Niveau B2 - C1

Did you see DOC MARTIN, starring Thiérry Lhermitte last week on TF1?

Doc Martin is originally a British television comedy drama starring Martin Clunes. It was created by Dominic Minghella, and is filmed on location in and around the fishing village of Port Isaac, Cornwall, United Kingdom.

This is PORT ISAAC (called Portwenn in the series):

Martin Clunes plays (fictional) Portwenn's local GP, Martin Ellingham, a brilliant and highly successful London surgeon until he develops haemophobia (an extreme fear of blood) that prevents him from performing operations. After retraining as a GP, he applies for a post in the sleepy Cornish village of Portwenn, where he spent childhood holidays with his aunt.

Much of the show's humour revolves around Ellingham's interactions with the local Cornish villagers. Despite his surgical brilliance, Ellingham lacks vital social skills and has no bedside manner, which often leads to misunderstandings. Dr Ellingham, (referred to as "Doc Martin" by the friendly locals) finds the surgery in disarray, the medical equipment antiquated, and the patients’ records in a mess. He also inherits an incompetent receptionist who resents Doc Martin's moving in.

The community is united in horror at their grumpy new GP.

This is the British Doc Martin:

His Aunty Joan provides him with emotional support and tries to explain the attitudes and customs of the villagers. Louisa is an opinionated primary school teacher that Doc Martin is attracted to but is unable to express his feelings. Louisa appears to share this mutual attraction, although her loving and caring character, particularly for her students, is in strong contrast to his emotionally detached behaviour towards his patients.

Here's an extract from the British series:

Aunty Joan

Tante Jeanne

In 2004 Doc Martin won the British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Drama. In the same year, Martin Clunes won the Best TV Comedy Actor award, primarily for his portrayal of Doc Martin.
There have been 4 series and 30 episodes on British TV and a new series is due this year. The series has been sold all over the world.

Now, French television producers EGO PRODUCTIONS, in cooperation with TF1, have produced a French remake of the series starring Thierry Lhermitte as Dr Martin Le Fol, with the series based in the fictional Breton village of Port-Garrec, "jumelé avec Port Wenn".

This is Doëlan in Finistère (called Port-Garrec in the series):

The French series was filmed on location in the beautiful village of Doëlan (29) in Brittany. The characters are very close to the British original. For example, the pharmacist wears a neck-brace, the local plumber & “entrepreneur” is a jolly fat man, the local policeman is not very bright. The story lines are almost identical to the original series too.

Here's Doc Martin being made in Brittany:

If you have a “Benny Hill” sense of humour, you might not find the series funny. However, if you are amused by quirky characters and their closely observed interactions, you will love Doc Martin.
So far, only 6 episodes have been filmed, but if it is a success, more will follow.

The next episode will be shown on Monday 24th January at 8.45pm on TF1.

For more information on the series click on : http://www.tf1.fr/doc-martin/

VOCABULARY:

GP: General Practitioner (your local doctor)
Bedside manner: the doctor’s kind attitude when you are ill. (No bedside manner = unkind attitude)
Disarray: disorganised
Grumpy: often in a bad mood
Quirky: eccentric

Did you find the answers? Here they are...

a) In debt – in the red (expression: to be in the red)

b) Currently holding a post or position - incumbent (adj)
c) It became clear or obvious; people understood – (it) sank in (ph.v. to sink in)
d) Refusing to believe or accept something – in denial (expression: to be in denial)
e) To ridicule – to pillory (usually used in passive voice – he was pilloried by...) The pillory used to be used as a form of public humiliation & punishment in England, but it was abolished in1837.

f) Hard bargaining or negotiating - horse-trading (noun: the horse-trading has started)
g) To hate each other – mutually loathe (verb: to loathe = to detest)
h) To have to make a very difficult choice - between a rock and a hard place (expression: to be between a rock and a hard place )
i) To win affection/seduce into marriage – to woo (verb – not in common use these days)
j) The result – the outcome (noun)
k) Something that everyone knows although the information is private – an open secret (expression)
l) Make a decision – to make up (your/his/her/their) mind (phr.v)
m) Promises- pledges (noun singular: a pledge)
n) Backwards & forwards – back & forth (expression)
o) To be disapproving but saying nothing – to raise eyebrows (expression)
p) A sudden amount of movement/agitation/bustling - a flurry (of activity)
q) To formally agree to a law or contract - to ratify
r) Small format newspaper written in an informal style - tabloid (often used in the plural – “the tabloids”, which include newspapers such as The Sun, The Mirror, The Daily Mail, the Daily Express. It is said that you should only believe two things that you read in the tabloids: one is the price and the other is the date!)

Find a word or an expression in the article below on British Politics which mean the following:

a) In debt
b) Currently holding a post or position
c) It became clear or obvious; people understood
d) Refusing to believe or accept something
e) To ridicule
f) Hard bargaining or negotiating
g) To hate each other
h) To have to make a very difficult choice
i) To win affection/seduce into marriage
j) The result
k) Something that everyone knows although the information is private
l) Make a decision
m) Promises
n) Backwards & forwards
o) To be disapproving but saying nothing
p) A sudden amount of movement/agitation/bustling
q) To formally agree to a law or contract
r) Small format newspaper written in an informal style

Answers next Friday (21st May)

Thank you to Dr J.G who gave me this marvellous tongue twister yesterday:

"Three witches watch three Swatch watches. Which witch watches which Swatch watch?"

Can you say it really fast?

Just in case you're wondering, here's the French translation: "Trois sorcières regardent trois montres Swatch. Quelle sorcière regarde quelle montre Swatch?"

Vocabulary: A tongue twister (n) - une phrase difficile à prononcer.
tongue - la langue; twisted - tordu(e) (adj)

If you know any other English tongue twisters, send them to me at the usual address.

(level A2)

The 5th November is an important day in English history.
GUY FAWKES' NIGHT is also known as “Bonfire Night” or
“ Fireworks Night".

Why?

400 years ago, In November 1605, a group of men attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. This plan is known as “The Gunpowder Plot”

Why did they want to do this?

The men were Roman Catholic and they did not want a Protestant king. It was very difficult to be a Catholic in England at this time. Catholics had to meet in secret, Catholic families built special rooms in their houses so that their priests could hide from the King’s soldiers and they had to pay a fine if they didn’t go to the Protestant church on special feast days.
When Queen Elizabeth I died, Catholics hoped that the new King (James I) would change these rules. But he didn’t.

The Plot :

Every November, the King went to Westminster to Open Parliament. All the Lords, Members of Parliament and important people of the country were there.
The Catholic group rented a house that had a basement which went under the Parliament building. On the morning of 5th November they put barrels of gunpowder in the basement. The man in charge of the gunpowder was a Catholic soldier called Guy Fawkes.
The group, led by a rich Catholic called Robert Catesby, planned to kill the king and all the Members of Parliament, then kidnap his daughter and make her a Catholic Queen.

What happened next?

One of the Lords who was going to be at the Opening of Parliament received a letter telling him NOT to go to the Opening. His name was Lord Monteagle and he was related to one of the members of the group. He didn’t support the group, he was suspicious, and he informed the King.
Soldiers searched the Parliament building, and the house and the basement next door, and they found Guy Fawkes and 36 barrels of gunpowder.

Guy Fawkes was taken to The Tower of London. He was tortured so he told the guards all about the plot and he gave the names of the other men in the group. They were quickly captured, tortured and executed.
As the news about the plot spread , people lit bonfires to celebrate the fact that the the King and his family were safe.

England has been a Protestant country since this date, and there has never been another attempt to change the official religion. The letter which was sent to Lord Monteagle can still be seen in the Houses of Parliament, the Queen is the Head of The Church of England, and she still opens Parliament every autumn.

The Celebration:

Every year since then, English people have celebrated this event by having bonfires and fireworks in their gardens. Children make a “Guy”, an effigy of Guy Fawkes which they put on the bonfire. They invite their friends and have a party with hot soup and sausages. If you don’t have a garden, you can go to the bonfire and fireworks party which is organized by the local town.

"Remember, remember the fifth of November.
Gunpowder, Treason and Plot.
I see no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot."

VOCABULARY: Match the words to the definition.

the basement; a barrel; gunpowder; a bonfire; a fine; a plot; fireworks

1. A fire in your garden, to burn leaves, old branches and other garden waste.
2. Explosions of bright and colourful lights in the night sky. Invented by the chinese. Used for national celebrations eg 14th July.
3. A wooden container for beer, wine.
4. An explosive powder used in cannons.
5. Money you pay when you break the law, eg when you drive too fast.
6. The room under your house.
7.A plan to do something bad or the story of a book or film.

Pronunciation:

Queen Elizabeth I - we say " Queen Elizabeth the first"
Queen Elizabeth II - we say "Queen Elizabeth the second"
So, James I = James the first