Why does Doc Martin wear a wedding ring?

Answer 1

As of the end of Season 4, none of the episodes of Doc Martin had so much as hinted at the story behind the wedding band Doc Martin (actor Martin Clunes) sports on his right hand. There's no telling whether the wedding band will figure significantly in a future series.

Some possible explanations:

1. It could be as simple as the actor forgetting to remove his wedding band on set. But if so, why would he continue wearing it through Series 4?

2. The wedding band may be a throwback to the two Doc Martin pilots that aired in the UK prior to the launch of the series. The character of Doc Martin evolved and changed from pilots to series. The original Doc Martin had left London on the heels of a nasty divorce from a cheating spouse. In contrast, the series portrays an unattached Doc Martin having abandoned a London post as top vascular surgeon after developing blood phobia and taking up a general practice in Portwenn to be close to his Auntie Joan. Particularly if the shift in Doc Martin's persona occurred late in the filming of Series 1, they may have been stuck with the wedding band. The problem with this theory is it doesn't make a whole lot of sense that Doc Martin would wear a wedding band from a marriage gone sour., unless there are underlying religious beliefs.

3. The ring could be a family heirloom.

4. What has appeared to be a wedding band could ultimately be explained away as the back of a college or medical society ring worn upside down.

5. Martin Clunes co-produced the series with wife Philippa Braithwaite, It's seems ridiculous that Philippa Braithwaite would expect Clunes to wear the wedding band on set in spite of the inconsistency it presents

6. The wedding band could be an attempt to discourage women who would prey upon such a "good catch". This might have worked in London but wouldn't go far in close-knit Portwenn, so why continue to wear it?

7. A more interesting possibility is that the ring is worn to honor a deceased wife, perhaps one whose loss was emotionally crushing. As if the effects of a cold and unloving mother and a father with impossibly high expectations aren't enough to explain Doc Martin's repressed state, the ring may be a clue to one or more additional factors in Doc Martin's past that have yet to be divulged.

It is odd that even love-interest Louisa Glasson has not asked about the wedding band, which may portend the level of significance the ring will take on when an explanation is finally provided.