Doc Martin star Martin Clunes uses his medical knowledge to stop surgeons performing a ‘nonsensical’ operation on his wife

Life imitating art: Martin Clunes stepped in to stop a ‘nonsensical’ operation on his wife Philippa using knowledge built up playing curmudgeon GP Doc Martin on TV

TV star Martin Clunes stepped in to stop a 'nonsensical' operation on his wife using medical knowledge gleaned from his nine years playing grumpy GP Doc Martin.

The actor, who made his name on Men Behaving Badly, stopped a surgeon taking out Philippa Braithwaite's appendix 'because it was the wrong thing to do'.

The 51-year-old also admitted medics may have actually thought he was West Country doctor Thomas 'Doc' Martin because they handed him his wife's medical notes when he arrived to visit her in hospital.

'You have to remember that British medical dramas are obliged to be accurate. You can't just make things up as they do on American shows.

'So we have a medical expert on the series and I have learned about certain conditions and procedures,' he told Reader's Digest.

Mr Clunes married his second wife Phillipa in 1997, who is producer on Doc Martin, which has been running since 2004.

He has said he had to get involved when doctors said they wanted to carry out what he described as a 'nonsensical' operation.

He said: 'She had an infection in her gall bladder and the surgeon was minded to take out her appendix. There was no infection in her appendix and instinct told me that it would be the wrong thing to do. So I took her home instead and she was treated there.

'As Philippa's husband, it was my prerogative to do this. But when I was chatting to hospital staff they handed me her medical notes to look at in a way they might not have with an ordinary member of the public.

'I do wonder whether there wasn't some confusion between me and Doc Martin.'

But it is not the first time he has saved the day.

In 2011 the actor came to the aid of a baby boy who played his newborn son in the TV series and who needed urgent funds for vital medical equipment.

Alfie Cane, who when six-months-old played the GP's newborn baby James Henry, has a rare condition which means he cannot support his head.

He also has a misshapen skull, which could cause serious complications if left untreated.

His parents Tilly and Adrian needed to raise £2,000 to pay for a helmet which can strengthen Alfie's muscles and reshape his skull as it grows.

But after hearing of Alfie's plight, Clunes donated hundreds of pounds worth of memorabilia to be auctioned off to pay for it.

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