Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing to return for fourth series

Tuesday 29th September 2020, 9:00am by Jay Richardson

A fourth series of Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing will air next year
Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse are to film six more angling adventures for BBC Two
Bob says: "I am already working on heart healthy recipes to cook and new ways to irritate Paul"

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing has been commissioned for a fourth series on BBC Two, British Comedy Guide can exclusively reveal.

Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse are to make six more 30-minute episodes of the BAFTA-nominated comedy, in which they fish in picturesque locations around the UK.

The third series, which finished on Sunday, attracted consolidated audiences of 1.8 million viewers across its first five episodes.

"The fish of the UK needn't worry too much as Bob and I return for another series of Gone Fishing," said Whitehouse. "I love Bob and he needs me more than ever so we're back on the river bank for more high jinks and another series basking in the timeless wonder of the glorious British countryside."

Mortimer added: "I love doing this show and am over the moon to get the chance to go fishing with Paul again. I am already working on heart healthy recipes to cook and new ways to irritate him."

Made by the pair's production company, Owl Power, the series follows the comics, who have known each other since the 1980s and both undergone major surgery for heart disease in recent years, navigating the nation's riverbanks and bonding over their health scares and changed lifestyles.

Whitehouse, an enthusiastic and experienced angler, tutors Mortimer, a keen but novice fisherman, on the art of the catch - with regularly mixed results - as they take in beautiful countryside scenery, cook healthily, and savour the slower pace of life that angling affords.

The fourth series will continue to focus on the pair catching a range of species of fish and is once again directed by Rob Gill and executive produced by Lisa Clark.

"We're all delighted with the positive reaction from so many people, particularly from those looking for a little light relief and escapism in these tricky times we're all facing" said Clark. "The series is a joy to make and I think that comes across in each episode."

BBC Two controller Patrick Holland, who commissioned the show with Catherine Catton, the BBC's head of commissioning for Popular Factual and Factual Entertainment, added: "With so many rivers left to fish, so many stories to be told, and so many new ways for Bob to fall over, it was inevitable that this glorious series would return. Thank you Bob and Paul for making a truly unique series."

Gone Fishing won a Televisual BullDog Award, voted for by the television industry, on Friday; and is nominated for favourite factual show in the TV Times Awards.

The duo released the following video:

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Mortimer & Whitehouse - Gone Fishing

Two comedy greats talk life, friendship and the joys of fishing...

Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse have been friends for 30 years, but when life intervened, what was once a joyous and spontaneous friendship dwindled to the odd phone call or occasional catch up. Then, Glory Be! They were both diagnosed with heart disease and realised that time is short. They'd better spend it fishing...

So they dusted off their kits, chucked on their waders and ventured into the achingly beautiful British countryside to fish, rediscover the joys of their friendship and ruminate on some of life's most profound questions, such as: How did we get so old? Where are all the fish? What are your favourite pocket meats? What should we do if we find a corpse?

Following the success of the BBC's Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing series, this wonderful book by two lifelong friends is a love letter to the joys of angling, the thrill of the catch and the virtue of having a right daft laff with your mates. On the fish, the equipment, the food, and the locations, Gone Fishing is the perfect book for fans of Bob Mortimer, Paul Whitehouse and for anyone who wants to read a brilliantly written and endlessly funny joint memoir on life, friendship and joys of fishing.

First published: Thursday 30th May 2019

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Audiobook

Publisher: Blink Publishing
Pages: 288
Catalogue: 9781788701952

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Published: Thursday 28th May 2020
Publisher: Blink Publishing
Pages: 352
Catalogue: 9781788702942

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Publisher: Blink Publishing

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Get this audiobook for nothing by signing up for a free trial of Audible from Amazon

Publisher: Blink Publishing

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Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing - The Complete First Series

After life-changing heart surgeries, comedians and lifelong friends Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse embark on a relaxing yet epic journey around Britain, eating great food and attempting to catch some of the nation's iconic fish.

First released: Monday 27th May 2019

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DVD

Distributor: Dazzler
Region: B
Discs: 1
Subtitles: English

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Distributor: Dazzler
Region: 2
Discs: 1
Subtitles: English

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Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing - The Complete Second Series

We follow Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse once again as they fish side by side in some of the most stunningly beautiful locations in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Across six episodes, cameras will look-on as they dissect life & death against a backdrop of some of the prettiest places in the British countryside. Bob is still a keen apprentice and eager to learn how to catch fish while experienced angler Paul once again has his patience tested as he tries to teach Bob the rules of the river.

First released: Monday 7th October 2019

Blu-ray

DVD