharp writing and abrasive yet charismatic characters; The Radio Times summarized DOC MARTIN as “tough, effective comedy medicine in an accessible sugar coating.” The 5th season maintained average weekly ratings of more than 10 million viewers, with the finale garnering an impressive 10.26 million. "Doc Martin" has made a significant evolution since the character's introduction in the 2000 film Saving Grace as a successful but unhappy obstetrician. "Doc Martin" went on to be featured as the principal character in two television prequels: DOC MARTIN: THE MOVIE and DOC MARTIN AND THE LEGEND OF THE CLOUTIE (both currently distributed by American Public Television). Since its premiere on ITV1, the DOC MARTIN viewers know and love today was a success with audiences and critics alike. The Guardian called Martin Clunes “one of ITV1's most bankable drama stars.” The show has dominated its Thursday night time slot, unseating BBC1 as the traditional ratings victor for the evening.

Martin Clunes, the star of DOC MARTIN, is also featured in the APT Syndication specials MARTIN CLUNES – MAN TO MANTA and MARTIN CLUNES: HORSE POWER.

About APT
American Public Television (APT) has been a leading distributor of high-quality, top rated programming to the nation’s public television stations since 1961. Among its 300 new program titles per year, APT has distributed about half of the top 100 highest rated public television titles for nearly ten years. APT programs include prominent documentaries, news and current affairs programs, dramas, how-to programs, children’s series and classic movies. America’s Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated, Rick Steves’ Europe, Doc Martin, Nightly Business Report, Moyers & Company, NHK Newsline, Lidia’s Italy, Globe Trekker, Simply Ming, BBC World News and P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home join numerous documentaries and performance programs popular with public television viewers. These programs include: For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots, Diana Ross: For One and For All, The Best of Soul Train, Johnny Mathis: Wonderful, Wonderful! APT licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service. Now in its 7th year, Create®TV -- featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming, and on the Web at CreateTV.com – is distributed by APT. APT is also a partner in WORLD™, in its 5th year, now featuring a mix of public television’s premiere news, science and documentary programming and stories from the world over, with a complementary website at WORLDcompass.org. To find out more about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.