What’s on TV – 27 July 2019

What’s on

TV

What’s on

TV

What’s on

TV

Rods

at the

ready!y

Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer

head out fishing once more...

C

omedian Paul Whitehouse

takes a trip down memory

lane as he and Bob Mortimer

pick up their fishing rods for

a new series of Gone Fishing.

In the first episode, the pair,

who started fishing together

while recuperating from heart

operations, head to the

River Usk in Wales,

where Welsh-

born Paul’s dad

taught him to

fish as a child.

‘We’d stay

with my auntie

in the Rhondda,

and head up to

the Usk, which is

where I caught

my first trout,’ recalls Paul, 61.

Poignant moment

While the pair joke around on

their fishing expeditions, they

also have serious chats about

getting older and health issues.

And there’s a poignant moment

as Paul heads off on his own

to remember his father.

‘I put some of Dad’s ashes in the

Usk,’ he says. ‘It’s the first place

I fished with him, and it means

a lot to me. I also scattered some

in the river at Dean in Scotland

and the Test in Hampshire.’

As the more experienced angler,

Paul shows Bob the ropes in terms

of fishing, yet he says he’s learnt

a few things from his pal, too.

‘Bob made a great

observation about what

makes the best angler,’ he

says. ‘It’s not the person

who catches the most

fish, it is the one who

enjoys the day the most.

‘Also, as I fish

regularly, I didn’t

get the thrill I used to

have as a kid when

going to a river – but

Bob’s reminded

me of that

feeling.’ n

NEW FACTUAL

Mortimer & Whitehouse:

Gone Fishing

Friday, 8pm BBC2

E

astEnders star turned
documentary-maker
Ross Kemp delves into
the world of young carers
this week, spotlighting the
800,000 kids in the UK who
sacrifice their childhoods
to look after sick relatives.
‘It’s shocking. This stuff
is never reported and goes
under the radar because
parents are too scared to
admit their children look
after them in case the kids
are taken into care,’ says
Ross. ‘The youngsters will
have you in tears – they
made me cry. There’s a
whole generation of kids
losing their childhoods for
the love of their families.
‘It can be simple
stuff like chores if their
parents can’t manage,
but sometimes they’re
providing critical care

• such as Ali, a five-
  year-old boy who
  looks after
  his disabled
  sister and
  administers
  medicine
  into her
  tummy.’

Ross also meets

Blackburn teenager Lizzie,

who cares for her brother,

sofa-bound mum and dad,

since he injured his back.

Vital support

‘The strain these kids live

under is enormous,’ says

Ross. ‘Lizzie told me she

only gets time to revise

for exams after midnight

• that can’t be right.’
  Discovering children as
  young as four are carrying
  out up to 50 hours of care
  work a week, Ross says
  financial support from
  the government is vital.
  ‘These young carers
  save the NHS so much
  money, yet funding
  to provide them
  with respite is a
  postcode lottery,’
  he says. ‘They
  are incredible,
  inspiring – but
  they deserve
  better.’ n

Whopper... Bob (left)

and Paul with a carp

In the net... Paul

bags a big catch

Angling for a good

time... Pals Paul

(left) and Bob

Words:

Rebecca Fletcher, Ian MacEwan

Photos:

BBC, ITV

Missing

Meet the youngsters who have no

choice but to care for sick relatives

26

Sibling support... Ross meets

Ali, five, who helps his mother

Hanifa care for his sister Zainab

FACTUAL

Ross Kemp: Living

with Young Carers

Thursday, 7.30pm ITV

Under the radar...

Ross is moved by the

children’s plight

out on

childhood