Bob Mortimer’s recent health update is a stark reminder that even the most beloved figures aren’t immune to life’s challenges. But here’s where it gets emotional: despite returning to our screens with Paul Whitehouse for the latest season of Gone Fishing, Bob reveals he’s still ‘very much suffering’ from the lingering effects of a six-month battle with shingles. This isn’t just a minor setback—it’s a condition that left him unable to walk for four episodes of Last One Laughing earlier this year, and he’s now ‘desperately’ trying to regain strength in his legs after losing significant muscle mass.
In a candid conversation, Bob shared, ‘I’m still suffering very much with recovering from shingles. I lost an awful lot of muscle in my legs, and I’m just desperately trying to get some strength back in them.’ While he admits it hasn’t drastically altered his lifestyle—‘I can’t run, but I don’t do that much running these days, so it’s not a problem’—it’s a poignant reminder of how health issues can quietly reshape our lives.
And this is the part most people miss: Bob and Paul’s latest season of Gone Fishing isn’t just about catching fish. It’s a reflective journey, with both comedians openly discussing the realities of aging. ‘We’re not as fast, we’re not as strong, we’re forgetting things. We’re a bit more grumpy,’ Bob admits. Their physical changes since the show’s early days are undeniable—‘We’ve aged,’ he says simply.
This season, airing Sundays at 9pm on BBC Two and iPlayer, takes a ‘different’ approach. At 66, Bob explains, ‘We wanted to be free to pick the places we’ve always wanted to go—places that personally meant something to us.’ From a nostalgic 70s-style caravan in Wales, where Paul reminisced about fishing with his father, to Bob’s trip to Manchester to reconnect with an old friend after 25 years, the series is as much about memories as it is about fishing.
But here’s where it gets controversial: While the duo aimed to create a heartfelt season, Bob admits it was one of their most ‘challenging’ to film. ‘We didn’t perhaps catch as many as we would normally hope to, but we did get some Clonkers. We got a particularly beautiful carp in Wales,’ he shared. Does this shift in focus—from fishing to personal stories—make for a better show, or do viewers miss the simplicity of earlier seasons?
As we watch Bob and Paul navigate aging, health struggles, and nostalgia, it’s impossible not to reflect on our own lives. Thought-provoking question: How do we balance embracing change with holding onto what we love? Share your thoughts in the comments—let’s spark a conversation about aging, resilience, and the beauty of evolving stories, both on and off the screen.
