SO SAD: Martin Clunes Breaks Devastating D3ath News As Emotional Fans React
Martin Clunes has left fans emotional after sharing the deeply personal way he says goodbye to his beloved dogs, including the touching tribute he created after losing Yorkshire Terrier Jim.
The 64-year-old Doc Martin star opened up about grief during an appearance on Gyles Brandreth’s The Rosebud Podcast, revealing that he makes coffins for some of his pets himself.
Speaking about Jim, who died in 2024 aged 14 after suffering from liver cancer, Martin explained that creating something by hand helped him cope with the loss.
“With Jim, I felt really good,” he said. “I made him a coffin, and it had 33 tiny tennis balls in it, for his journey.”
The unexpected admission left Brandreth stunned.
“You made him a coffin?” he asked.
Martin simply replied that he makes coffins for his dogs, although jokingly admitted that Labradors are a little too large for the task.
The actor explained that woodworking is something he genuinely enjoys and confirmed that he takes time to make each one properly.
Martin’s Personal Way of Saying Goodbye
Brandreth was visibly moved as Martin explained more about the care he puts into the process.
When asked whether he creates a proper wooden coffin with traditional joints and craftsmanship, Martin replied: “Yes, I do it nicely.”
For Jim, however, the most personal detail came from what Martin placed inside.
The little dog had loved tennis balls, so Martin decided to surround him with miniature versions before burying him.
“He loved them, 33 tiny ones,” Martin explained.
He said he kept ordering the balls because however many he had, they never seemed like enough.
Jim was then laid to rest in the garden, where Martin held a small ceremony and said a few words.
Brandreth described the gesture as “lovely”, while viewers hearing the story were similarly moved.
Fans quickly flooded the comments with messages praising Martin’s compassion and the obvious bond he shared with his animals.
One admitted: “I’m crying!”
Another said the story revealed exactly what kind of person Martin was, describing him as thoughtful and caring and pointing out that his dogs were clearly regarded as members of the family rather than simply pets.
Fans Praise His ‘Huge Heart’
Others said the handmade coffin offered a beautiful way of marking the end of a long friendship.
One viewer wrote that hearing Martin explain how he creates coffins for his dogs had given them even more respect for the actor.
Another said they had done something similar for their own pets and completely understood the desire to create a personal farewell.
Jim himself had become familiar to Martin’s fans over the years.
The Yorkshire Terrier appeared alongside his owner on programmes including Loose Women and This Morning.
He even shared the screen with Martin in the ITV drama Arthur and George, making him more than just a private part of the actor’s home life.
When Jim died in 2024, the loss was therefore felt both personally by Martin and by viewers who had seen the pair together.
The actor’s latest comments showed just how significant that relationship remained.
Rather than avoiding the pain of saying goodbye, Martin has developed his own ritual around loss: building something with his hands, placing meaningful objects inside and holding a quiet ceremony in the garden.
For Jim, those 33 tiny tennis balls became the perfect final gesture.
The story struck such a chord because of its simplicity.
There was no grand public tribute, only a man finding a personal way to honour an animal he deeply loved.
And for many fans, hearing Martin describe that final goodbye was enough to leave them in tears.
