Fisherman's Friends and Doc Martin

The SconeLady visits Fern Cottage

I am going to start watching Doc Martin right away! He is in my mind now, and the minds of about 20 walking tour tourists who for 2 hours today learned just about everything there is to know about him. The best part was that our guide had actually BEEN IN THE SHOW! I'm going to turn it on and see if I can find him. His name is Mike and he was an Extra.

 At the beginning of the tour, the guide wowed us all by saying, "Do you see those two white haired gentleman standing by that boat?" We did see them. "Well, guess what? Those are two of the real Fisherman's Friends!" 

 There was a momentary silence as we all took this in. Then everyone pretty much freaked out, gasping and grabbing smart phones and taking pictures of the backs of their heads (they knew we were a tour group and would likely ignore their privacy). The man on the left is Jeremy, who is still an active member of the Fishermen's Friends - which means that I just saw him performing at Sandy Acres! The man on the right is John, who started the Fisherman's Friends but has retired from them. 

Jeremy and John, Fisherman's Friends

I always think it's exciting to see someone who is famous. I have seen Kevin Costner twice, Hugh Laurie once, Haley Joel Osment twice, Strom Thurmond once, Debbie Reynolds once, and - full disclosure - I possess a curtain ring that used to belong to Barbra Streisand.  

 My husband does not think about famous people the way that I do (for example, he would never be seen on a walking tour about them). If Tom Cruise himself turned up at our house my husband would probably think he was the exterminator, and start to tell him about the bees in the living room. 

 I just now started watching Doc Martin! The cinematography of Port Isaac is utterly stunning, both in the show and in real life. They did a terrific job of filming those rolling green hills and stark blue seas, all while telling a compelling story. The tour guide told us that Martin Clunes (who played Doc Martin) kept everybody cheerful on set by his kindness and humor, and would do 30 takes of a scene without getting upset. The lady pharmacist with a neck brace, the large handyman Al and his son Al, the cray-cray receptionist at the doctor's surgery, and the big black dog who jumped in Doc Martin's window were all just as important as he was. 

I will watch the next episode tomorrow and let you know if I see our tour guide Mike being an Extra. He's hilarious already, don't you think?

See you along the way!

the SconeLady