Chris Tarrant is back with new TV series

A new primetime fishing show hosted by Chris Tarrant is coming to terrestrial television this week.

Chris Tarrant Goes Fishing will be shown on Channel 5 in four hour-long parts covering domestic and international angling.

The experienced presenter said the project is a “labour of love” that he hopes captures a more rounded view of the sport. The four episodes include sailfish to 180lb in the Maldives, massive lake trout in Yukon, pike on the fly at Chew Valley Reservoir and salmon from Ireland.

“It’s four very varied programmes,” said the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? host, “It was authentic and it wasn’t a lucky man’s jolly around the world. I don’t think there’s anything in it that will make fishermen say ‘oh, that wouldn’t happen in real life’.
“I wanted to explore areas that fishing programmes never do. I wanted to talk to people about how they got into fishing, are they obsessive, does it affect their lives – the stuff that’s about the fish and the fishermen.”

The project began when Chris and angling guide John Horsey decided to pack a video camera on a pre-planned trip to the Maldives.

The former Tiswas host said: “We did some filming and during it we thought ‘this is quite good’ and we were enjoying it – it didn’t feel like work, it was a labour of love.”
Executive producer Martin Founds, of Anglers World Holidays [[corr, no apostrophe]], said: “It’s much more than a fishing series, it’s about the ethos and what makes people go fishing – the places you visit, the people you meet and the wildlife you bump into.”

The series begins on Channel 5 at 7pm on Friday, November 1. For a full interview with Chris about the project see Angling Times out on the iPad and Android on Monday October 28 and in shops on Tuesday October 29.