Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse spotted filming at High Force

The comedy duo were seen at High Force on Thursday morning (June 4), where they are understood to have been shooting scenes for a future episode of their hit BBC show Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.

They were photographed by Barnard Castle resident and keen photographer and member of The Northern Echo's Camera Club Nick Coggins, 70, who came across the filming by chance while visiting the waterfall.

Mr Coggins said he had headed up to High Force to see the volume of water after recent heavy rain when he noticed a crew working near the falls.

He said: “It had been raining heavily and I wanted to have a look.

“I went down and they were filming and I didn’t realise at first who was filming what.

"Then I saw it was those two and they were doing it for Gone Fishing.”

He said the pair appeared to have been filming before moving down to the waterfall for what seemed to be the final shots of the morning.

He added: “They had been fishing upstream, I think, and then came down to High Force.

Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer (Image: BBC)

“I asked if I could take a photo and they said yes, no problem. They were very pleasant, but obviously they were working and busy. But they happily stood for the picture when I asked.”

Mortimer, who was born in Middlesbrough, has often spoken of his love for the North East and has previously hinted that the region could feature again in future episodes of Gone Fishing, which sees him and Whitehouse travel the country with their fishing rods.

Mortimer and his long-time friend and co-star Paul Whitehouse previously filmed in the region for the 2020 Christmas episode, revisiting Bob’s childhood roots while fishing for grayling on the River Tees and the River Esk.

Since then, the pair have travelled from the Scottish Highlands to the Welsh valleys.

Speaking recently on BBC Tees about future filming plans, he said that “home is where your heart is” and described Teesside as “a beautiful neck of the woods - easy to take for granted.”

Mortimer’s warmth for the region is clear. In interviews, he’s spoken lovingly about his late mother, his childhood home, and the sense of humour and resilience that shape people from Teesside.