Martin Clunes confesses the one thing that has made him a nicer human being
Thanks to his bond with animals, actor Martin Clunes reckons he’s a nicer person.
Martin Clunes is a nicer human being thanks to his bond with animals.
The Men Behaving Badly actor, 64, who is also widely recognised for playing an irascible GP in ITV’s Doc Martin, made the admission while reflecting on the role his farm in Dorset plays in his life.
He told the new issue of Yours magazine: “I know my life has been better for having animals in it. It’s made me nicer, less cocky and probably less needy.”
Martin Clunes, who lives in West Dorset with his television producer wife Philippa Braithwaite and their daughter Emily keeps a large number of animals at the family farm near Beaminster.
According to previous interviews, the actor has five dogs, six and a half horses – counting a miniature Shetland pony as half – and two cats, alongside sheep and cattle.
His affection for animals also forms part of his longstanding charity work in the area, where he has spent more than two decades supporting two local hospices.
Martin has organised annual fundraising fairs at the farm and has also taken some of his horses and dogs to visit terminally ill patients.
Speaking about those visits, he said: “It’s a privilege.”
In recognition of his work in drama and community fundraising, he was awarded an OBE in 2015.
Martin’s connection with animals has extended into deeply personal moments.
When his Jack Russell, Jim, died in 2024, he described how the family held a small burial on the farm.
He added: “We were all here with him. We all went down the garden and we paid our respects.”
The actor made a wooden coffin for the dog and filled it with his favourite squeaky tennis balls before burying him.
Martin has said his relationship with animals began during childhood after he was sent to boarding school following his father’s death.
A teacher placed him in charge of the school’s menagerie, an experience he has credited with helping him cope with grief and build emotional connections.
Despite his reputation on screen for playing irritable characters, Martin has also joked about his personality.
He said – quoting a line from a new film adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights in which he plays Catherine Earnshaw’s father, Mr Earnshaw – “I am the kindest man alive.”
Discussing the part during an appearance on This Morning, he said the character was “rotten to the core”, adding he had “loved” playing the role despite not previously knowing the story.
Martin has recently taken on several darker roles away from his familiar television persona.
He is due to portray the disgraced former BBC presenter Huw Edwards in a factual two-part drama for Channel 5 about the broadcaster’s fall from grace.
Alongside those projects, Martin also appears in the forthcoming comedy drama Mother’s Pride, playing Mick Harley, the head of a family trying to revive a failing pub by brewing real ale.
The film has been described as a celebration of British pubs and local communities.
