Al welcomes his first fishing guests, but an uninvited one means that a good review is definitely not guaranteed, while Bert decides to try to rejuvenate trade at the restaurant by joining an online voucher scheme. Morwenna asks Martin for a pay rise, and Louisa has to find a new babysitter to look after James Henry and reluctantly decides to offer Janice a trial. Penhale is excited to receive his new police issue Taser, but Portwenn does not exactly offer him plenty of opportunities to try it out.

Louisa and Martin have their first therapy session together - though neither of them was expecting they would be given homework - while Morwenna is not happy about it when a teenager on work experience starts trying to boss her around in the surgery. Mrs Tishell is surprised when her husband Clive returns and tells her he wants to give things another go, and Louisa has to call Martin when one of her pupils collapses during a school excursion.

The Doc deals with a strange family who seem reluctant to let him make house calls, and whose passion for taxidermy seems to hint at a dark secret involving their missing mother. PC Mystow also has family problems when his overbearing sister moves in a sets up shop - much to the Doc's disgust - as a herbalist. A chance remark by Pauline sets Al on a path that could well destroy his relationship with Bert.

Bert Large opens a restaurant in Portwenn, but when a food-poisoning alert appears to be connected to it, it could be a short-lived opening. When Louisa contracts food-poisoning, Martin is rather self-consciously forced to treat her in her bedroom.

After developing a sudden fear of blood, successful surgeon Dr. Martin Ellingham abandons London for a general practice in a quiet Cornish hamlet.

Mrs Tishell decides she can no longer hide her love for Martin and, fuelled by a cocktail of drugs, takes drastic action. While James Henry is in her care, she boards a bus out of Portwenn and leaves a message for Dr Ellingham to `meet them at the castle', forcing Martin, Louisa, Ruth and PC Penhale to mount a desperate search for the pair.

Louisa and Martin decide to make a go of it, starting with a conciliatory dinner but Louisa is concerned when Martin fails to show up. In fact he has been taken prisoner by elderly Annie Winton, who wants him to save her terminally ill husband Jim, despite Jim's more stoical attitude. Louisa and Joe Penhale track him down and the outcome provides a solution to the Ellinghams' marriage problems. There is good news too for Al, as not only have Ruth and Bert decided to go into business to market Bert's whiskey to promote Al's B & B but he also gets a date with ...

Quirky Doc Martin opens his village practice, only to discover that most of his 'patients' enjoy using his waiting room as a makeshift social club.

When a nasty stomach virus hits Portwenn, half the village takes ill, and Doc thinks he has traced the virus's source to the local swimming pool.

When one of his Aunt Joan's former beaus comes back to Portwenn to woo her, Doc must butt in after discovering the man has a serious heart condition.

Upon discovering Doc's fear of blood, the village starts buzzing with the news. Bert insists on playing a practical joke, but Doc isn't laughing.

Dr Ellingham visits an elderly patient in the villiage, but has to contend with her irate son, who turns out to be one of Louisa's ex-boyfriends. Things become even more complicated when he meets the new receptionist and sees a patient who claims he was injured while being mugged but refuses to give a statement to the police.

An outbreak of what the Doc suspects is Impetigo leads to problems for Louisa, who must decide whether to follow the Doc's orders to force the infected children to stay at home, or to help the parents by allowing the children to attend school. The decision is made harder by her impending interview to take over the job of Head Teacher - in front of a board of governors that (to his surprise) includes Doc Martin. Meanwhile, an accident in the Fish and Chip shop leaves Bert behind the fryers and the owner's son, Peter, in need of somewhere to stay while his mother is in hospital. His first choice is with none other than a certain Doctor Martin Ellingham...

The people of Portwenn are concerned for Radio Portwenn's DJ Caroline Bosman, whose increasingly erratic behaviour has them suspecting that she has been hitting the bottle. The Doc has to deal with an elderly patient whose personal aroma can clear a room, but is unable to determine a medical cause for the stench. PC Mylow hopes that his pheremone spray will endear him to a pretty newcomer to the village, while the Doc/Louisa/Danny triangle gets even more complicated.

Pauline looks set to achieve her ambition of joining the Portwenn Lifeboat crew. However, her joy is short lived when she is confronted with the chauvinistic behaviour of her shipmates. Martin is accused of murder by the husband of a woman who died in his care.

Martin's estranged parents charming Christopher and Margaret make a surprise visit, school secretary Maureen Tracey visits the doctor with what she thinks it is a thyroid problem, PC Mark Mylow announces he's getting engaged, and when Danny Steel collapses, Dr Ellingham has to carry out emergency surgery to save his life.

PC Mark Mylow can't persuade Dr Ellingham to be his best man, but Al Large agrees. The stag weekend – a camping trip – goes wrong when an adder bites Mark’s ankle and he suffers a potentially fatal allergic reaction. Meanwhile, Dr Ellingham deals with a spate of weever fish stings among teenage boys playing a dangerous game of dare.

A Salvation Army member arrives in Portwenn to try to trace a missing woman, Danny asks reluctant girlfriend Louisa to move into him, and PC Mark Mylow's medical check has a shock result.

As an excited Portwenn digests the news that Martin and Louisa are engaged, it's business as usual for the doctor. Beth Sawle's knee wound is not responding to the treatment he's prescribed, and when Martin visits the remote cottage where she lives with her strange sister Janet, he makes a disturbing discovery. Meanwhile, Bert's restaurant is in financial trouble, prompting son Al to take decisive action.

Dr Martin Ellingham meets Portwenn’s new midwife, Molly, who will be looking after Louisa. Martin is dismissive of her profession, and the two of them do not hit it off.

Dr Martin Ellingham seeks out Louisa to talk about his new surgeon’s job in London, but they are interrupted by Bert, who wants to plan a baby shower for Louisa.

Dr Martin Ellingham and Pauline are surprised by the number of patients coming to see him on the last day before his Surgery closes and he moves to London.

The villagers throw the Ellinghams a farewell party and Ruth helps Mrs Tishell deal with the news and encourages her to attend, but it seems that Martin and Louisa aren't going to make it because a farmer has spotted their lost dog.

Doc Martin is struggling to maintain his life as a GP, after his wedding day disaster with school headmistress Louisa. She has left the village, and he is starting to question whether this is where he wants to stay, until an old friend turns up.

Dr Martin Ellingham is in London to meet with Robert Dashwood, who is leading the selection process for the prestigious London surgeon’s job that Martin has applied for. Robert can tell that Martin is excited to be back in the world of surgery, and is pleased that Martin has finally conquered his debilitating blood phobia. Robert is confident that Martin will get the job.