EAGLE-EYED viewers of Doc Martin found a familiar face in the wedding crowd during last week’s episode — Bude’s Paul Martin!

Paul, from Martin Group Services in Bude, has been an extra for the show since it first aired in 2004, and in 2013 took on the task of being the body-double of the man himself, Doc Martin, played by Martin Clunes, writes Rosie Cripps.

Paul has had a busy year behind the screen of various television productions other than Doc Martin. He has also been filming for Sky One’s Delicious (Dawn French, Emilia Fox) — which spent a week filming in Launceston last month — as well as working on a German production of Rosamunde Pilcher dramas.

Last week Paul spent an entire day in Fowey as a paparazzi, where he had a portion of chips thrown over him by the lead actress.

Having always enjoyed acting in school and youth productions, Paul continued his hobby after hearing about a new production coming to Port Isaac in 2004 — the hugely popular Doc Martin — following the life of a doctor living in the small, bustling village of Port Isaac, meeting the Cornish folk that surround him and trailing along after the hugely dramatic storyline.

Paul was asked to be Martin Clunes’ body-double in 2013, during scenes for Doc Martin’s wedding reception. Having been picked out because of a similar build, hairline and colour to that of the leading actor, Paul has taken on the role ever since.

Paul told the Post: “All sounds great, but really only an extra so no BAFTA award bashes for me just yet until they introduce a best extra in Cornwall category — and then it would be a battle royale with many friends doing the same thing.”

Paul has gained lifelong friends since being involved in the production. He continued: “It really is a brilliant group of people I have the pleasure to share these experiences with. We just get asked to turn up at a certain postcode and bring up to three changes of clothing, all based on the brief given in a text or phone call.”

The Clunes body-double thinks that filming for the current series of Doc Martin was a huge success, reporting that he and the rest of the cast and crew are looking forward to doing more next year.

He said: “There is such an unbelievably positive and fun atmosphere working on this production. Of course, it can have its stresses for the production team with weather changes and interested onlookers popping into the shot, but overall it is a very hard working and happy group.

“Working on Doc Martin, with the crew and main cast members — it’s like one big family day out. We are simply the ‘pawns’ and will have a great time as long as we do what we are asked.”

Although an exciting experience, the extras are sworn to secrecy during the production. They are not allowed to take photographs, discuss storylines or what they experience on a day-to-day basis until after the series has aired on television.

But even they, who are in the midst of it all, do not always know entirely what is going on within the series, often there for a day or two filming one scene, which will command just a few moments within one episode. Filming will take approximately four months, giving the editors the material to create between 360 to 370 minutes of television.

Paul said: “It also means we cannot possibly know what the next series has in store — most of us are not sure what this current one offers! All we know is that 2018 will see more Doc Martin, and I don’t think anyone is quite sure yet whether it will be the last or not — that’s all I can say.”

The most enjoyable scenes to film from the current series for Paul include many that were featured in the first episode — the pre-wedding party and the wedding itself.

He added: “It was very funny being part of such a humorous storyline and watching it all ‘play out’, albeit over and over and over again.

“The room that was used for the pre-wedding party was actually very small and then once populated with a dozen or so essential crew — director, cameras, sound, lights — all of the main cast members and a large crowd of extras really got to know each other very well.”

Watch the new series of Doc Martin at 9pm on Wednesday evenings on ITV.