Martin Clunes and his wife Philippa Braithwaite live an idyllic life in the Dorset countryside, where they own a farmhouse sitting on an impressive 130-acre estate.
On their generous land, they have a whole herd of animals including horses, cows and their two beloved terrier dogs named John and Murray.
But it seems that their quiet country life hasn't always been so smooth sailing. In a recent interview, Martin, adored for his roles in Doc Martin and Men Behaving Badly, admitted that they were a "nightmare" when they first brought their pups home.
© Photo: Rex"They've been a nightmare. They were an impulse buy," he told The i Paper.
"They're great now, but we've all been on a journey. They're hunters. I don't have any sheep of my own now, but they got a neighbour's lamb and dislocated her leg."
Martin continued: "I put her in one of our stables for six weeks and had the vet put her leg in a cast, and the puppies were grounded.
© Richard Young/Shutterstock"We went to a specialist livestock dog trainer, and it was punishing. Four sessions every day, each dog separately."
Over the years, their home has been home to horses, Shetland ponies, dogs, 50 Dexter cattle, sheep and hens.
The travel documentary host also explained that after rigorous training, the dogs are now impeccably behaved yet still run the roost at home!
© Alex Glen/ShutterstockMartin told the publication how he and Philippa's daughter, who is studying veterinary medicine at university, teased her parents about how the dogs take precedence at their family property.
"[Emily] said: You're just pawns in their lives.' But it's very gratifying. We took them to the beach yesterday and they were brilliantly behaved."
© ITVMartin Clunes' woes with neighbours at family home in Dorset
In addition to their dogs behaving badly, Martin and Philippa have faced other hiccups while living in their £5 million farmhouse in Beaminster.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Martin and other residents in the area expressed their frustration to the local council after fellow locals, Theo Langton and Ruth McGill, were granted permission for their plans to install a "private residential traveller site" so they can continue to live in a mobile home on land they own as they have done for 25 years.
© ShutterstockThe neighbours had sought permanent status from the Dorset Council, but Martin had suggested that their settlement was "causing harm to the protected landscape that is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty."
Beaminster Town Council told Dorset Council that Theo Langton and Ruth McGill, whose relatives own the land where Martin's home is located, should have their application for a permanent travellers' site approved.
