Finally, an air date has been announced for everyone’s favourite fishing show, the BBC’s Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. The comedic duo return for their ninth series, taking viewers on another journey through Britain’s beautiful countryside as they try to catch a variety of fish.
The destinations featured in this series hold personal significance for either Paul or Bob, allowing them to reflect on memories of their past and share their experiences. The show first aired in 2018 and has become a space for conversations about life and death, due in part to both presenters having experienced heart-related health difficulties.
Themes of ageing, friendship, family and personal challenges are explored, alongside, of course, fishing in stunning locations. Paul is the more experienced angler, but by the ninth series, you’d expect Bob to have learnt a thing or two.
In the first episode of the new series, Paul and Bob are joined by terrier Ted, sadly for the final time, as they fish the River Ribble in Lancashire. They hope to catch barbel, while Ted has his sights set on tasting Bob’s hotpot.
One poignant aspect of this series is that it will be the last to feature the show’s much-loved third wheel, Ted the Patterdale Terrier. The characterful dog sadly died at the age of 13 earlier this year, but the BBC confirmed that he had already filmed an appearance for the forthcoming ninth series.
While filming the new series, Bob acknowledged that he and Paul were both feeling their age and struggling, The Sun reports. Speaking to The Sunday Times Culture, he said: “If we did the show for long enough and became decrepit then one day we might catch a pike and the pike will drag us in. And I don’t mind ageing, Paul, but I’d hate it if we couldn’t come fishing any more and that’s not far off, Paul, that’s not far off.”
He continued: “We’re a lot iller than we look. When I look back on it, I just thought I was getting breathless when playing football with my sons. I just put it down to old age because I was in my early 50s. But you should not be out of breath in your 50s. That is the sniper’s alley decade for heart attacks.”
The new series of Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing starts on BBC Two, October 25th.
Read More: BBC’s ‘Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing Air Date Confirmed
Feature Image Credit: BBC
