David Farnor | On 11, Aug 2018

Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse will go fishing once again, with BBC Two renewing Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing for a second season.

Airing on BBC Two earlier this summer, the series brings together the lifelong friends and comedic royalty, who were reunited by a common experience of heart disease. The first season was met with a warm reception: the first episode launched with 1.8m viewers – and 800,000 requests on BBC iPlayer. Now, the duo will reunite again next year for six half-hour episodes, exploring more of the UK’s finest fishing spots while again discussing life’s big questions and sharing their personal experiences in their inimitable way.

“The response from critics and viewers alike has been fantastic, and often followed by ‘surely there will be a second series?’ – well, we’re thrilled to oblige,” says David Brindley, Head of Commissioning, Popular Factual and Factual Entertainment, who announced the commission alongside the renewal of The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan.

“The Misadventures Of Romesh Ranganathan and Mortimer And Whitehouse: Gone Fishing have been real summer highlights for us and we couldn’t be happier to be re-commissioning both,” he adds. “To have the likes of Romesh, Bob and Paul on such glorious form on the channel is a sheer delight.”

Paul Whitehouse comments: “The response has been a little bit overwhelming. We’ve had the most incredible messages from people who have suffered similar issues with their hearts or have had long-term illnesses and have found something in the series that has resonated with them. We’re really pleased that people can see the joy that fishing can bring and I’m also very proud that people who wouldn’t normally watch a fishing programme can enjoy the series too.”

Bob adds: “I absolutely loved making the series and can’t wait to depart for a new set of adventures in the beautiful countryside, with wonderful company and a fresh menu of heart healthy meals… who wouldn’t sign up for that?”

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