Martin Clunes looked so different at start of his career – take a look back
Martin Clunes is back on our screens for a brand new series of ITV documentary Islands of Australia, which sees the actor embark on an incredible adventure Down Under.
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But did you know the acting legend - best known for his role in ITV drama Doc Martin - has been on our TV screens as the beloved medic and as plenty of other characters for over 30 years? To celebrate his career, we've taken a look back at some of his earliest roles below – and you won't believe how much he's changed...
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Martin Clunes: early TV career
After studying acting in London, Martin bagged his first TV role at the age of 22 in sitcom No Place Like Home in 1983 in which he played Nigel Crabtree for three years.
Martin (far right) in one of his first TV appearances for the sitcom No Place Like Home
He starred in the sitcom alongside Patricia Garwood and William Gaunt. Here, Martin's pictured with his co-stars in 1985 looking particularly fresh-faced. After being spotted by fellow comedy actor Harry Enfield, Martin then began starring in his sketch shows, before the two went on to appear in Men Behaving Badly.
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Martin Clunes: Men Behaving Badly
In 1992, Martin first appeared as Gary Strang in Men Behaving Badly. He starred opposite Harry Enfield for the first series, before Neil Morrissey took over as his flatmate Tony Smart from series two.
Martin Clunes in his Men Behaving Badly days
The show first appeared on ITV before becoming a huge success and moving over to BBC One and made a TV star out of Martin. The sitcom ran for six series and won him a BAFTA for Best Comedy Performance in 1996, before finishing in 1998.
Martin Clunes: Doc Martin
In 2001, just three years after playing Gary in Men Behaving Badly, the actor was cast as the lead role in ITV drama Doc Martin. Martin plays the fiercely talented, a frustrated but unemotional doctor who at times finds himself at his wits' end due to his surgery staff and those in the local village.
Martin has played the lead in Doc Martin since 2001
MORE: Martin Clunes' whimsical garden is out of a storybook – watch video
Martin Clunes: Manhunt
In 2019, Martin underook the role of DCI Colin Sutton in ITV's Manhunt and reprised the role for series two at the end of 2021. Like the first series, the second instalment, titled Manhunt II: The Night Stalker, focused on a real life case: Operation Minstead.
The Operation haunted the Metropolitan Police at the time and the episodes show Colin and his team of detectives try and track down a serial rapist and burglar who had been attacking elderly women across south London from 1992 until 2009.
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