In the run up to my birthday, the idea of being 60 bugged me a bit, but I’d had a bigger wobble around age 57 – the age my father [the actor Alec Clunes] was when he died from cancer. I had various medical tests to reassure myself I wasn’t going to go at the same age, but I’ve passed that milestone now. I’m reconciled to getting older.
Are there benefits to getting older?
Age gives you greater perspective; the younger me didn’t much enjoy having my appearance insulted or being ‘ear-shamed’, for example. Now, I think my ears are rather splendid and I realise they earned me roles I might not otherwise have had.
Is there any connection between hitting 60 and finally ending Doc Martin, given that the last series is due to air this month?
No. It was more that, over a period of 18 years, ten series and 81 hours of TV, we felt we’d really said it all and didn’t want to start repeating ourselves. Each script we produce is a labour of love, especially for Philippa [Braithwaite, his wife], who puts her shoulder in more than any other producer I’ve ever worked with. We didn’t want the show to become tiresome.
Read the rest here: Saga
