Paul Whitehouse on the return of Gone Fishing

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing returns to BBC Two this weekend. Here Paul Whitehouse tells us all about it…

Tell me what makes series eight so special.

The thrust of this series is that we go to places that we've either fished before or resonate with us from our past or mean a lot, and, and so I think there's maybe an extra level of poignancy to this series, it’s a little bit more heartfelt.

So I take Bob to a place that I fished with my dad and fishing just always reminds me of my dad. Even though I've fished many times without him, that link is really important. I do wonder, would I have been into fishing, if it hadn't been for my dad?

Although, and Bob and I talked about it, we say, when we were kids all the boys, used to go fishing, everyone! Pretty much all my old friends when I was a kid were fishing. It became a thing you did. There’s a picture I share with Bob of fishing when I was younger on a bridge, and I can still remember that time so vividly.

It was such a passion of my dad’s and I had that special link, because it was so ingrained with him. It meant I did spend a lot of time with him, in a way that unless you've got that bond, that shared interest, you probably don't with your parents, do you? Usually when you grow up you try to get away from your parents!

What do you love about fishing?

It's a link to the past and to the younger me. When I was a kid, it was the fascination and that never really goes and the excitement of it too.

Bob says I'm sometimes a little bit blasé if I catch a small fish, but I don't think that's true. I'm not blasé, you know, I still get a sense of wonder when I look at a small fish, because actually, in many ways, they're more pristine and more beautiful.

But I think it's that instant link to your past, to friends, to your childhood, and we're lucky enough to still have something that makes Bob and me feel like that. That's a rare gift as well, that that sort of straight line to your childhood, and the magic of it.

How spontaneous are the funny moments you share?

A lot of the moments are absolutely spontaneous. There are one or two things we have to talk about, though: the accommodation, where are we off to, what river and why and what's the significance of it… but even that's not scripted.

But beyond that, it's just our humour, and it’s absolutely spontaneous. Sometimes though if we shut up, it's just as lovely. If not lovelier!

Taking in the beauty of the countryside is one of the things viewers love isn’t it?

Absolutely and we get to show things that viewers may not necessarily see. There’s a part where the light is dancing on the trees when we fish in the Itchen and not many people see that, because you're not down that low in the water and looking up at the tree, so you probably would never see the light playing off the underside of those branches. 

It takes us by surprise because we don't see it very often, but when you do, suddenly it’s captivating, a little light show going on. It was spectacular

Tell me about Ted. How's he doing?

I mean if we're struggling, god! Poor old Ted! But he's game, isn't he, Ted? He's always got his own agenda. But now I'm not sure if he even hears us when we call him! He just plods off on his own. And he struggles a little bit. We have to lift him up sometimes, we have to carry him over some obstacles.

We did put him in a bit of pram for one episode.  He can get along, but you can see he struggles. And it's quite funny when he lies down, he lies down like a frog. You know, his front legs go in front of him, and his back legs are splayed! He's like a cartoon really, isn't he?

What are your highlights of the fishing this series?

Well, I get a very nice grayling on the Itchen. That was a bit of a surprise, because we were really fishing for trout, and it's a cracker. And we love the grayling. They're very beautiful fish. They call them the lady of the stream. I'm not really sure why but they are a beautiful fish, and they've got a sort of iridescence when they're small, like extraordinary colours. But as they get bigger, they become silvery and gunmetal grey, and it's very striking still.

You know, that's a sign: if you catch a grayling, it means that the river is in reasonable health. As we know our rivers are being challenged, so it's always a good sign. It doesn't necessarily mean that there isn't work to do, but it's a good sign.

And without giving too much away, Bob got a sea trout at night, which is a victory. I get as much joy out of seeing Bob catch fish as me getting my own. I genuinely do.

In episode one it’s your birthday – was that the perfect way to spend your birthday?

Well, yeah, obviously I'd like to pretend that it should be with my friends and family, but let's say it was a pretty good second.

Bob teases you in this series about your fishing prowess. How much rivalry is there between the pair of you?

Well, I've caught a lot of fish in my time, so I don't need to prove myself, especially not to Bob! If we went through it, species by species, I'd absolutely destroy him.

But do you know what, his fly-fishing has really come on and he's cleverer than he lets on, is Bob. He pretends to be stupid, but we know he's absolutely as bright as a button. He's got an intuition. And he does what a lot of anglers do, which is put himself in the position of the fish and try and think of it from their point of view, where they'd be, you know.

And I remember him saying something very astute, very early on. He went, when people ask, who the best angler is, he says, I'm probably up there because I'm one of the happiest anglers. And surely that makes you the best angler, because you have the best experience. I thought, it's quite well thought through, Bob.

What was the highlight of the series was?

I loved the Findhorn. We didn't catch anything, but in terms of the scenery, I mean, that was beautiful for me. I love the Findhorn, I fished there, not in that place, in a different part of the Findhorn. But I think he's one of the most beautiful rivers in Scotland, in the UK. So that would be my visual highlight. And I love the end.

» Interview with Bob ​Mortimer

• Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing returns for an eighth series from 9pm on Sunday on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two.

Published: 21 Oct 2025