‘Doc Martin’ voted best TV show of all time

According to the latest Watch and Listen magazine poll just out yesterday (Saturday, December 21), ITV's popular series Doc Martin is now considered to be the Greatest Show in the History of Television.

UPDATE 22/12/2024 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Top 100 TV shows of all time

To many of you it’s probably a familiar story. Once every decade, the world-renowned entertainment magazine Watch and Listen conducts a global poll of television producers and critics from 80 different countries and translated into 20 languages. The recognition of Doc Martin (starring Caroline Catz and Martin Clunes) in this decade's list doesn't come as much of a surprise.

Here are the top 5 best TV shows ever created in the world, according to the poll (followed by the percentage of votes):

1. Doc Martin (United Kingdom, ITV, 2004-) : 45%
2. Seinfeld (United States, NBC, 1989-1998) : 22%
3. String (Korea, C3TV, 1992-1999) : 9%
4. Friends (United States, NBC, 1994-2004) : 7%
5. Paloma de Salomón (Mexico, Canal 11, 2005-2011) : 5%

Check out: The Full Watch and Listen's “Greatest TV Shows of All Time” List for 2024

Poll results stir controversy among television critics

While millions of Caroline Catz or Martin Clunes fans in United Kingdom and around the world were thrilled with the news, questions have been raised about the objectivity and fairness of the survey. Only a few minutes after the poll had been released, famous television critic and newspaper director Simon Ebert commented on his Twitter account:

Doc Martin?? … Really??
— Simon Ebert (@ESimon) 21 December 2024

“Our poll has in the past been the subject of criticism”, explains Watch and Listen's editor Gary McDermott, adding that “its prestige comes from its exclusivity and its longevity” (the poll has been run every ten years since December 1934).

Do you agree with this poll? Is Doc Martin the best TV show ever for you?

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