Doc Martin receptionists now – Emmerdale fame, tragic loss and co-star splits

Fans of Doc Martin have a treasure trove of memories from the revolving door of receptionists at Porwenn Surgery in the tranquil Cornish village.

When Dr Ellingham, portrayed by Martin Clunes, developed an intense fear of blood, he had to hang up his surgeon’s coat at Imperial College London and relocate further south as a GP. This move introduced him to his first-ever receptionist, Elaine Denham, brought to life by Lucy Punch.

Despite her lack of skills, viewers quickly took a liking to Elaine, and when she was eventually replaced by Pauline Lamb for series two to four, it took them some time to adjust. Morwenna Newcross then stepped into the role in series five.

But what happened to all the GP receptionists? From making a name for themselves in Soapland to dating their co-stars, they’ve certainly kept busy.

Lucy Punch

Comedy actress Lucy Punch has held tonnes of Hollywood roles, from starring in Netflix show A Series of Unfortunate Events to a role alongside Anne Hathaway in Ella Enchanted. She’s also famed for her role in BBC sitcom Motherland, in which she plays the haughty Amanda.

But earlier in her career, Lucy played receptionist Elaine in Doc Martin. Since then she’s gone on to land a huge number of other roles – and dated her co-star.

Lucy matched up with her Come Together co-star James D’Arcy for around three years when they met in 2002. The pair split after their three-year stint together and Lucy confirmed she welcomed a son, Rex, in 2015. She refuses to name her current partner and the child’s father.

But she did confirm: “I’ve just bought a house in LA with my partner, but for the first few years of my son’s life I was travelling a lot. I didn’t want to get a nanny – it was just me, my partner and my mum.

“Sometimes I think if I’d stayed put, or got some permanent help, that would have been better but you’re constantly figuring out how to do it best.”

Katherine Parkinson

Probably best known for her starring role as Jen Barber in Channel 4 sitcom The IT Crowd, Katherine Parkinson starred in Doc Martin for three series as Pauline Lamb. Starting out as a receptionist and then progressing to become a phlebotomist, she proved a fan-favourite.

Since then she’s starred in everything from Sherlock to Taskmaster, as well as appearing in a long-running TV advert for Maltesers.

In her personal life, Katherine is married to actor Harry Peacock, her co-star from The Kennedys. The pair share two children – Dora and Gwendolyn.

Emily Head

Emily Head played temporary receptionist Poppy in one episode of series three – but she’s much better known for her role as Rebecca White in ITV soap Emmerdale. Rebecca was the sister of Chrissie and aunt to Lachlan, welcoming a baby with Robert Sugden while he was still married to Aaron Dingle.

She’s also noted for her role in classic E4 sitcom The Inbetweeners, in which she.starred as buxom blonde Carli. It’s no wonder Emily went into acting, as she has a very famous father – Anthony Head, star of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Emily attended the BRIT School in Croydon, sharing a classroom with singers Adele and Katy B.

Caroline Catz

Best known for playing Louisa Glasson – later Louisa Ellingham – for 10 incredible series of Doc Martin, Caroline Catz’ character stepped in as a temporary receptionist for an episode during series five of the show.

She confessed “no-one is ever tired” of the characters, telling UPI: “We’ve always had these lovely gaps, so we’ve done other work in between and nobody’s ever tired of it. It was just a really lovely collaborative environment in a beautiful place with great characters. Why wouldn’t you want to keep returning?

“We started back in 2004 and we thought: ‘Oh, we’ll do one series. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll do two.’ That really was the plan at that point. I don’t think any of us imagined that it would be the success it has been.”

In real life, Caroline shares two children with her co-star husband Michael Higgs, whom she met while filming The Bill together. They share son Sonny and daughter Honour.

Jessica Ransom

Taking up the receptionist job from series five until series eight, Jessica Ransom played Morwenna Newcross in Doc Martin. The Sheffield-born star is married to director Ben Wilson, and the couple share two sons together – Arthur and Frank.

Though she tends to keep her private life out of the spotlight, Jessica has dropped a few confessions about her family life, explaining in a 2023 interview with The Sunday Post about a working holiday in Glasgow: “We’re all excited about it and we’re planning on visiting some museums and going to the swimming pool.

“My son does what I’d say is an offensive Scottish accent, which he’s planning on busting out while he’s here. It’s pretty dreadful but he’s only six so hopefully he’ll get away with it!”

Along with her Doc Martin fame, Jessica has starred in everything from Horrible Histories to The Armstrong and Miller Show.

Selina Cadell

Another Doc Martin star hailing from a famous family, Selina Cadell played Sally Tishell in the Cornish comedy-drama – who stepped in as a receptionist for one episode of series eight.

Selina is the younger sister of actor Simon Cadell and granddaughter to actress Jean Cadell – along with being great niece to Scottish artist Francis Cadell.

From 1985 until 2019, Selina was married to her husband Michael Thomas, with whom she shared children Edwin and Letty. Sadly theatre actor Michael passed away in 2019, after surviving an aggressive form of myeloma in 2010 after a life-saving bone marrow donation.

Sadly Michael died at the age of just 66, with his son Edwin releasing a statement that read: “I’m sad to announce my wonderful Dad, the actor Michael Thomas, left us all for his journey North in the early hours of Mon. morning. He was at home, surrounded by love, & after such a fight is surely now sailing the North Sea he loved so much. Am so proud to be his son.”

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk