Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse have confirmed that Ted the dog will receive a "proper send off" in the upcoming Gone Fishing Christmas special. The pair appeared on BBC's The One Show on Thursday, October 22, to discuss the new series and what fans can expect from the festive episode.
While Ted will only feature in the first episode of series 9, the duo told hosts Alex Jones and Roman Kemp that the beloved terrier will be honoured in the December special. The revelation came as they joined stars from BBC drama This City Is Ours on the One Show sofa.
Farewell to Ted
Alex Jones opened the conversation, saying: "We have to talk about this series being the last time - can't bear it - that we are doing to see lovely Ted the terrier," with Bob adding, "So sad." The host continued, "Oh it's sad - he always stole the show didn't he?"
Bob reflected on Ted's on-screen presence, saying: "He was amazing wasn't he? He was so disinterested in us." He then teased the Christmas special, explaining: "And so he's only in one show this new series and then for Christmas we give him a proper send off."
Paul added: "The first episode is our farewell to Ted and yeah he's extraordinary. We'll really miss him."
New series details
The ninth season of the BBC Two show will follow the pair as they travel through British countryside, fishing in various lakes, rivers and canals. Discussing the locations featured this time, Bob said: "We love showing the UK at its best, it's nice, makes a change."
The BBC unveiled the new series on Instagram on Monday, October 19, with a first-look teaser captioned: "Bob and Paul are back - and there's time for one last fish with Ted." The footage shows Bob asking Paul to "put some music on" and "find something decent" while travelling through the countryside, before Ted is seen lapping water from a river and gazing at the camera.
The clip also features the pair fly-fishing and sea-fishing, positioned beside a waterfall, and cycling down a road in high-vis jackets.
The One Show airs on BBC One weekdays at 7pm and on BBC iPlayer. Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing airs Sunday at 9pm on BBC Two.
