Doc Martin fans will want to keep an eye out for a new West Country-set British movie starring Martin Clunes.
Mother’s Pride follows the story of “a failing pub” in “a divided community”, and comes from the team behind Fisherman’s Friends.
According to the synopsis, the new comedy also focuses on “a grieving family whose lives are changed by brewing real ale and entering the Great British beer awards”.
Nick Moorcroft, who co-wrote the first Fisherman’s Friends and co-directed its sequel, is helming the project and co-writing alongside Meg Leonard, who also co-penned the two films and co-helmed its sequel.
James Spring, also of Fisherman’s Friends, is producing, while Fred Films (Patrick, Blithe Spirit, Finding Your Feet) is behind the production. Meanwhile, Entertainment Film Distributors (Midsommar, Lion, Together) is set to distribute Mother’s Pride.
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Speaking back in 2022 when the new movie was announced, Moorcroft described the film as “a love-letter to family, community, real ale and Britain’s forgotten rural traditions”, explaining how the project was inspired by the near loss of their own community pub.
“Pubs are really important for communities, bringing people together, which is especially pertinent with COVID as they tackle loneliness and social isolation,” he told The Guardian. “But on our location scouting, we were visiting pubs that have been empty for two years – and will never become pubs again. Each is filled with history and memories. It’s really sad.”
Leonard further explained that due to COVID, the losses were “particularly resonant when we’re all lacking human connection”, adding: “That’s why our film feels important to make now.”
Related: ITV axes Martin Clunes’ gritty countryside drama after one series
Opening up about her own inspiration, the screenwriter recalled: “I grew up in a farming community in the mountains in mid-Wales, very rural and remote. This one pub was very important as a watering hole. There wasn’t anywhere else for people to meet, unless it was chapel.
“The mental health of the community is serviced by people being able to get together. This was a lifeline. When it was faced with closure, the community clubbed together and bought the pub.”
Speaking about the particular Somerset pub that they filmed the movie in, Spring shared: “Somebody very valiantly tried to run it for a number of years and then, when COVID and lockdown came, that was the moment to call it a day.”
He added: “With the lockdown, for a business that was tough anyway, that’s been the final nail in the coffin for a lot of them.”
Who is in Mother’s Pride?
Alongside Clunes as Mick, Mother’s Pride also packs an impressive wider cast, including:
• James Buckley (The Inbetweeners) as Jake
• Jonno Davies (Better Man) as Cal
• Gabriella Wilde (Poldark) as Abi
• Mark Addy (Game of Thrones) as Paxman
• Lana Moorcroft (Fisherman’s Friends: One and All) as Romy
• Luke Treadaway (Lockwood & Co) as Pritchard
• Miles Jupp (The Full Monty) as Jeremy
• Lola-Rose Maxwell (Starstruck) as Dawn
• Josie Lawrence (A Clever Woman) as Edith
• Karl Collins (Spent) as Wilf
• Stephen Leask (Silo) as Harry
• Emily Lloyd-Saini (Code 404) as Amy
When will Mother’s Pride be released?
Fans won’t have long to wait, as Mother’s Pride will be released in cinemas on 26 September, 2025. Filming previously wrapped in 2024, having taken place in Somerset and Wiltshire.
Mother’s Pride will be released in UK cinemas on 26 September.
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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every ‘t’ and dotting every ‘i’ as a sub-editor.
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