Fans were overjoyed when the BBC confirmed the release date for its upcoming series of Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. The beloved series first aired on the network back in 2018 and it has garnered plenty of five-star reviews from critics. A new teaser for the series featured a voiceover saying: "Two muppets talking absolute carp again. But let's be honest, you don’t tune in just for them, you come for me too! See! I'm their catch of the day!"
The announcement not only confirmed that the show would be returning to our screens on 26 October, but that the BBC had ordered more episodes, meaning instead of six episodes to stream, viewers will have eight. Some things have been kept under wraps, however, including the locations that the duo are planning to fish at.
Speaking about the return of the series, Bob said: "We wanted to be free to pick the places we've always wanted to go and places which, sort of, personally meant something to us. So, it's just a slightly different approach, you know, rather than just focusing on species of fish." His co-host, Paul, teased: "The thrust of this series is that we go to places that we've either fished before or resonate with us from our past or mean a lot, and, and so I think there's maybe an extra level of poignancy to this series, it's a little bit more heartfelt."
Fan reaction
Viewers were elated to hear that the show was returning, as one enthused: "At last!" and a second added: "Bloody brilliant," and a third said: "Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing is my absolute fave TV show, just exceptional in every way." Meanwhile, a fourth penned: "Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. Just wonderful telly. So calming and reassuring."
What is Gone Fishing?
The BBC's official synopsis for the series reads: "Two friends, beautiful places and a good natter. Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse go on a life-affirming, funny journey, sharing their changed outlooks and trying to land a catch."
© CREDIT LINE:BBC/Owl Power/Tom JacksonMeanwhile, the synopsis for the first episode of the upcoming series says: "Paul takes Bob to one of his favourite rivers to fly fish – the beautiful chalk stream of the River Itchen in Hampshire. As it's Paul's birthday week, he gets to call all the shots, but the only present he really wants is to catch a wild brown trout in this idyllic location.
"Later, Paul catches up with an old friend, actor and fellow angler James Murray, who is campaigning to save the precious salmon which are fast declining in our chalk streams, both on the Itchen and the neighbouring River Test."
