Five minutes with Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer.
Angling and comedy have seldom crossed paths over the years.
So you’ll be delighted to hear that Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse have teamed up to create a brand new TV show – and it’s all about fishing!
The BBC2 series ‘Whitehouse and Mortimer: Gone Fishing’ runs over six episodes and takes us on the hilarious adventures of Paul and Bob as they sample fishing across some of the country’s most breathtaking venues.
Angling Times caught up with the comedy duo to discuss their fishing backgrounds and what brought them together for TV.
Q) Have you worked together before? What was it like working together on this show? And what was it like working alongside your friend and fellow comedian?
Bob Mortimer: “We’re old friends, we’ve done bits of shows, and appeared on live shows, but really we’re great friends. After my triple heart bypass I became a bit of recluse – so Paul took me fishing to get me out. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had in 30 years of filming! It was hard to film at times because we were laughing so much!”
Paul Whitehouse: “So you’ve just spoken to the half-wit! We’ve been together from day one, Bob’s an old friend. We lost touch, as people do, and after his heart problems I knew he was pretty down – so I decided to take him fishing as I knew he used to like it. This is where the idea from the show came from – I thought it’d be funny to film two old gits being kids on the river bank. I’ve had hearts problems as well, so there was a chance if we hooked a double-figure barbel then we might drop dead!”
Q) What can viewers expect to see in Gone Fishing that they won’t have seen before?
BM: “Paul’s a massive star, but people don’t know much about him, so you will get to see him in his natural environment. Our intention was to portray just how beautiful England is.”
PW: “You’ll see us relating as mates rather than characters. I have to be bossy with him when it comes to the fishing, but really I think it shows quite a sweet relationship.”
Q) What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen or done while fishing?
BM: “Me failing to land a fish is pretty amusing. I’m getting on a bit and it’s amazing the sheer number of times I’d fall over or fall in due to my lack of balance and physical ability! I’d also lose a lot of tackle! We were serious about the fishing, but then we would head to the pub after – which is what it’s all about.”
PW: “I’m bossy with Bob, I’m always telling him ‘don’t do that!’ or ‘mind the rod!’ and he’s always falling over – I’ll be concentrating on the fishing and all I hear is crash, or bang or splash!”
Q) What are your fishing backgrounds like? Are you both keen anglers?
BM: “I always enjoyed it when I was young, but it’s a distant memory – it’s nice to see even when you’re nearly 60 you can recreate those same days.”
PW: “I’ve been fishing since I was five, so nearly 55 years! My first fish was a roach from the River Lea. My dad was a keen fisherman, and he cast out a porcupine quill with bread and passed me the rod – he said tell me when it goes under, and it did just as he passed me the rod!”
Q) What’s your favourite fish species and what was your favourite capture during the series?
BM: “Really I am new to it, but I caught a barbel of over 10lb which was fabulous. It put up one hell of a fight – they’re a superb, powerful fish. That was also the first time I got my fishing and landing technique right. Also tench – I had seen pictures of them before, but never realised just how beautiful they are – an amazing fish.”
PW: “I’d say there are two really. I had a tench about 6lb on my last cast of a two-day session. It was lunchtime and the crew were all packed up, but luckily there was a drone camera which filmed it all. I fished for tench a lot as a kid – I don’t think you can beat them. Second was the moment I caught a 10lb bass. Again, this was on the last cast – and it really was as the skipper called it. People were being seasick – not me by the way – and all of a sudden, bang! It was like hooking a shark or a tuna! I also enjoyed catching roach from the River Wensum in Norfolk as it reminded me of being a kid.”
BM: “In terms of species they are all great, to be honest. I’ve always had a real fascination with tench, and although I don’t fish very often for carp, you can catch them in several different ways.”
PW: “If I could only fish for one thing it’d be trout – I do enjoy fly fishing and you can catch trout from a variety of locations, from fast or slow rivers, to small lakes or huge reservoirs.”
Q) Would you consider fishing with each other outside of the show?
BM: “We do, we’re going fishing next week, for trout on the Derbyshire Wye. We visited during the show and I came very close to catching one, so I’m going back for revenge – plus it’s a beautiful place, I loved it there!”
PW: “Definitely, it’s how the show came about. We were already going as mates, and will continue to do so in the future.”
Q) You must’ve visited a few destinations throughout filming. What was your favourite place? What made it so special?
BM: “The weather can dictate a lot, but I adored the Derbyshire Wye. We also fished from a boat at Christchurch harbour, and we both caught sea-trout from it – something I never thought I’d do, that!”
PW: “The main point of the series was to highlight how beautiful rural England is. It’s not a ‘how to’ series, neither of us is good enough for that... I sort of know what I’m doing! I enjoyed visiting the Wensum and reliving my childhood on the River Wye in Herefordshire – sadly, my father passed away last year, and so that show was slightly dedicated to his memory.”
Q) Do you think there will be a second series? If so, what would you both do differently?
BM: “Who knows? It depends who watches it. Because it’s fishing, a big percentage will be put off watching but I hope they do, and I hope a few people go fishing because of it. I hope it improves the way people look at fishing – if not they may just call us a couple of ****s!”
PW: “You know what? I’d love to do another one!”