Alexander Martin Clunes

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

DL (born 28 November 1961) is an English actor, comedian, director and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Martin Ellingham in the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

comedy-drama series ''

Doc Martin ''Doc Martin'' is a British medical comedy drama television series starring Martin Clunes as Doctor Martin Ellingham. It was created by Dominic Minghella after the character of Dr Martin Bamford in the 2000 comedy film '' Saving Grace''. The ...

'' and Gary Strang in ''

Men Behaving Badly ''Men Behaving Badly'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British British sitcom, sitcom that was created and written by Simon Nye. It follows the lives of Gary Strang (Martin Clunes) and his flatmates Dermot Povey (Harry Enfield; series 1 ...

''. Clunes has narrated a number of documentaries for

, the first of which was '' Islands of Britain'' in 2009. He has since presented a number of documentaries centred on animals. He has also voiced

Kipper the Dog Kipper the Dog is a character in a series of books for preschool-age children by British people, British writer Mick Inkpen. The books consist of 34 titles (as of July 2005), which have sold over 8 million copies and have been translated into o ...

in the animated series ''

Kipper A kipper is a whole herring, a small, oily fish, that has been split in a butterfly fashion from tail to head along the dorsal ridge, gutted, salted or pickled, and cold-smoked over smouldering wood chips (typically oak). In the United Ki ...

''. Clunes was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the

2015 Birthday Honours The 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...

for services to drama, charity and the community in Dorset.

Early life

Clunes was born on 28 November 1961 in

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the son of actor

Alec Clunes Alexander Sheriff de Moro Clunes (17 May 1912 – 13 March 1970) was an English actor and theatrical manager. Among the plays he presented were Christopher Fry's ''The Lady's Not For Burning''. He gave the actor and dramatist Peter Ustinov h ...

and his second wife, Daphne ( Acott) Clunes (4 July 1928 — 17 September 2007). Clunes was educated at the

Royal Russell School Royal Russell School is an independent school in the Shirley area of Croydon, South London. It is a co-educational day and boarding school. The motto of the school is ''Non sibi sed omnibus'' meaning "Not for one's self but for all". The school ...

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

, and later at the

Arts Educational Schools, London Arts Educational Schools, or ArtsEd, is an independent performing arts school based in Chiswick in the London Borough of Hounslow. Overview ArtsEd provides specialist vocational training at secondary, further and higher education level in musi ...

. He has an older sister Amanda. Clunes is related to actor

Jeremy Brett Peter Jeremy William Huggins (3 November 1933 – 12 September 1995), known professionally as Jeremy Brett, was an English actor. He played fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in four Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series), Granada TV series from 1984 ...

, who was variously described as either Clunes' uncle or cousin. Alec Clunes died in 1970 of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

when his son was eight years old.

Career

Clunes served his first role in

rep Rep, REP, or a variant may refer to: As a word * Rep (fabric), a ribbed woven fabric made from various materials * ''Rep'' (TV series), a 1982 British comedy series * '' The Rep'', an entertainment guide published by the ''Arizona Republic'' 1997 ...

at the

Mercury Theatre The Mercury Theatre was an independent repertory theatre company founded in New York City in 1937 by Orson Welles and producer John Houseman. The company produced theatrical presentations, radio programs and motion pictures. The Mercury also ...

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

,Between The Sheets – No More Mr Nice Guy
National Theatre and his first television appearance was in an adaptation of

Mikhail Bulgakov Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov ( rus, links=no, Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ɐfɐˈnasʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bʊlˈɡakəf; – 10 March 1940) was a Soviet writer, medical doctor, and playwright active in the fir ...

's ''

The White Guard ''The White Guard'' (russian: links=no, Белая гвардия) is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, first published in 1925 in literary journal ''Rossiya''. It was not reprinted in the Soviet Union until 1966. Background ''The White Guard'' fir ...

'' for the

BBC Play of the Month ''Play of the Month'' is a BBC television anthology series, which ran from 1965 to 1983 featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays (or adaptations) which were usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different wor ...

in 1982, followed by the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' story ''

Snakedance ''Snakedance'' is the second serial of the 20th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 18 to 26 January 1983. The serial is set on the planet Ma ...

'' in 1983. A sporadic career led to his supplementing his income as a photo model for

Gilbert and George Gilbert Prousch, sometimes referred to as Gilbert Proesch (born 17 September 1943 in San Martin de Tor, Italy), and George Passmore (born 8 January 1942 in Plymouth, United Kingdom), are two artists who work together as the collaborative art du ...

, and he can be seen in their 1983 work ''World.'' He got his first regular television role as one of the sons in the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

sitcom '' No Place Like Home'', and then starred in two series of the sitcom ''

All at No 20 ''All at No 20'' is a British sitcom that aired on ITV (TV network), ITV from 10 February 1986 to 1 December 1987. Starring Maureen Lipman, it was written by Richard Ommanney, Ian Davidson (scriptwriter), Ian Davidson, Peter Vincent and Alex Shea ...

''. While Clunes was appearing on stage at the

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. Roxana Silbert has been the artistic director since ...

Harry Enfield Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer and director. He is known in particular for his television work, including ''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'' and '' Harry & Paul'', and for the creation and ...

came to see him; the acquaintanceship developed into a friendship where Clunes played characters in Enfield's sketch shows (most notably one of the Rugby Players). Enfield then recommended Clunes for the role of Gary in the sitcom ''

'', written for Enfield by

Simon Nye Simon Nye (born 29 July 1958) is an English screenwriter, best known for television comedy. He wrote the hit British sitcom, sitcom ''Men Behaving Badly'', and all of the four ITV Pantos. He co-wrote the 2006 film ''Flushed Away'', created an ad ...

, for which Clunes won a BAFTA television award for Best Comedy Performance in 1996. He played the part of Group Captain Barker in the two-part TV mini-series '' Over Here'' that same year. In 1993, he played Dick Dobson in ''

Demob Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and militar ...

'' about a pair of demobilised soldiers who have to adjust to civilian life after entertaining Second World War troops with a raunchy cabaret act. Since 1994, Clunes has frequently appeared on the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

panel show '' Have I Got News for You'' as a panelist or a guest presenter. Clunes has since appeared in films and television shows such as ''

An Evening with Gary Lineker ''An Evening with Gary Lineker'' is a 1991 stage play and 1994 television film both written by Arthur Smith and Chris England. The action takes place against the backdrop of the 1990 Football World Cup semi-final, between England and West Germ ...

'', '' Staggered'' (starred and directed), '' Hunting Venus'', ''

The Booze Cruise ''The Booze Cruise'' is a series of three feature-length comedy dramas produced by Yorkshire Television and written for British television by Paul Minett and Brian Leveson. The first episode in the series premiered on ITV in 2003. Two follow-u ...

'', '' Saving Grace'' and ''

Jeeves and Wooster ''Jeeves and Wooster'' is a British comedy-drama television series adapted by Clive Exton from P. G. Wodehouse's "Jeeves" stories. It aired on the ITV network from 22 April 1990 to 20 June 1993, with the last series nominated for a British ...

''. In 1998, he was featured in '' Sweet Revenge'' and appeared as

Richard Burbage Richard Burbage (c. 1567 – 13 March 1619) was an English stage actor, widely considered to have been one of the most famous actors of the Globe Theatre and of his time. In addition to being a stage actor, he was also a theatre owner, ent ...

in the film ''

Shakespeare in Love ''Shakespeare in Love'' is a 1998 romantic period comedy-drama film directed by John Madden, written by Marc Norman and playwright Tom Stoppard, and produced by Harvey Weinstein. It stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Col ...

''. Clunes has also acted frequently for the radio, including a guest appearance in the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

series '' Baldi''. In 2001, he played Captain Stickles in the BBC adaptation of R. D. Blackmore's ''

Lorna Doone ''Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor'' is a novel by English author Richard Doddridge Blackmore, published in 1869. It is a romance based on a group of historical characters and set in the late 17th century in Devon and Somerset, particularly ar ...

''. In 2002, Clunes played

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

John George Haigh John George Haigh (; 24 July 1909 – 10 August 1949), commonly known as the Acid Bath Murderer, was an English serial killer convicted for the murder of six people, although he claimed to have killed nine. Haigh battered to death or shot his ...

in a Yorkshire TV production ''

A Is for Acid ''A Is for Acid'' is a 2002 British television film based on the life of the serial killer John George Haigh, known as the Acid Bath Murderer, because he dissolved the bodies of six people in sulphuric acid. Haigh, hanged in 1949 for his crimes, ...

'', and took the lead in ITV's production of ''

Goodbye Mr Chips ''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' is a novella about the life of a school teacher, Mr. Chipping, written by English writer James Hilton and first published by Hodder & Stoughton in October 1934. It has been adapted into two feature films and two televi ...

''. Clunes was one of the eponymous leads in the 2004

comedy-drama ''

William and Mary William and Mary often refers to: * The joint reign of William III of England (II of Scotland) and Mary II of England (and Scotland) * William and Mary style, a furniture design common from 1700 to 1725 named for the couple William and Mary may ...

'', with

Julie Graham Julie Graham (born 24 July 1965) is a Scottish television and film actress. Career Graham has appeared in the Channel 4 ''Blood Red Roses'' (1986, filmed in East Kilbride). She also appeared in 1986 in an episode of ''Taggart'', “Death Call� ...

. Clunes had worked with Julie Graham previously on ''Dirty Tricks'' (2000). Since 2004, Clunes has played the lead role of Doctor Martin Ellingham in the

comedy drama series ''

''. In August 2007, Clunes starred in the ITV/

TVNZ , type = Crown entity , industry = Broadcast television , num_locations = New Zealand , location = Auckland, New Zealand , area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the So ...

co-production ''

The Man Who Lost His Head ''The Man Who Lost His Head'' is a 2-hour comedy drama written by Mark Wallington and starring Martin Clunes about the theme of cultural repatriation. It was a joint production of TVNZ in New Zealand and ITV in the United Kingdom. Broadcas ...

''. Clunes is a regular

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-Diegetic#Film sound and music, diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, th ...

artist and is the voice of Kipper in the animated children's series ''

''. For six years (1993–1999) he also did voice acting for

Safeway Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, d ...

adverts; he provided the voice of Harry in Safeway's 'When Harry Met Molly' advertising campaign during said years. Clunes appeared in a television dramatisation of ''

Fungus the Bogeyman ''Fungus the Bogeyman'' is a 1977 children's picture book by British artist Raymond Briggs. It follows one day in the life of the title character, a working class Bogeyman with the mundane job of scaring human beings. The character and all relate ...

'' playing Jessica White's father. Between 2009 and 2010, Clunes starred on

television in the title role of ''

Reggie Perrin ''Reggie Perrin'' is a modern update of the 1970s BBC sitcom ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'', which starred Leonard Rossiter. The revival stars Martin Clunes and was first broadcast on 24 April 2009. Series 1 was released on DVD in Re ...

'', a re-make of classic 1970s British situation comedy ''

The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' is a British sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter in the title role. It is based on a series of novels written by David Nobbs and produced from 1976 to 1979. Nobbs adapted the screenplay for the first series ...

''. In 2015, Clunes played the role of

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for '' A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

in the

mini-series ''

Arthur & George ''Arthur & George'' (2005) is the tenth novel by English author Julian Barnes which takes as its basis the true story of the " Great Wyrley Outrages". Plot introduction Set at the turn of the 20th century, the story follows the separate but int ...

''. In 2018, Clunes played the role of DCI Colin Sutton in the ITV drama ''

Manhunt Manhunt may refer to: Search processes * Manhunt (law enforcement), a search for a dangerous fugitive * Manhunt (military), a search for a high-value target by special operations forces or intelligence agencies Social organisations * Manhun ...

'' (first screened in 2019). In 2019, Clunes return to sitcom with the BBC1 series ''

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...

'', saying "It was just so funny, I couldn't turn it down".

Film

Clunes played Brock in the 1990 film ''

The Russia House ''The Russia House'' is a spy novel by British writer John le Carré published in 1989. The title refers to the nickname given to the portion of the British Secret Intelligence Service that was devoted to spying on the Soviet Union. A film ba ...

''. He played a character called Martin in the 1992 film ''

Carry On Columbus ''Carry On Columbus'' is a 1992 British comedy film, the 31st and final release in the ''Carry On'' film series (1958–1992). The film was a belated entry to the series, following 1978's ''Carry On Emmannuelle''. It was produced to coincide ...

''; Richard Burbage in the 1998 film ''

;'' and Anthony Staxton-Billing in '' Sweet Revenge'' the same year. In 2000, Clunes played the role of Dr. Martin Bamford in the film '' Saving Grace'', and the follow up to that film

the following year (2001), he played James Chancellor in ''

Global Heresy ''Global Heresy'' (alternately titled ''Rock My World'' in the United States and Canada) is a 2002 comedy-drama film directed by Sidney J. Furie, and starring Peter O'Toole, Joan Plowright, Alicia Silverstone and Martin Clunes. The film cente ...

''. In 2011, Clunes voiced the mischievous dog Dudley in the short film ''Me or the Dog'', starring

Edward Hogg Edward Hogg (born 26 January 1979) is an English actor, known for portraying Jesco White in ''White Lightnin, Stephen Turnbull in ''Bunny and the Bull,'' Eugene Mathers in ''Indian Summers,'' Segundus in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (miniser ...

and directed by

Abner Pastoll Abner Pastoll (born 12 February 1982) is a British-South African film director, screenwriter, and editor, born in South Africa, where his family used to own a two-screen cinema. Background Abner started making films at the age of 4, inspired pri ...

. Clunes then starred in the 2014 film '' Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey?''.

Documentaries

In 2008, Clunes presented ''Martin Clunes: A Man and his Dogs'', which was aired on 24 August 2008. In 2009, Clunes presented a three-part

series '' Islands of Britain'', which saw him travelling around several of the country's lesser known islands. In 2010 Clunes presented ITV mini-series ''Horsepower'' about man's relationship over time with the horse. This was followed by ''Heavy Horsepower'' which aired in 2013. In January 2011, Clunes presented documentary ''Martin Clunes: Man to Manta''. In June 2012 Clunes presented a documentary series on

about the

lemur Lemurs ( ) (from Latin ''lemures'' – ghosts or spirits) are Strepsirrhini, wet-nosed primates of the Superfamily (biology), superfamily Lemuroidea (), divided into 8 Family (biology), families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 exist ...

s of

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

called ''Martin Clunes: The Lemurs of Madagascar''. On 31 January 2013, Clunes narrated

documentary '' Secret Life of Dogs''. Then, on 2 and 3 June 2014, he narrated two more follow-up documentaries, '' Secret Life of Cats'' and '' Secret Life of Babies''. On 4 April 2014 Clunes hosted a one-off

documentary called ''Martin Clunes & A Lion Called Mugie'', following the work of conservationists in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

as well as tracking the progress of a

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

called Mugie. The documentary was filmed over a period of three years. In August 2014 Clunes narrated ITV's three-part documentary series ''Kids with Cameras: Diary of a Children's Ward'' which saw Newcastle's children's ward through the eyes of its patients. In April 2015 Clunes narrated ''Carry on Forever'', a three part documentary series for

ITV3 ITV3 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. The channel was first launched on Monday 1 November 2004 at 9pm, replacing Plus (Granada). ITV3 is the sixth-largest UK television channel by ...

. It was shown over the Easter weekend. In May 2015, Clunes presented ''Man & Beast with Martin Clunes'', a two-part factual series for

, which looked at the relationship between humans and animals. In 2016, he narrated ''Rising Damp Forever'', a two-part documentary series for

. He also voiced ITV programmes ''Secrets of Growing Old'', ''Secrets of Growing Up'' and ''Britain's Favourite Dogs''. Also in 2016, '' Martin Clunes: Islands of Australia'' (also known as ''Islands of Oz'') was released as a three-part Australian documentary television series produced by

Prospero Productions Prospero Productions is an Australian-based television production company based in Fremantle, Western Australia specialising in maritime documentaries and light entertainment. Background Prospero Productions was formed in Fremantle, Western Aus ...

for the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

that "follows acclaimed actor and comedian Martin Clunes as he explores the most diverse, intriguing, remote and spectacular islands that surround Australia." In 2019, ''Martin Clunes: Islands of America'' was released as a four-part documentary where he traveled to remote islands across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Personal life

Clunes's first marriage was to actress Lucy Aston in 1990. They divorced in 1997 and Clunes married future ''Doc Martin'' producer Philippa Braithwaite late that year.In 1999, Braithwaite gave birth to their daughter Emily. , Clunes and his family live in

Beaminster Beaminster ( ) is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated in the Dorset Council administrative area approximately northwest of the county town Dorchester. It is sited in a bowl-shaped valley near the source of the small River Br ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, where they run a farm with

heavy horses ''Heavy Horses'' is the eleventh studio album by British progressive rock band Jethro Tull, released on 10 April 1978. The album is often considered the second in a trio of folk rock albums released by the band at the end of the 1970s, alongsi ...

Traffic offences

In 1995, Clunes was fined £350 for being about 1.5 times the legal limit for alcohol while driving. In 2012, he was dropped from an advertising role with Churchill's Insurance after amassing 12 points on his licence for four separate speeding offences, which also led him to being suspended from driving.

Charity

A sponsor of numerous charities, Clunes made a short on-line film with

Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...

about

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

discrimination for the

Terrence Higgins Trust Terrence Higgins Trust is a British charity that campaigns about and provides services relating to HIV and sexual health. In particular, the charity aims to end the transmission of HIV in the UK; to support and empower people living with HIV, to ...

. Clunes supports Weldmar Hospicecare Trust in Dorset and is a Patron of Julia's House, the Dorset and Wiltshire children's hospice. The Buckham Fair is organised in support of these charities. In January 2011, Clunes became a patron of Animal Care in Egypt (ACE). Clunes was a patron of the

Born Free Foundation The Born Free Foundation is an international wildlife charity that campaigns to "Keep Wildlife in the Wild". It protects wild animals in their natural habitat, campaigns against the keeping of wild animals in captivity and rescues wild animals in ...

, and had filmed several adverts for the charity. However, he was dropped by the foundation in May 2019, after he was filmed riding an elephant in an episode of the

documentary series ''My Travels with Other Animals''. He has also been involved in the

Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...

charity which funds

Survival International Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969, a London based charity that campaigns for the rights of indigenous and/or tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples. The organisation's campaigns generally focus on tribal peopl ...

and African Initiatives, two organisations working with the

Maasai Maasai may refer to: * Maasai people *Maasai language * Maasai mythology * MAASAI (band) See also * Masai (disambiguation) * Massai Massai (also known as: Masai, Massey, Massi, Mah–sii, Massa, Wasse, Wassil or by the nickname "Big Foot" Mas ...

on indigenous land rights issues. He is a celebrity supporter of The Dog Rescue Federation.

Filmography

;Television ;Film

Awards

*1995 –

British Comedy Awards The National Comedy Awards (known as the British Comedy Awards from 1990 to 2014) is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year. The British Comedy Awards (1 ...

, Top TV Comedy Actor : ''

'' – Gary Strang *1996 –

BAFTA Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...

, Best Comedy Performance : ''

'' – Gary Strang *1999 –

Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

, Outstanding Performance by a Cast : ''

'' –

Honours

Clunes was made an

(OBE) in the Civil Division on 13 June 2015 in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours List. He was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of the

County A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

on 19 June 2019.

Bournemouth University Bournemouth University is a public university in Bournemouth, England, with its main campus situated in neighbouring Poole. The university was founded in 1992; however, the origins of its predecessor date back to the early 1900s. The univer ...

awarded him the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

Doctor of Arts The Doctor of Arts (D.A.; occasionally D.Arts or Art.D. from the Latin ''artium doctor'') is a discipline-based terminal doctoral degree that was originally conceived and designed to be an alternative to the traditional research-based Doctor of ...

(D.Arts) on 9 November 2007. He has been president of the

British Horse Society The British Horse Society (BHS) is a membership-based equine charity, with a stated vision of "a Society which provides a strong voice for horses and people and which spreads awareness through support, training and education". It currently has m ...

since 1 June 2011.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clunes, Martin 1961 births Living people 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Best Comedy Performance BAFTA Award (television) winners British male comedy actors Deputy Lieutenants of Dorset Doc Martin English broadcasters English male film actors English male television actors English male voice actors English television personalities English television presenters Film directors from London Male actors from London Officers of the Order of the British Empire Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners People educated at the Arts Educational Schools People educated at Royal Russell School People from Wimbledon, London