TV comedian and star Bob Mortimer will return for another series of Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. The TV star embarks on fishing trips across the UK with comedian Paul Whitehouse, where they reminisce, discuss health issues, share old tales and enjoy a good chuckle together.
The heartwarming and funny series has been one of BBC's most successful shows in recent years and will return on Sunday, September 22. Now aged 65, Bob Mortimer has had an impressive comedy career, notably his iconic comedy partnership with Vic Reeves, where they appeared together on Shooting Stars, The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer and Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer.
The comedian has also made his mark as an author with his books The Satsuma Complex and The Hotel Avocado, co-hosts the comedy podcast Athletico Mince and frequently features on BBC's Would I Lie To You?
But what about his life off-screen, including his marriage that took place just hours before a life-saving heart operation?
Bob Mortimer's early life and career breakthrough
Born and bred in the Linthorpe area of Middlesbrough, he was raised alongside his three brothers. Tragedy struck the Mortimer family when Bob's father died in a car accident when he was just seven years old.
Around the same time, Mortimer unintentionally set his family's home ablaze with a stray firework. A passionate football fan, Bob Mortimer had trials for his beloved Middlesbrough FC, but his dreams of pursuing football were cut short due to early-onset arthritis.
Bob Mortimer initially pursued a career in law, studying at the University of Sussex and the University of Leicester before taking up a solicitor role for Southwark Council in London.
Earning the nickname "The Cockroach King" due to his involvement in Public Health Act cases concerning cockroach infestations in council properties, Bob's legal expertise saw him through the 1980s. It was during this time that he encountered comedian Vic Reeves post-performance and Bob started to write for Vic's comedy shows.
In 1989, Bob took a brief hiatus from his legal duties to film Vic Reeves Big Night Out, a break that became permanent as he never returned to law. His legal knowledge wasn't wasted though as he famously defended Pulp's Jarvis Cocker after the singer's infamous protest against Michael Jackson at the Brit Awards in 1996.
Bob's television career has flourished with hits like Shooting Stars, Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer, House of Fools, and memorable appearances on Would I Lie To You?, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Taskmaster.
Since 2018, Bob has teamed up with good friend and comedian Paul Whitehouse for the BBC Two comedy series Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. The duo traverse the UK's waterways with their fishing rods, while discussing their health, swapping stories, and engaging in light-hearted banter.
Bob Mortimer's battle with heart issues and life-saving surgery
Comedian Bob Mortimer has openly discussed his health battles, notably with his heart condition. Back in 2015, Bob felt chest pains and after consulting a GP, was urgently referred to a cardiologist.
He recalled his arteries were "95 per cent blocked" and required open-heart surgery as soon as possible.
Following the successful procedure, Bob recovered at his home in Tunbridge Wells, but the recovery turned him into a recluse who rarely ventured outside or to events. In an attempt to boost his spirits, fellow comedian Paul Whitehouse offered to take him on a fishing trip which later sparked the creation of the hit BBC series Gone Fishing.
In addition to his cardiac issues, Bob has recently battled a bout of Shingles. The condition was so severe it forced him to pull out of filming Gone Fishing and was temporarily replaced by Lee Mack.
During an interview on This Morning, where host Alison Hammond observed, "You would never know because you haven't even mentioned it, you weren't very well doing it [filming], didn't you get shingles? ",
Bob recalled: "On one of the shows, when we were on the river, I was in a wheelchair, they didn't show it on camera but I was carried down and plonked on the river bank with a rug. You wouldn't know, you'd just notice I was always sat down."
He remarked: "I'm better, shingles is a terrible thing, you can get lucky with it or unlucky. I got a bit unlucky with it, I lost the use of one of my legs but it's coming back now, I'm a bit limpy but I'm very grateful to be back up and going."
On the series Gone Fishing, Bob recounted the dramatic impact the condition had on his body, noting he lost as much as 80 percent muscle mass in his legs, leading him to accept that his running days are likely over.
Bob admitted to Paul: "It's been a very, very, very unhealthy year for me Paul with my shingles... and you know what - it was worse than my heart period."
Marriage to girlfriend hours before life-saving operation
Bob and his partner Lisa have been together since 1993 and have two sons, Harry and Tom. Yet, despite their enduring relationship, they only exchanged vows in 2015, moments before Bob underwent life-saving triple bypass surgery.
In 2016, Bob spoke about discovering his urgent need for surgery and hastily arranging a will. He said: "I found out on the Thursday that I needed surgery, so I made a will on the Friday. I found out I couldn't get married to Lisa because you have to give 21 days' notice or something."
Comedian Bob Mortimer has shared a remarkable story of how he managed to tie the knot just before undergoing major surgery. "My consultant said I was incredibly ill, so the registrar in London gave me permission to get married on the Monday. So I got married at 9.30am on the Monday, and went to hospital at 10am to have my operation."
The intimate ceremony was attended only by their children, with his comedy partner Vic Reeves unable to be there as best man.
Where does Bob Mortimer live?
Bob Mortimer resides in Tunbridge Wells, where he lives with his wife Lisa Matthews in a charming semi-detached Victorian house. He recently received approval by the local council to install new gates at his property in order to prevent drivers from using his driveway as a turnaround spot.
The Shooting Stars star also disclosed that his triple heart bypass surgery had an unexpected benefit - it eliminated the extreme fatigue that used to cause him to take naps in his car frequently.
Bob once told The Mirror about his quest to find the ideal location for a car nap, praising a car park near the Cineworld in Tunbridge Wells as "perfection".
