Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing is a factual entertainment television series featuring friends Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse. The series was first broadcast on BBC Two in 2018 and a second series was commissioned for 2019 and a third series commissioned for 2020.[1] The show features Mortimer and Whitehouse reflecting on life after their shared major heart problems, while on a fishing trip to various locations around Britain.

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing
GenreFactual entertainment
StarringBob Mortimer
Paul Whitehouse
Opening themeMad Lad (Chuck Berry)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original language(s)English
No. of series2
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producer(s)Lisa Clark
David Brindley (BBC)
Producer(s)Nicky Waltam
Running time30 minutes
Production company(s)Owl Power TV
DistributorKeshet International
Release
Original networkBBC Two
Original release20 June 2018 (2018-06-20) –
present

Background

The show's origins lie in Mortimer's triple heart bypass surgery; Whitehouse – who like Mortimer, had heart problems that were only detected at the last minute – was talking to Mortimer's wife Lisa about Mortimer's recovery from the operation and discovered that Mortimer wasn't going out anywhere, so Whitehouse invited him to go fishing with him. Mortimer enjoyed it, describing it later he said "I’ve never felt anything like it." "There comes a moment when you realise that you’ve said nothing for an hour and a half. I haven’t thought about anything else. I haven’t worried about the past, or future." it wasn't until later that he discovered it was "a ruse to get me back into life." That Whitehouse had been conspiring with Lisa.[2] The fishing trips worked and brought Mortimer out of his trough and then Whitehouse had the idea for the show.

They thought there may be the chance to make a humorous and informative programme that was beyond "two old blokes going fishing". Whitehouse described the pitch for the show as having the real life jeopardy of their medical conditions, two old friends who've had a reprieve and the timeless wonder of the English countryside.[2]

Episodes

Series 1
No.TitleFish / LocationOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [3]
1"Episode 1"Tench / Norfolk Lakes20 June 2018 (2018-06-20)2.14
2"Episode 2"Barbel / Hay-on-Wye27 June 2018 (2018-06-27)1.34
3"Episode 3"Wild Rainbow trout / Monsal Valley4 July 2018 (2018-07-04)1.37
4"Episode 4"Roach / River Wensum11 July 2018 (2018-07-11)1.32
5"Episode 5"Sea trout / Christchurch, Dorset18 July 2018 (2018-07-18)1.38
6"Episode 6"Pike / River Test25 July 2018 (2018-07-25)1.45

Series 2
No.TitleFish / LocationOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [4]
7"Episode 1"Wild Brown trout / River Usk2 August 2019 (2019-08-02)2.09
8"Episode 2"Carp / Essex lakes9 August 2019 (2019-08-09)2.13
9"Episode 3"Salmon / River Tay16 August 2019 (2019-08-16)2.21
10"Episode 4"Perch / Upper Tamar Lake23 August 2019 (2019-08-23)2.14
11"Episode 5"Pike / Lough Erne30 August 2019 (2019-08-30)2.14
12"Episode 6"Grayling / River Ure6 September 2019 (2019-09-06)2.13

Reception

The series has received widespread praise for its warmth, charm, gentle nature and poignancy.[5] Sam Wollaston in The Guardian praised it for its genuine reality and described it as "lovely: warm and funny and human and healthy."[6] In The Herald, Alison Rowat described it as "Soothing, funny and poignant", going on to say that it is essential viewing "in a 'break glass in case of emergency' kind of way".[7] Guy Pewsy in the Evening Standard wrote that the show had a "sense of real affection and solidarity", partly down to Mortimer and Whitehouse's shared sense of humour and affectionate rapport. Summing up he called it "a warm and thoroughly pleasant half an hour".[8] iNews reviewer Elisa Bray, praised the show's "natural" feel and said that it was "A breath of fresh air", calling it "one of the most therapeutic and relaxing on television."[9]

In a five-star review of the second series in The Guardian, Jack Seale praised Mortimer and Whitehouse's comedic chemistry and the series' production values ("It’s just a couple of blokes dicking about but it's filmed in glistening, often airborne HD"), and concluded that "Gone Fishing is a reminder that there's nothing better to spend your money on than friends, memories and moments of throwaway pleasure."[10]

References
  1. "BBC - Mortimer and Whitehouse cast off for third series - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk.
  2. "'I found out that it was a ruse to get me back into life': Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse on their new BBC2 show and the restorative power of fishing". Radio Times.
  3. "Weekly Top 30 Programmes (see relevant week(s))". BARB.
  4. "Four Screen Dashboard (See relevant channel and week(s))". BARB.
  5. "Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing: Season 1" – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
  6. Wollaston, Sam (20 June 2018). "Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing – a comic reflection on life, mortality and tench" – via www.theguardian.com.
  7. "Alison Rowat's TV week: Glow, Rich Hall's Working for the American Dream, Today at Wimbledon, 24 Hours in Police Custody". HeraldScotland.
  8. "Wednesday's best TV: You're sure to be reeled in by these gentle tales from the riverbank". Evening Standard. 20 June 2018.
  9. Bray, Elisa (20 June 2018). "Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing BBC2, review: 'A breath of fresh air'". inews.co.uk.
  10. Seale, Jack (23 August 2019). "Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing review – they've caught a real beauty". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
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