Actor Martin Clunes, 63, believes he’s a nicer person when surrounded by four-legged companions...
Martin Clunes’ loveable old dog, Jim, still brings a smile to his famous master’s face every day.
‘I’d been filming in America and I came home and there was this little tiny puppy that was my Christmas present from my wife Philippa,’ he recalls.
But sadly, after arriving by surprise 14 years ago, the Jack Russell died of liver cancer in March this year at the Clunes’ 135‑acre farm in Beaminster, Dorset.
Together, the two went on ‘quite a journey’. Jim was sneaked under Dr Ellingham’s desk during Doc Martin filming and even ran amok on the set of Loose Women. But it was out in the fields where he really came into his own, despite Jack Russells having a reputation for chasing sheep.
‘We had sheep at the time and, to be honest, once he got going, I’d be out there lambing at 3am and he’d come with me and be a good boy. He was my right hand and we went through so much together,’ adds Martin.
The actor’s passion for animals was ignited at the age of eight when he was sent away to boarding school after his father’s death. Clearly unhappy and traumatised, a teacher put him in charge of the menagerie. ‘It’s only just occurred to me what a good thing that was to do for me at that time of my life. It was a good call,’ he says.
Does he believe that animals have the ability to heal our grief?
‘I do know when a pet dies, there’s something about the allowance for grief we give ourselves that other griefs get folded into. They get swept up in it.
‘I don’t know if I’ve ever felt I’ve got this problem, I’ll grab an animal and heal, l but I know my life has been better for having animals in it. It’s made me nicer, less cocky and probably less needy,’ he admits.
Today Martin’s surrounded by five dogs, six and a half horses (he classes the miniature Shetland pony as half!) and two cats, as well as the sheep and cattle.
For the past 20-plus years, he’s also quietly supported two local hospices, where he takes horses and dogs to bring comfort to terminally ill patients.
‘I take a leaf from the staff there, it’s a privilege. I have such admiration for everybody who works there,’ he says.
One lady on her very last day particularly welcomed the comforting weight and warmth of Martin’s dog on her hospice bed.
‘She was a lovely lady. I got such a nice letter from her sister after she’d passed saying it was the best day she’d had in a long time.’
How hard was it for Martin, Philippa and their daughter Emily, 25, when Jim and other animals have died? Emily, who’s training to be an equine vet, lost her horse Saracen last year. A fortnight after Jim’s death they lost their Jackhuahua, Penny, and have also lost rescue pony Connor.
‘Its awful, really to let go, but it’s also one of those times in life when you have to step up. We’ve had a bit of practice and we knew Jim had liver cancer. We didn’t want to give him chemo because it would have meant his last few months were awful and it would have only arrested it, not halted it. We were able to get in before he got really sore.
‘We were able to do that for him so I feel good about it. I miss him every single day but I can still smile when I think of Jim.’
Martin made Jim’s wooden coffin, and filled it with squeaky tennis balls before burying him in the garden. ‘We were all here with him. We all went down the garden and we paid our respects.’
Just weeks afterwards the family added Jack Russell puppies, John and Murray, to their family.
‘I’ve got friends who’ve not been able to replace their dogs, but we like to dovetail them,’ he explains. There was also a practical reason with Jim no longer acting as a deterrent. ‘The deer were in the garden eating the roses; the squirrels took bark from the trees and the fox took the hen,’ he says.
On top of his work, there’s little time to stop. Just back from France with his ‘old mate’ Neil Morrissey, he has another drama Out There coming to our screens in the new year, as well as various other projects.
‘There’s never a dull moment!’ he adds. ‘Everywhere I look there’s something that needs doing.’
You can also watch Martin Clunes in his new brand drama Out There on ITV and ITVX now.