Doctor Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes) is a celebrated London surgeon, who turned his back on city life and moves to a sleepy Cornish village to become the local doctor. Despite his surgical brilliance, Doc Martin has no interpersonal skills and his bedside manner soon starts to upset his new patients, causing havoc throughout the village! As the community becomes united in horror at their foul new GP, the good doctor soon finds he needs all the allies he can get as he tries to negotiate his way around village.