ITV has announced that the upcoming 10th series of Doc Martin will be its last.

The beloved comedy drama stars Martin Clunes as the titular Dr Martin Ellingham, a top London surgeon who moves to a seaside village to become the residents' new local GP.

Doc Martin has aired a new series roughly every two years since it started in 2004, drawing viewing figures as high as 11 million, but the decision has now been taken to end the show with its next run.

In a joint statement, Clunes and producer Philippa Braithwaite explained: "We have loved making nine series of Doc Martin. When we launched the series in 2004 we could never have imagined how much our loyal viewers would take to the grumpy Doc like they have.

"The series has avid fans both in the UK and throughout the world and we are thrilled that Doc Martin has topped the ratings every time.

"However, after sixteen years we now feel that the time has come to say goodbye to Portwenn. We will be making the tenth and final series in 2021 and we are very much looking forward to returning to Cornwall to film it."

Polly Hill, ITV's head of drama, added: "I just want to thank Martin and Philippa and everyone involved in Doc Martin, because it's a brilliant, beautifully made series that has delighted audiences for many years.

"I am pleased that we are making series 10, and sad this will be the last, but respect their decision to bring it to a close."

The final series will be filmed in Cornwall starting next Spring for broadcast on ITV later in 2021.