Martin Clunes Makes Tense Best Medicine Debut
martin clunes guest-stars in the March 3 episode of Best Medicine, appearing as Robert Best — the father of Josh Charles’ character, Martin Best — and his arrival sparks a fraught family breakfast that drives the hour’s drama.
Martin Clunes joins Best Medicine as Robert Best
Clunes appears opposite Josh Charles, Judith Ivey and Annie Potts in a scene set around an awkward breakfast where Robert and his wife, Vanessa (Judith Ivey), confront aunt Sarah (Annie Potts) and their son, Martin (Josh Charles). The family argument turns on the couple’s plan to sell a house where Sarah currently lives, and the exchange includes pointed lines about small-town traditions and regret: Vanessa notes the Blueberry Festival came after their time, saying, "After we left, we never looked back, " while Sarah fires back about how she would pay for the house "In lobsters?"
A family fracture, a hinted health scare and an operation
The episode frames Robert’s return as complicated. Sarah says Robert has "had it harder than most, " mentioning his late daughter, and the brother-sister confrontation crescendos when Robert is outraged that Sarah would bring the loss up. The episode also weaves in a plotline about a possible health condition affecting Robert and a school subplot in which Louisa becomes acting principal during Spirit Week, forcing Martin and his father to work together to operate on a patient named Mark.
Why the cameo matters for fans of Doc Martin and Best Medicine
Clunes’ appearance marks the first time an original Doc Martin actor appears on the American remake; the ITV series Doc Martin aired from 2004 to 2022 and was created by Dominic Minghella, who developed the character of Dr. Martin Bamford from the film Saving Grace. The Hollywood Reporter notes that Clunes and Josh Charles play the same role in their respective UK and Fox series, and Clunes turns up here specifically as the father of the American Martin Best.
The Best Medicine cast for the episode includes Josh Charles, Abigail Spencer, Annie Potts, Josh Segarra, Cree Cicchino, Didi Conn, Clea Lewis, Stephen Spinella, Jason Veasey, John DiMaggio, Carter Shimp, Cindy De La Cruz and dog Wattson. The series has already been renewed for a second season, and this installment — billed as the "Doc Martin" episode of Best Medicine — leans on a guest star structure that gives seasoned actors a chance to inhabit surprising parts.
martin clunes’ brief but pivotal turn reintroduces a character whose return forces others to confront long-buried hurts and a contested family property, and it pairs a domestic confrontation with a medical storyline that requires Martin and Robert to operate together on screen.
Best Medicine airs on Fox on Tuesday, March 3, at 8: 00 p. m. ET. The series has been renewed for a second season, and the March 3 episode is the next scheduled telecast where viewers can see Clunes in the role of Robert Best.
