Bob Mortimer: Paul Whitehouse is my father figure

ob Mortimer thinks his \'Gone Fishing\' co-star Paul Whitehouse is like a father figure to him.

The 61-year-old comedian lost his dad when he was just seven, but the Paul has become a central figure in his life after filming their BBC series together.

Speaking to Radio Times, Bob explained: "My dad died when I was seven, and fishing wasn\'t something that we\'d have ever done together. I sometimes think, when we\'re doing the show, that Paul\'s my dad.

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"He\'s the one looking after me, getting irritated by me and wishing I wasn\'t there. When it comes to fishing, I need a lot of parenting. In fact, I need help just standing upright. It\'s basically like having a toddler."

The long-time pals reunited for the first series in 2018, when they travelled around the UK and reflected on their lives whilst fishing.

And Paul is delighted at the response to their show, after one viewer revealed it helped them cope with depression.

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He said: "Viewers do respond very positively to it. We\'ve had lots of acclaim for all the comedy we\'ve done over the years, but this is on a much deeper level.

"Only the other day, somebody came up to me and said, \'My husband, who suffers from depression, loves your show\'. It does seem to have a very positive effect on people."

Despite this, Paul has insisted he isn\'t doing anything particularly inspirational, saying he\'s "just trying to fish".

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He continued: "People say how refreshing it is to see two men open up.

"But I don\'t really think of us as being those types of people. In fact, Bob\'s philosophical questions sometimes drive me round the bend. I\'m just trying to fish."