Duo's first venture outside the British Isles for Christmas special

Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse have filmed their first episode of Gone Fishing outside the British Isles.

The pair have made a Christmas special in Norway’s Lofoten Islands which are in the Arctic Circle, 1,000 miles north of Oslo

The remote archipelago is known for its rugged, dramatic scenery of majestic mountains, deep fjords and long, surf-swept beaches.

Neither Mortimer nor Whitehouse have visited Norway before and the islands are an angler’s paradise, with historic fishing villages, and the seas teeming with fish.

Producers say: ‘Paul is like a kid at Christmas, excited at the possibilities of catching species of fish he’s never fished before.’ .

They are on a mission to find species including: cod (otherwise known as a ‘Norwegian White Gold’ such has been its significance to building the wealth of the nation); halibut, pollock, ling, trout, char and the ultimate prize – the hard-fighting coalfish, nicknamed cold water cheetahs.

For the hour-long special, they  also stay in some unusual  accommodation and try out  culinary delights from Christmas porridge to traditional Christmas cookies.

Made by: Owl Power
Executive Producer: Lisa Clark
Commissioned by: Catherine Catton, the BBC’s head of commissioning, factual entertainment and events.
Commissioning editor: Max Gogarty.

Published: 29 Nov 2022