Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse on their "life-affirming" series and why keeping it the same works every time

Mortimer & Whitehouse Gone Fishing is back for another season on BBC Two and the stars have let us in on the secret that keeps winning viewers over on their beloved show.

In a clip shared with Radio Times, the comedic duo and long-time friends revealed that the long-running fishing show keeps reeling in viewers precisely because they refuse to change it, describing the new run as a "positive and life-affirming experience" shaped by the countryside, old friends and one last farewell to Ted.

The ninth season of Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing returns to BBC Two on Sunday 25 October at 9pm, with episodes available on BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast. The six-part run opens on the River Ribble in Lancashire, where the pair fish for barbel in what is also the final appearance of their beloved dog, Ted, who died in April 2026 aged 13.

Asked what viewers can look forward to and what is new this time, Mortimer said: "Whenever we're asked about the series, like what's new and so on, to be honest with you, we quite doggedly keep it the same, is the truth of it." Whitehouse agreed: "That's true. It hasn't changed really. It's a celebration of the rivers, and lakes, and the British countryside."

That consistency is, the pair argue, the point. "At its heart, the countryside continues to look beautiful. The rivers still look beautiful," Mortimer said. Whitehouse added, with the self-deprecation that runs through the show: "And as we age, we actually grace the countryside; it makes the countryside look even more beautiful." Mortimer called it "a juxtaposition of sorts", before insisting their "enthusiasm is undimmed, as it's always been".

Summing up the series, Whitehouse said he had been "really pleasantly surprised by some of the stuff we've done", praising a crew that has largely been in place since the start. "It's just a very positive and life-affirming experience," he said.

The new run takes the pair across the UK, from Shetland to Hampshire. Along the way they visit Breckland Lakes in Norfolk for bream, Shetland for trout and pollock, the Baronscourt Estate in County Tyrone for pike, and the Beaulieu River in Hampshire for mullet. The Shetland episode was filmed around Minn Beach in Burra and Scalloway.

The emotional heart of the series is its farewell to Ted, the cocker spaniel who quickly became as much a part of the show as the fishing. The opening Ribble episode is his last. "It's a highlight to have our last dance with Ted," Mortimer said.

Whitehouse remembered Ted's indifference to the two presenters as his most endearing quality. "The great thing about Ted, really, is he didn't give a monkey's about us, did he, Bob?" he said. "I think that's what we really loved about him." Mortimer agreed: "He was the perfect companion."

"We'll miss Ted, and we will continue in his honour, as it were, continue to fish," he said.

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing season 9 begins on Sunday 25 October at 9pm on BBC Two and iPlayer.

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