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ITV’s Doc Martin might have wrapped in 2022, but the legacy of the cosy Martin Clunes medical comedy-drama lives on. After 10 series and with 10 spin-offs around the world – including an American adaptation, Best Medicine, which launched just year – it’s one of the best-loved TV shows of the last two decades. And now you can once again enjoy a slurp of the action at the Golden Lion pub in Cornwall, a mainstay of the programme.
The Port Isaac boozer sadly closed its doors last month, citing financial difficulties. A new post on its Facebook page, though, has confirmed that it’s set to reopen – good for fans of pints and/or Martin Clunes. ‘We're back open soon!’ the post read. ‘We're looking forward to welcoming you back into our friendly pub!’
St August Brewery, which owns the pub, announced its closure alongside that of three other Cornwall drinking dens: Polruan’s The Lugger, St Minver’s fabulously named Pityme Inn and Padstow’s London Inn. No date has been confirmed for the Golden Lion pub’s grand return, though the brewer told Cornwall Live it’ll be this week. The Lugger is also due a comeback this week, with the Pityme Inn expected to resume pouring pints next Monday (March 16).
In the show, the Golden Lion was dubbed the Crab & Lobster, with Port Isaac standing in for the fictional town Portwenn. Clunes’ curmudgeonly character Dr Martin Ellingham was often seen knocking about in the pub – a balcony overlooking a picturesque harbour regularly featured in the show.
Naturally, then, the Golden Lion has become a Port Isaac favourite, with fans making a pilgrimage to sup where the good doctor once stood. In fact, the show made the boozer so popular that its owners boasted in 2019 that its annual turnover had ballooned to £1m.
Yet the stark realities of running a pub have evidently bitten hard in recent years: announcing the closure last month, St August co-director Jason Black sadly announced: ‘Unfortunately, winter trading has continued to impact cash flow and there is not enough capital left to continue safely and responsibly.’
‘It is with a heavy heart that I have to let you know that we will be closing all businesses after service tonight and we will not be reopening. This has been an incredibly difficult decision.’
What a turnaround! With Clunes having recently played against type as the dastardly Mr. Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights, it’s time to get down the Crab & Lobster – sorry, the Golden Lion – and raise a glass to one of his most beloved characters. Just what the doctor ordered.
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