Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse return for Gone Christmas Fishing
Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse are returning for another episode of Gone Christmas Fishing, British Comedy Guide can exclusively reveal.
Shot last month on the Lot river in Cahors in the south-west of France, which contains pike, catfish and black bass, the pair were joined by a currently under wraps "very special guest" for the one hour special, which is set to air on BBC Two at some point over the festive period.
The fourth Christmas episode of Gone Fishing, and the second shot outside the UK, following the 2022 instalment that saw Mortimer and Whitehouse cast for cod and halibut in Norway, the show is the culmination of what "we suspected, and I think it's turned out to be, the best series we've done by far" Mortimer told Channel 4's Sunday Brunch earlier this month. "It's been an amazing series."
The hit show, made by the pair's production company, Owl Power, returns for an eighth run next year, despite Mortimer's health issues.
Gone Fishing was born from the comedians seeking a relaxed shared pastime after their respective heart troubles. And in September, Mortimer disclosed that filming on the latest series almost didn't happen, following a six-month bout of shingles which meant he had to be taken to several locations in a wheelchair.
"I wasn't very well and it made it a bit of a struggle but, as always, Paul looked after me and pulled me through" he told The Mirror. "For half the season I couldn't walk so it was very challenging at times.
"When we were in Trent, I was being taken from a wheelchair to the top of the bank. You never see that but you never see me on my feet either.
"I just tried to get some muscle back, or get some to grow a bit stronger. I'm 80% back and, by the end of the series, I was reasonably sprightly. The first two episodes are the greatest of Gone Fishing that have ever been made. I think they're magnificent.
"Paul and I are just getting better and better at it, which sounds boastful. I think we know what the show is now and what people like, I love this series."
Mortimer published his second novel, Hotel Avocado, in August, a sequel to his 2022 debut, The Satsuma Complex.
He told Sunday Brunch presenters Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer that he hoped to return to the world of legal assistant Gary, his girlfriend Emily and elderly neighbour Grace soon by writing a third book in the trilogy.