Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing (BBC Two) sounded self-indulgent on paper, as longtime friends and comedy stalwarts Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer embarked on a six-part angling jaunt around the UK. On screen, though, it was sheer delight.
The pair’s first stop was Norfolk and while fishing for tench, mischievous novice Mortimer tried to impress experienced fisherman Whitehouse with his childhood rod – and failed. This prompted a heady rush of nostalgia for their youth, recounting corned beef, trigonometry, Scalextric and smoking behind the bike sheds.
There was, nevertheless, some semi-serious intent beneath the geniality. Whitehouse was taking Mortimer on the trip to help him recover...