 | The incredibly popular duo, Mortimer and Whitehouse, are back for Series 8 of their hit show Gone Fishing, starting Sunday, 26th October, at 9pm on BBC Two. In the first episode of the new series, Paul takes Bob to one of his favourite rivers to fly fish – the beautiful chalk stream of the River |
Itchen in Hampshire. The new series will focus on people, places and rivers which have a personal connection to either Paul or Bob, reminding them of days gone by or specific locations which have a kept a special place in their heart, one not to be missed!
During an interview about what to expect during the new series, Bob Mortimer had this to say:
"Well, I think if it is different, it's because we have a slightly different approach. 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."
"And some of the accommodation this series is in keeping with our memories – the caravan in episode two was very 70s holiday. That was one of Paul’s nostalgia trips, back to Wales where he used to fish with his father and friends."
"Meanwhile, my nostalgia trip took me back to Manchester and saw one of my oldest friends, Paddy, that I hadn't seen for maybe 25 years or something, or even longer."
"The brilliant thing about fishing is, is that like, if I say you like squash, all that's on offer is the squash court. That's it. When you're a day's fishing, you've got miles of riverbank to explore. You've got a local town nearby that seems to, you know, the drinking and the eating is very much part of the day. I wouldn't set up a barbecue in a squash court. You know what I mean?"
Bob also revealed the new experiences he had during the filming of the new episodes:
"We went night fishing on in Wales which I’d never done before - that was a new experience for me, fishing in the night. In total darkness."
"It actually all feels a bit sinister in the dark, with the river flowing and little bubbles and plops the splashes occurring all around you, but it really does get you in the zone. And I was lucky enough to catch a nighttime sea trout. Never seen one of those before. They're the same fish as the daytime ones, but there’s something special about the fact that you're just blind fishing. You know, you can't even see where you're casting to, it was fun."
Paul also had some interesting takes on what makes this series one of the best yet:
"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."
"So I take Bob to a place that I fished with my dad and fishing just always reminds me of my dad. Even though I've fished many times without him, that link is really important. I do wonder, would I have been into fishing, if it hadn't been for my dad."
Of all the fish that stand out during series 8, Paul recalled fondly of a capture in the very first episode:
"Well, I get a very nice grayling on the Itchen. That was a bit of a surprise, because we were really fishing for trout, and it's a cracker. And we love the grayling. They're very beautiful fish. They call them the lady of the stream. I'm not really sure why but they are a beautiful fish, and they've got a sort of iridescence when they're small, like extraordinary colours. But as they get bigger, they become sort of silvery and gun metal grey, and it's very striking still."
"I also loved the Findhorn. We didn't catch anything, but in terms of the scenery, I mean, that was beautiful for me. I love the Findhorn, I fished there, not in that place, in a different part of the Findhorn. But I think he's one of the most beautiful rivers in Scotland, in the UK. So that would be my visual highlight. And I love the end."
During an interview about what to expect during the new series, Bob Mortimer had this to say:
"Well, I think if it is different, it's because we have a slightly different approach. 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."
"And some of the accommodation this series is in keeping with our memories – the caravan in episode two was very 70s holiday. That was one of Paul’s nostalgia trips, back to Wales where he used to fish with his father and friends."
"Meanwhile, my nostalgia trip took me back to Manchester and saw one of my oldest friends, Paddy, that I hadn't seen for maybe 25 years or something, or even longer."
"The brilliant thing about fishing is, is that like, if I say you like squash, all that's on offer is the squash court. That's it. When you're a day's fishing, you've got miles of riverbank to explore. You've got a local town nearby that seems to, you know, the drinking and the eating is very much part of the day. I wouldn't set up a barbecue in a squash court. You know what I mean?"
Bob also revealed the new experiences he had during the filming of the new episodes:
"We went night fishing on in Wales which I’d never done before - that was a new experience for me, fishing in the night. In total darkness."
"It actually all feels a bit sinister in the dark, with the river flowing and little bubbles and plops the splashes occurring all around you, but it really does get you in the zone. And I was lucky enough to catch a nighttime sea trout. Never seen one of those before. They're the same fish as the daytime ones, but there’s something special about the fact that you're just blind fishing. You know, you can't even see where you're casting to, it was fun."
Paul also had some interesting takes on what makes this series one of the best yet:
"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."
"So I take Bob to a place that I fished with my dad and fishing just always reminds me of my dad. Even though I've fished many times without him, that link is really important. I do wonder, would I have been into fishing, if it hadn't been for my dad."
Of all the fish that stand out during series 8, Paul recalled fondly of a capture in the very first episode:
"Well, I get a very nice grayling on the Itchen. That was a bit of a surprise, because we were really fishing for trout, and it's a cracker. And we love the grayling. They're very beautiful fish. They call them the lady of the stream. I'm not really sure why but they are a beautiful fish, and they've got a sort of iridescence when they're small, like extraordinary colours. But as they get bigger, they become sort of silvery and gun metal grey, and it's very striking still."
"I also loved the Findhorn. We didn't catch anything, but in terms of the scenery, I mean, that was beautiful for me. I love the Findhorn, I fished there, not in that place, in a different part of the Findhorn. But I think he's one of the most beautiful rivers in Scotland, in the UK. So that would be my visual highlight. And I love the end."
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