British Comedy Guide

Bob Mortimer wants more Gone Fishing after Norwegian Christmas special

Tuesday 29th November 2022, 8:05am by Jay Richardson

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. Image shows left to right: Paul Whitehouse, Bob Mortimer

Gone Fishing is moving into international waters, as Bob Mortimer has claimed that he and Paul Whitehouse want to keep making the angling series until the BBC cancels it.

The pair are leaving Britain's riverbanks behind for a Christmas special on BBC Two in which they travel to Norway, "the country where Cod is God and a place that truly embodies the traditional spirit of Christmas".

Mortimer told the Hawksbee and Jacobs radio show earlier this month that they have no plans to stop making the popular show.

"We won't stop until we're told" he said. The BBC have "left us be and it's just a little holiday, three days with a mate ... we make the UK look extraordinary, which is no bad thing in these times."

Following on from their recent fifth series, the festive episode finds him and Whitehouse travelling to The Lofoten Islands in the Arctic Circle, 1,000 miles north of Oslo, "made up of majestic mountains, deep fjords, long, surf-swept beaches - the scenery is breath-taking and the historic fishing villages, and the seas around it are teeming with fish."

The show's blurb explains: "Neither Paul or Bob have visited Norway before and it's an angler's paradise. 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 a variety of 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 - an attempt to catch the hard-fighting coalfish, nicknamed cold water cheetahs in the tough waters of the legendary maelstrom.

"Along the way Bob surprises Paul with some unique accommodation in the most remote locations they've ever experienced - complete with all the trappings you'd expect of a Christmas trip. Bob searches out the most interesting culinary delights from Christmas porridge to traditional Christmas cookies and they meet with locals as well as a very special guest from their past.

"Sadly, trusty terrier Ted is unable to join the pair on their festive adventure to Norway but Paul makes sure he is certainly there in spirit ... On this trip they make memories to last a lifetime, both on and off the water and viewers will be left reeling by their adventures."

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