Smash Hit Doc Martin Draws Largest Audience To Date on KCET
SMASH HIT DOC MARTIN DRAWS LARGEST AUDIENCE TO DATE ON KCET
Los Angeles - January 6, 2012 - KCET has announced that Doc Martin, the highest-rated regular series on public television in Los Angeles, had it best performance ever last night on KCET at 8 p.m. with an average audience of nearly 150,000 viewers.
Since KCET became independent from PBS in January, 2011, Doc Martin, the British comedy/drama series distributed by ITV, has had steady audience growth, with its average audience viewers in 2011 4th quarter 77% higher than during 2011 1st quarter.
In 2011 4th quarter, Doc Martin averaged 94,000 viewers for each of its Thursday,
8 p.m. broadcasts, which was 32% higher than PBS station KOCE's Masterpiece Theatre, the second highest-rated program on public television in Los Angeles at its primary broadcast slot on Sundays at 9 p.m.
Doc Martin stars Martin Clunes (Men Behaving Badly) as Martin Ellingham, whose truculence and tactless manner causes mayhem in a small Cornish community. The series details the trials and tribulations of the brash Ellingham, once a celebrated London surgeon who left his job after developing a phobia to blood. After retraining as a general practitioner, he gets a job in the beautiful but sleepy village of Portwenn, replacing their deceased local doctor-but his abrasive personality doesn't exactly mesh with the pace of life in Cornwall.
Even though the Doc Martin Season Four finale airs Jan. 26, actor Martin Clunes will be back on KCET's air the following week starring in the weekly series, William and Mary. In addition, KCET will continue to run its original Doc Martin Behind the Scenes segments and other web extras at http://www.kcet.org/shows/doc_martin/.
Season Five of Doc Martin begins on KCET spring 2012.
About KCET
On-air, online and in the community, KCET plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central California. KCET currently produces the Emmy®, duPont-Columbia and Peabody Award-winning SoCal Connected, a hard-hitting prime-time weekly television news program that examines the issues and people of Southern California. Throughout its 47-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and children's programs, its outreach and community services and its website, kcet.org. KCET is a donor-supported community institution. For additional information about KCET productions, Web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org.
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