Bob Mortimer reveals hidden health battle as he's unable to walk during Gone Fishing series

The hilarious fishing programme has returned for a seventh and, according to Bob, 'best' series - but he struggled through it after battling with shingles for half a year

The latest series of Gone Fishing casts right back to the first one as Paul Whitehouse once again helps his pal Bob ­Mortimer overcome a ­distressing health crisis.

And the comedians believe they have landed another huge hit, with Bob, who was unable to walk for half of the eight episodes, declaring: “I think it’s by far the best series we’ve done.” The BBC2 show was born in 2018 when Paul lured ailing Bob to the riverbank following a triple heart bypass.

And during the current seventh series, Bob was left with wasted muscles after a six-month bout of ­shingles and had to be taken by ­wheelchair to several of the locations. He says: “I wasn’t very well and it made it a bit of a struggle but, as always, Paul looked after me and pulled me through.

"For half of the season, I couldn’t walk so it was very challenging at times. When we were in Trent, I was being taken from a wheelchair to the top of the bank. You never see that but you never see me on my feet either.”

But he reassured fans he is on the mend, adding: “I just tried to get some muscle back, or get some to grow a bit stronger. I’m 80% back and, by the end of the series, I was reasonably sprightly.” And he is delighted with the results, saying: “The first two episodes are the greatest of Gone Fishing that have ever been made. I think they’re magnificent.

“Paul and I are just getting better and better at it, which sounds boastful. I think we know what the show is now and what people like. I love this series. Just like the previous series, Bob is in charge of the food and accommodation. He says his favourite meal this time is hotdogs in a flask eaten waterside in Norfolk in the first episode.

Bob, 65, says: “It’s a lovely and nostalgic thing – two old men having hotdogs by the lake. They were absolutely delicious. It was a genius idea.” Paul, 66, conceded Bob’s cooking had been “pretty good” with one exception: “He really did feed me offal. I won’t say any more but I won’t be eating it again.”

He was also impressed by the places Bob booked for them to stay – even though they include some of the ­quirkiest choices yet. “Even the most extreme one was great,” Paul says. “The producer thought that we legged it to a pub or something but we didn’t," he added.

• Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing is on Sunday, 9pm, BBC2.