Former Coronation Street actress Denise Black dyed her hair bright red to star in tonight’s episode of Doc Martin.“I play Dawn Lamb, the mother of the doctor’s receptionist, Pauline. Dawn is brash and boho, so I dyed my hair red exclusively for the role,” Denise explains.
But the dramatic colour change didn’t go quite as Denise had planned.
“I volunteered to come on set a day early because after I had dyed my hair the colour was rather robust. The make up artists looked stunned.
”A Corrie fan who saw me when I was walking around Cornwall during filming screamed when she saw the colour of my hair.”
In the fifth episode of the third season which airs tonight on ITV1 @ 9.00pm will the course of true love run smooth for the star crossed couple Dr Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes) and school headmistress Louisa Glasson (Caroline Catz) as they go on their first date?
It is the perfect spot for romance: being serenaded with classical music at a concert in the stunning grounds of a country house. It all looks so promising; they are even holding hands in front of everybody! Surely Louisa must win her man.
Louisa seizes the opportunity of a quiet moment away from the crowds for a romantic kiss. But the clumsy doctor manages to ruin the moment with an inappropriate remark.
It is the final straw for Louisa. She has tried so hard to win the doctor, but he doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body. She ends their affair, leaving Martin shell shocked.
The break -up hits Martin harder than he anticipated. He can’t concentrate on anything. But there’s one more chance to redeem himself when he gets an urgent call for help from Louisa to treat her friend Holly (Lucy Robinson).
Holly has injured her back when out walking in Portwenn and has been forced to recuperate at Louisa’s house. Defying doctor’s orders she gets out of bed, and collapses, cutting herself badly on a bottle.
Holly’s condition takes a dramatic turn for the worse when she has an allergic reaction to morphine, and the doctor has to act quickly to save her life.
Louisa cannot hide her admiration for the doctor’s professionalism and composure. He is her hero again.
As Martin leaves Louisa’s house he realises he could lose Louisa for ever. He pauses on the doorstep and asks her to marry him. The proposal is a bolt out of the blue for Louisa who had given up all hope of a relationship. But she says yes.
Meanwhile Al Large (Joe Absolom) is increasingly worried about his girlfriend Pauline (Katherine Parkinson). Her addiction to gambling is having disastrous repercussions, and the first casualty is her beloved shiny red moped. She’s heartbroken to see it re-possessed because she can’t meet the repayments. Her problems are made worse by the arrival of her disapproving mother Dawn (Denise Black). Martin tells Pauline she has to get help for her addiction or risk losing her job.