SANDCASTLE

Distributor DRG has recently secured a third season format deal with French prodco Ego Productions for TF1's adaptation of ITV1's ratings juggernaut Doc Martin.

The French Doc Martin stars Thierry Lhermitte as Dr Martin Le Foll, the curmudgeonly GP of a picturesque Breton village called Port-Garrec. Private channel TF1 aired the first 6 x 52-minute series of its Doc Martin in january 2011, with an average of 7m viewers. Then Dr Le Foll returned from november to december of the same year with a second six-part series whose ratings suffered against Castle, aired by pubcaster France 2. The first two episodes caught 6.2m and 5.3m viewers (23%) (1), below the launch of series one (2), and the final two got 5.9m and 5.6m (22%) (3).

While the pleasant first series of Doc Martin succeeded in delivering an enjoyable French transplant, series 2 took a number of liberties with its Brit equivalent, using the original episodes more as a "toolbox" and getting closer to TF1's usual monday night comedy series. The format sold by DRG has been adapted locally by ZDF in Germany (Doktor Martin), Antena 3 in Spain (the excellent Doctor Mateo), and most recently on Mega in Greece as Kliniki periptosi. It could also be adapted in Russia.

The original Doc Martin, starring Martin Clunes and Caroline Catz, will be back on ITV1 for a sixth series in 2013. In the meantime Catz will join the cast of DCI Banks as the new sidekick of the character played by Stephen Tompkinson.

(1) http://www.ozap.com/actu/audiences-tf1-et-m6-decoivent-canal-tmc-et-france-2-puissantes/437840
(2) http://www.ozap.com/actu/audiences-doc-martin-cold-case-taken-amour-humour/389974
(3) http://www.ozap.com/actu/audiences-france-2-leader-m6-et-france-3-faibles-w9-et-arte-puissantes/438094

http://www.drg.tv/News.aspx?NewsItemID=752
http://www.c21media.net/archives/78648
http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/international/doc-martin-to-be-remade-in-russia/5039512.article

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2011/11/docs-disorders.html

DOC'S DISORDERS

Doc Martin, the French adaptation of ITV1's ratings juggernaut, is back. Private channel TF1 aired yesterday the first two episodes of the 6 x 52-minute second series with Thierry Lhermitte (The Dinner Game) as Dr Martin Le Foll, the curmudgeonly GP of Port-Garrec.

Adapted initially by scriptwriter Eric Kristy from ITV's dramedy Doc Martin, starring Martin Clunes, the Gallic transposition is the third foreign version of the format sold by DRG (distributor of the original). Doktor Martin, starring Axel Milberg as Dr Martin Helling, ran in 2007 and 2009 on German pubcaster ZDF. In Spain, Gonzalo de Castro starred as Dr Mateo Sancristóbal in Doctor Mateo from 2009 to 2011 on Antena 3. French channel TF1 aired the first series of its Doc Martin, produced by Ego Productions, in January 2011 (with an average of 7m viewers). And since this month there's also a Greek version called Kliniki periptosi, aired on Mega.

While series one of TF1's Doc Martin succeeded in delivering an enjoyable French transplant, the second series's first couple of episodes take a number of liberties with their Brit equivalent. They swap events from an episode to another (and vice versa), alter an essential new character and try to rebalance the whole thing with "fresh" elements and transitions. They also rely very heavily on the cop character, played by comedian David Strajmayster - aka Doudi (revealed by the shortcom Samantha Oups! ) - to provide most of the comic relief.

The result is definitely uneven: the gallicization stays fun within the limits of the situations and dialogues of the original, but loses its appeal when the episodes play Meccano with the structure of the source material or walk away from it. Movie and stage actor Thierry Lhermitte remains an excellent Doc and the fictional Breton village of Port-Garrec (actually Clohars-Carnoët and the Port of Doëlan) is as magnificent as ever.

Episode one and two caught respectively 6.2m and 5.3m viewers below the first series's launch (8.9m and 8.2m).

http://www.newstele.com/article-inedit-la-saison-2-de-doc-martin-arrive-le-lundi-21-novembre-sur-tf1-87681199.html (In French)
http://www.ozap.com/actu/audiences-tf1-et-m6-decoivent-canal-tmc-et-france-2-puissantes/437840 (In French)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZnH_k3Xyks (Trailer of the Greek version)