Here’s the catch... fishing show is fab

MORTIMER & WHITEHOUSE: GONE FISHING (BBC2)

I’ve never understood the joy of fishing. Really boring, right?

So I didn’t expect a halfhour programme about angling to be the week’s best telly.

I stumbled across the joyous Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse and was hooked.

It doesn’t sound like much – long-time friends Paul and Bob travel around the country to different fishing spots.

While they’re on the riverbank casting their lines – or whatever it is anglers actually do – they chat.

It’s just two mates hanging out and talking about whatever comes into their heads.

Sounds rubbish, right? Well, it was the complete opposite. Totally absorbing. And oddly soothing. The countryside, the moments of companionable silence, the laughs they had together.

Both have had heart troubles. There was even a kitchen table chat with a heart surgeon.

That was interesting enough but they worked better on their own. They are a dream team for telly.

They even came up with a song. “Everything nice just makes you fat and I’m mad about that.”

And so say all of us. Going through a stressful time? Go to iplayer and download all of the episodes.

Each half-hour episode is enough to make you forget the terrible things going on in the world. Total feelgood TV.

I’m still not going fishing, though.

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? (BBC1)

It was Boy George’s turn to trace his history.

His family story, involving his great-uncle’s execution and his grandmother being detained in an industrial school, was fascinating but sad.

As was George’s make-up.