I enjoy the entire Doc Martin series but like his earlier character much more than
the later distant,nasty Doc although he always saves the day with his brilliant
medical savvy.
In the first two seasons he's still grumpy and distant but seems to interact better and even has a rather caustic sense of humor.
The later shows are still fun but Doc can be too nasty and distant to be believable-
I don't know how a Doll like Louisa can tolerate him-although they've had their ups and downs.
I understand that he played an earlier version of Doc Martin and was a lot more amiable. I still love the show but wish he'd loosen up a little.