Caroline Catz Now: Life After Doc Martin in 2025

For 18 years, Caroline Catz played Louisa Glasson in ITV’s Doc Martin, but since the series ended in 2022 she has shifted to directing and writing her own material. With a career spanning police dramas to documentary work, here is everything about her current life, real name, family, and what comes next.

Born: 19 October 1969 ·
Known for: Louisa Glasson in Doc Martin ·
Spouse: Michael Higgs (m. 1997) ·
Children: 2 ·
Years active: 1990–present

Here are the key facts about Caroline Catz’s life and career.

What’s Caroline Catz doing now?

Recent acting roles

• 2025: Miss Flower – upcoming credit listed on Rotten Tomatoes
• Recent stage: What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank at the Marylebone Theatre in London (West End Theatre)
• Previous TV credits: DCI Banks, A Small Light (IMDb)

She continues to take on speaking roles, albeit at a more selective pace than during her Doc Martin years.

Directing and writing work

Catz wrote, starred in, and directed Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and Legendary Tapes, a hybrid drama-documentary about the electronic music pioneer. The film premiered at the London Film Festival, according to West End Theatre. Her earlier directorial work includes the 2014 documentary A Message to the World…Whatever Happened to Jesse Hector? (Wikipedia).

Her agency, Independent Talent Group, describes her as a “prolific writer and filmmaker” with a portfolio that blends documentary and drama.

Public appearances

• Festival appearances for Delia Derbyshire screenings
• Rare convention appearances – no regular public schedule
• Minimal social media presence, maintaining privacy

Unlike many co-stars, Catz has not engaged in the podcast or convention circuit that often follows long-running series.

The implication: Catz is carving out a new path as a filmmaker rather than relying on television roles.

Where does Caroline Catz live now?

Home base in the UK

Catz and her husband, actor Michael Higgs, maintain a residence in the United Kingdom. Multiple sources, including Independent Talent Group, list her base as the UK.

Privacy and public sightings

The specific town or region she lives in has not been publicly confirmed. Catz has not shared her home address or neighbourhood in interviews or on social media. Occasional fan sightings place her in London and the Home Counties, but these are anecdotal.

What this means: unlike many public figures who trade on location for personal branding, Catz has chosen a distinctly private life—one that allows her to work in the industry without the trappings of celebrity geography.

What happened to Louisa on Doc Martin?

Louisa’s storyline in the final season

Louisa Glasson remained married to Martin Clunes’s character, Dr. Martin Ellingham, through the final series broadcast in 2022 (ITV Press Centre). In the final season, she gave birth to the couple’s second child, a son named James.

Relationship with Martin

• Louisa and Martin worked through their long-running communication issues
• The couple ended the series together, with no cliffhanger separation (Radio Times)
• Their story arc concluded with a happy ending—rare for a series that often mined comedy from marital tension

Exit from the series

The series ended after 18 years, with the final episode airing in October 2022. No spin-off or revival has been announced (BBC).

The implication: for viewers invested in the Louisa-Martin dynamic, the ending offered rare closure—a full stop rather than a comma.

Why was Joan killed off in Doc Martin?

Joan’s role in the series

Joan Norton, played by Stephanie Cole, was Martin Ellingham’s aunt and a central figure in the early years of Doc Martin. She appeared in the first four series as a steadying presence in Martin’s chaotic life.

Actress departure reasons

Joan was killed off because Stephanie Cole left the show. Her character’s death by off-screen heart attack was written into the series in 2009 as a narrative consequence of the actress’s exit (Radio Times).

In-story death cause

In the series 4 finale, Martin receives a phone call informing him of Joan’s sudden death from a heart attack. The event is handled off-screen, with the emotional weight carried by Martin’s reaction.

The catch: Joan’s off-screen death remains one of the series’ most controversial plot points among fans—a pragmatic writing decision that prioritised real-world casting realities over narrative continuity.

What is Caroline Catz’s real name?

Birth name

Caroline Catz was born Caroline Caplan in Manchester, England (TV Guide). She was born on 19 October 1969 in the Manchester area (Wikipedia).

Stage name origin

Catz adopted “Catz” as a stage name. She has not publicly explained the specific origin of the surname change, though it is common for actors to adopt a stage name that is shorter or more distinctive than their birth surname.

Family background

She grew up in Manchester and later trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) (West End Theatre). The combination of northern roots and classical training shaped her early career.

Why this matters: Caroline Caplan became Caroline Catz at the start of her professional journey, and the name stuck—a small but telling detail in how she chose to present herself to the public.

What religion is Caroline Catz?

Catz has not made any public statements about her religious beliefs or affiliation. She has not discussed faith, spirituality, or religious practice in interviews or on social media (Wikipedia).

No credible source has confirmed her religious background or current practice. In the absence of public information, any claims about her faith remain speculative.

Timeline signal

“She is a prolific writer and filmmaker, taking on projects that blend drama and documentary in unique ways.”

– Independent Talent Group (agency profile)

“Catz’s Delia Derbyshire project is a fascinating hybrid—part documentary, part drama, part audio-visual essay.”

– West End Theatre review (source)

For UK audiences who grew up with Louisa Glasson on ITV every Sunday, the transition from actress to writer-director may feel quiet. But Catz’s post-Portwenn trajectory tells a different story: one where the actor takes control of the material rather than waiting for it to arrive. Her next chapter—whether it’s another hybrid documentary or a return to narrative drama—will be shaped on her own terms.

Related reading: Doc Martin

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