Lee Mack is called in at the last minute to host Gone Fishing while Bob Mortimer is struck by illness
Lee Mack has been hired at the last minute to host Gone Fishing this week after Bob Mortimer was struck by illness.
The hugely popular BBC Two show, hosted by Bob and Paul Whitehouse, suffered a huge shake-up this week amid a series of illnesses.
Bob, 64, was unable to visit Burgh Island in Devon to film Sunday’s episode after being struck down with shingles.
Comedian Lee, 55, was brought in to co-present Gone Fishing with Paul, 65, after illness temporarily separated the iconic presenting duo.
A source said The sun: ‘While it wasn’t anything serious, the producers thought it might be fun to get one of the boys’ friends involved to provide Paul with company.
Shake-up: Lee Mack hired at last minute to host Gone Fishing this week after Bob Mortimer was struck by illness
Oh dear! The hugely popular BBC Two show, hosted by Bob and Paul Whitehouse, saw a huge shake-up this week amid a string of illnesses
‘In the scenes, Bob Facetimes Paul and tells him he has a special guest, before Lee wanders around.
‘Lee was so looking forward to it and brings a whole new energy to Gone Fishing.’
Shingles is a condition caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. It mainly affects the skin and is often life-threatening, but can be very painful.
Debuting on screen since 2018, Gone Fishing sees lifelong friends Bob and Paul embark on fishing adventures in Britain and share hilarious stories from their lives.
MailOnline has contacted the BBC and representatives for Lee and Bob for comment.
Bob has been open about his health in the past, speaking candidly about his triple heart bypass surgery and his struggles with arthritis.
In December 2020, Bob admitted he feared the coronavirus pandemic would shorten his life by two years.
Confessing that he had given up his healthy lifestyle during the lockdown, he said: ‘I haven’t been exercising, I’ve been eating so much and drinking so much booze. The lockdown probably took two years off my life.’
Bob underwent triple heart bypass surgery in 2015 when his heart was stopped for 32 minutes after discovering that 95 percent of his arteries were blocked.
Unwell: Bob, 64, (pictured with Paul) was unable to visit Burgh Island in Devon to film Sunday’s episode after being struck down with shingles
Health: Bob (pictured in 2019) has been open about his health in the past, speaking candidly about his triple heart bypass surgery and his struggles with arthritis
The comedian has also previously spoken about his struggle with rheumatoid arthritis.
Bob said: ‘In my mid-twenties I developed rheumatoid arthritis. I just woke up and it was like ‘bang’.
‘I have been free of it since I was 34 and it came back 10 days ago. It’s really sad for me to know if it will work out. Yes, I may be fat, but I’m actually on steroids.
‘Around the age of sixty I wanted to be eliminated and didn’t want anything else to happen. But it takes you until you’re sixty to realize what you could have done.’