Ted the dog, beloved Gone Fishing star, dies aged 15

Ted, the small Patterdale Terrier mix who wandered into Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing and became one of its most cherished presences, has died aged 15. Rescued from a dog’s home in Surrey in spring 2013 when he was about six months old, he went on to live with the show’s executive producer, Lisa Clark, and later became a familiar face beside Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse.

Ted first appeared on BBC Two in series 3 in 2020 and quickly grew into a fan favourite, the kind of screen companion that gave the friendship-and-fishing format its extra warmth. The BBC said he will make his final appearance in the forthcoming ninth series, which has already been filmed, closing a run that stretched across six years of riverbanks, quiet jokes and steady companionship.

The dog’s place in the programme became part of the show’s own lore. In the 2025 Cornwall Christmas special, Ted received the programme’s Lifetime Achievement Award, a comic but affectionate nod to how central he had become. He was also the subject of two books, A Pawtobiography: My Adventures On Gone Fishing in 2024 and Pup Fiction: An Epic Journey With Gone Fishing in 2025, extending his appeal beyond television and into the show’s wider fan culture.

Mortimer said in November 2025 that Ted was 15 and had age-related health issues, noting that for longer journeys up the river bank, the team would put him in a pram. After Ted’s death, Mortimer said he was “very, very sad” and called him “the best companion and the greatest little chum.” Whitehouse described him as “a species all of his own.” Lisa Clark called him a “much-loved family pet” and said he loved “messing around on the riverbanks,” stealing jammy dodgers from Bob and bait from Paul.

Clark also said Ted is survived at home by Bo the Briard. For a programme built on friendship, fishing and the slower rhythms of time outdoors, Ted became something rarer than a novelty pet. He was the emotional hinge of the show, a small, wagging presence that helped turn comfort television into something even more intimate.