Ted: Gone Fishing star has died - Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse pay tribute
One of the stars of hit BBC show Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing has died - his co-stars have paid tribute.A rescue dog who shot to fame through appearances on hit BBC show Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, has passed away, leaving fans devastated. Ted, a Patterdale Terrier mix, became popular among watchers of the show as he appeared alongside stars Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse.He was rescued at the age of around six months from a Surrey dog’s home in 2013 by Lisa Clark, an executive producer of Gone Fishing. He made his first appearance on the popular BBC Two show in Series 3, episode 3, in 2020, quickly becoming a fan favourite. During the Christmas special in Cornwall in 2025 he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award.Lisa said: "Ted was a much-loved family pet as well as a treasured companion to Paul and Bob on Gone Fishing. He took fame in his little stride and loved nothing better than messing around on the riverbanks, nicking jammy dodgers from Bob and bait from Paul."He will be sorely missed both at home and on screen. We’ll never forget him. He is survived at home by Bo the Briard."The BBC Two series follows the comedians and friends as they share anecdotes about their life on fishing adventures around the UK and Ireland.Ted with co-star Bob Mortimer on the his BBC show Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing | BBC/Owl Power/Tom JacksonBob said: "So very, very sad. Lovely Ted, the best companion and the greatest little chum. Going to miss him so much. And away boss." Paul 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."Last year Paul attributed the series’ success is down to its origins being based “100% out of real life”. Known for his work on The Fast Show, he also revealed on the Bedside Manners health podcast with Dr Oscar Duke that the idea for the programme began when he took Mortimer out fishing while he was recovering from triple heart bypass surgery in 2015.Whitehouse said: “I lured him out. I took him to a place in Hampshire and this idyllic chalk stream. It wasn’t just the natural environment. Strangely, I think it was a bit of picture-postcard, old England that also appealed to him.“We started going out a few more times and it was one day in particular, I think it was a really beautiful day in May, and the river was idyllic and the flies were hatching, and the reed warblers were warbling.“We just made each other laugh. Had a daft laugh as Bob would say, and I thought, oh this might be a good idea for a programme. It worked with the BBC and they let us do a little trial and they seemed to go for it and the reason it’s been successful is exactly as I outlined there, because it came 100% out of real life.”Ted will appear in one episode for the forthcoming series nine – which will be his final appearance on the show.Continue Reading
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