Doc Martin fans will get two extra chances to visit the village of Portwenn after publishers Ebury snapped up the rights to two novelisations based on the hit ITV series from literary agency PFD.
The firm has bought the UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) for Doc Martin: Practice Makes Perfect (pre-order from Amazon.co.uk) and A Doc Martin Christmas (pre-order from Amazon.co.uk), due to be published in August and November 2013 respectively.
Both books will be penned by author and Somerset Maugham Award winner Sam North and will be first time the series has been translated into book form.
In Doc Martin: Practice Makes Perfect, the Doctor arrives in the picture-postcard fishing village of Portwenn, Cornwall, like a fish out of water.
Once a high-flying London surgeon, his suddenly-developed blood phobia means he has to take a job in a local practice. But while the Doc’s medical skills are second-to-none, his bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired.
Infuriating the locals in the eccentric world of the Cornish fishing village, the Doctor encounters many entertaining conundrums and enjoys a tumultuous relationship with school teacher, Louisa Glasson: all entanglements which bind him to Portwenn.
The second novelisation of the popular TV series character will feature an entertaining Christmas twist. Going where the camera cannot, readers will find out more of the turbulent relationship between Louisa Glasson and the Doc, and his ongoing attempts to tip-toe through the minefield of village politics.
Ebury’s Gillian Gree said she and her team were “delighted to be working with Buffalo Pictures on the first Doc Martin novelisations.”
“Sam North is a gifted writer who has truly captured the spirit of this hugely popular and iconic series – which is warm and funny with an edge to the humour and a love story at its heart between Martin Clunes’ irascible Doc Martin and local school teacher Louisa.”
The series is due to return to ITV in September for a sixth run.
Philippa Braithewaite from series producers Buffalo Pictures said: “We are thrilled that Ebury are releasing a Doc Martin book to coincide with the new series airing this year and we couldn’t ask for a better author than Sam North to capture the essence of our series.
“It is exciting for us to have a new medium in which to explore the stories and their characters in more depth than we are able to do within the confines of television.”