Comedian Bob Mortimer has shared how ‘very, very sad’ he feels following the death of dog Ted, who starred in Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.
Patterdale Terrier Ted first appeared on the BBC show during its third series in 2020 and quickly became popular with fans.
He was even given a lifetime achievement award during the show’s 2025 Christmas special, as he appeared alongside Mortimer and fellow comic Paul Whitehouse.
Mortimer, 66, said of the news: ‘So very, very sad. Lovely Ted, the best companion and the greatest little chum. Going to miss him so much… and away, boss.’
Whitehouse, 67, 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.’
Ted, who has been credited as the author of two books, Pawtobiography and Pup Fiction, is set to make his final appearance in the show during its upcoming ninth series.
Lisa Clark, the series’ executive producer and Ted’s owner, 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 Jammie Dodgers from Bob and bait from Paul.’
She added that ‘he will be sorely missed both at home and on screen’ and they will ‘never forget him’.
‘He is survived at home by Bo the Briard.’
Fans also joined in with the tributes, as @PKendrickWIG declared the pooch ‘an integral a part of the utterly brilliant show’, while @lecrin said they watched the show ‘mainly for Ted’.
‘Absolutely gutted’, @Wrestle_G wrote on X. ‘Ted made the duo into a trio and his look could make me chuckle. Look forward to seeing his final bow and send off’.
‘RIP Ted, you we’re a good boy, and you will always be a legend’, added @HowHauntedPod.
Ted was rescued from a dog’s home in Surrey in the spring of 2013 when he was about six months old and went to live with Clark.
The BBC Two series began in 2018 and, thanks to its popularity and millions of viewers, has been recommissioned every year since.
It shows Whitehouse and Mortimer sharing life anecdotes while fishing at various spots in Britain. Over the years, the duo have welcomed various celebrity guests, including Chris Rea, Paul Gascoigne, Lee Mack, and Dawn French.
Locations featured across the UK and Ireland have included Norfolk, Donegal, the River Dee in North Wales, and Dumfries and Galloway.
The show has been nominated six times for a Bafta TV Award and repeatedly praised for its warmth and humour. In 2019, a tie-in book, Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing: Life, Death and the Thrill of the Catch, was also published.
Audiences have also loved catching a glimpse of the candid, human conversations between Mortimer and Whitehouse, given that the concept was born out of Whitehouse luring his pal to the riverbank after a triple heart bypass in 2015.
They bonded over their shared major heart problems, with Whitehouse previously needing three stents to widen his coronary arteries, which forced him to reevaluate his priorities and how he wanted to spend his time.
Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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