Martin Clunes Transforms into 'Rotten' Patriarch in Bold Wuthering Heights Adaptation
In a surprising twist for this year's cinematic landscape, Martin Clunes has emerged as the unlikely star of Emerald Fennell's smouldering new take on Wuthering Heights. The film, billed as the sexiest adaptation yet with its BDSM-tinged themes and torn bodices, features Clunes in a role far removed from his affable television persona.
A Drastic Departure from Type
Clunes portrays Mr Earnshaw, the patriarch whose decision to bring the destitute Heathcliff from Liverpool to the Yorkshire Moors ignites the destructive love story at the heart of Emily Brontë's classic. In Fennell's reimagining, the character absorbs traits traditionally assigned to Cathy's brother Hindley, becoming a composite of cruelty, alcoholism, and gambling addiction.
"He's rotten to the core," Clunes declared in a recent interview with ITV's This Morning. "He's sort of drinking from the start. He's a devout misogynist. He's got a gambling addiction and is covered in vomit." This portrayal marks a stark contrast to the roles that have defined Clunes's career, which he describes as both "exciting" and "scary", particularly given the blockbuster scale of the production.
Critical Acclaim for a Risk-Taking Performance
Critics have widely praised Clunes's turn, suggesting the risk has paid off handsomely. Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw noted, "As a child, young Cathy Earnshaw is a pert miss, indulged by her roistering old twinkly-eyed squire of a dad, in which role Martin Clunes pretty much pinches the whole film." This acclaim highlights how Clunes's performance overshadows even the smouldering young lovers played by Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.
From Personal Tragedy to Television Stardom
Born in Wimbledon in 1961, Clunes comes from a theatrical family as the nephew of actor Jeremy Brett, famed for playing Sherlock Holmes, and son of actor Alec Clunes, who died when Martin was eight. He has spoken candidly about suppressing grief as a child due to British emotional restraint, recalling, "The expectation was, 'Oh, come on, let's not cry. Let's be grown up'. How grown up can you be at eight?"
Sent to Barfield boarding school in Surrey over fears from his paternal grandparents that growing up without a father might influence his sexuality, Clunes faced further challenges. "So then I had to not cry and not wet the bed at boarding school, which was just impossible," he reflected. These early experiences perhaps fueled his drift into acting, where he studied drama at ArtsEd before working in repertory theatre.
A Career Defined by Iconic Roles
Spotted by Harry Enfield during a Hampstead theatre performance, Clunes was cast in sketch shows and later landed the role of Gary Strang in the sitcom Men Behaving Badly. This beer-guzzling, woman-chasing character, played opposite Neil Morrissey, made Clunes a household name and earned him a Bafta in 1996. He has since described the series as "silly" and "zeitgeisty", swept up in the "whole Loaded movement" of the era.
Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Clunes worked steadily across film and television, with roles in Staggered, Lorna Doone, Shakespeare in Love, and Saving Grace. However, his most defining part came in 2004 with Doc Martin, where he played the curmudgeonly GP Dr Martin Ellingham for ten series over eighteen years. This role cemented his status as a British television fixture, though Clunes insists he is far sunnier off-screen, stating, "I'll go around trying to make everyone like me, unless they don't deserve to like me."
Recent Projects and Personal Life
In recent years, Clunes has appeared in series like Reggie Perrin, Arthur & George, Manhunt, and Warren, with a notable role in last year's Out There as a widowed farmer confronting county lines drug dealers. Beyond acting, he has supplemented his income through modelling for Gilbert and George, voicing Safeway adverts, and presenting travelogues and documentaries, alongside writing books about his love of animals.
Clunes lives in Dorset with his wife, Doc Martin producer Philippa Braithwaite, their daughter who is studying to be an equine vet, and a menagerie including five dogs, two cats, horses, and hens. He is also lined up to portray disgraced BBC presenter Huw Edwards in the upcoming factual drama Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards, charting the implosion of one of television's most recognisable figures.
An Improbable Cinematic Triumph
For now, Martin Clunes finds himself improbably at the centre of one of the year's most talked-about films. In a glossy, sexually charged literary adaptation, his "rotten" patriarch has left one of the deepest impressions, proving that even in a landscape dominated by young stars, a seasoned actor's transformative performance can steal the show. This role not only showcases Clunes's versatility but also reinforces his enduring appeal in both television and cinema.
