Still waters help those conversations run deep

hose of a certain vintage will know Bob Mortimer as one half of Reeves and Mortimer, and we’ll remember Paul Whitehouse from the Fast Show – but these days these great old friends are more likely to be found by a river bank.

Because together they’ve created a little gem on BBC Two; Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing is brilliant in its simplicity – just two old boys casting a line and putting the world to rights.

The genesis for this came after Mortimer suffered a heart attack and set about changing his lifestyle. His old pal, Whitehouse, was an angler from boyhood – so he offered to take him out and show him the magic of Britain’s rivers and lakes.

In return, Mortimer scouted out suitable accommodation and served up the evening meal – as well as a series of dad jokes to brighten the long days by the river banks.

The science to it is that they go in search of a different breed of fish each week and Paul explains why they are prevalent in those particular parts – but mainly this is just gentle banter between two old pals, growing older and more philosophical as the years go by.

Which is what makes it compulsive viewing.

Take this recent pronouncement from Bob Mortimer on what we might call the male menopause.

“I used to have a big large flame inside me that wanted to go out and explore the world and grab every opportunity – a roaring fire of ambition,” he says.

“But now my fire inside me is so small that, if I take it outside, the rain or the wind will extinguish it. So I hide in my house with my little flame protected by my four walls.”

And you think – that might well be the best description of the passing of years you’ll ever hear.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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