A new series of Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing starts this weekend, and at first glance it’s more of the same. That’s not a bad thing – comics Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse have been taking us on their fishing trips for eight years now, and their funny voices, prodding banter, pratfalls and surprisingly tender reflections on their health and the ageing process haven’t got old (if you’ll pardon the pun) yet.
But the ninth series opener is a special episode after all. Because joining Mortimer and Whitehouse for one last posthumous trip out to the River Ribble – where they’re after catching chubs and barbels – is their beloved canine companion, the late Ted.
Ted, who was adopted at six months old by the programme’s executive producer Lisa Clark, died in April earlier this year. And while the millions of us who have watched him on Gone Fishing since he made his sparkling debut in series three will have never met him, his death has felt very personal.
“So very, very sad,” Mortimer wrote in tribute at the time. “Lovely Ted, the best companion and the greatest little chum. Going to miss him so much… and away boss.” Whitehouse added: “Bye bye Ted old friend. He wasn’t a dog, he was a species all of his own. He’s gone to the great briefcase emporium in the sky. We will really miss you mate.”
Perhaps it seems silly, grieving someone you’d never met, never mind that someone being a Patterdale terrier. But in his six years in the spotlight, Ted became an unexpected – and irreplaceable – third member of the cast. And when someone – yes, even a dog – visits your living room every Sunday for one of the most joyful, endearing, meditative shows on television, they become an important part of your life.
When Ted made his first appearance on BBC Two, he was considerably less grey around his underbite, but it didn’t take long for his curmudgeonly character, moulded by two of Britain’s silliest and most imaginative comedians, to take shape. He was given a low, grumbling voice with an East End accent, like a furry Kray twin, a preoccupation with briefcases, and an argumentative, surly nature.
Ted was also a part of some of Gone Fishing‘s best and most memorable moments. Winning a 30-yard race against Mortimer on the banks of the River Dee in North Wales, doing his business in Whitehouse’s bait box, going on a blind date that ended in disaster because he “swore”, and – my personal favourite – stretching his neck to reach the table in a pub, his expression leaving both Mortimer and Whitehouse in utter hysterics. No wonder he won the Lifetime Achievement Award at last year’s Christmas party – wearing a little doggy tuxedo.
The series has never shied away from the realities of getting older – it was, in fact, born from the two comedians developing heart problems in their 50s. Following a triple heart bypass surgery, Mortimer rarely left his house until Whitehouse invited him to enjoy a gentle afternoon of fishing. It changed his life, and Gone Fishing was born. Since then, the pair have discussed their ongoing health issues – including Mortimer’s six-month bout of shingles that saw him have to use a wheelchair during the filming of series seven – with emotional, candid honesty.
There’s no doubt that the death of their friend will force Mortimer and Whitehouse, now 67 and 68 respectively, to reflect even further on what is down the road – for all of us. And while the series will never be the same without him, it certainly won’t be too sad; any talk of decline and death on Gone Fishing is always offset by the glory of nature, of long-lasting friendship and the slow appreciation of the right now. Ted will be celebrated exactly how we remember him – with endless laughter.
Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing is on tonight at 9pm on BBC One