In 2018 Round the Woods’ luxury yurts were featured in episode 1 of the hit BBC series: Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. 

Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse spent 2 nights in our yurts while filming an episode of the fishing programme in Norfolk. They rented both yurts, with Bob staying in Hazelnut and Paul spending the nights in Oak Tree. Their days were filled with fishing in some of the many local lakes and in the evening they returned to cook heart-healthy food around the campfire and enjoy our lovely local pub The Fox at Lyng. It was great having them stay and even though it was October we could relax knowing that they were warm and comfortable thanks to the wood burning stove and quality, goose down bedding. 

Gone fishing

Both having undergone complex heart surgery, Mortimer and Whitehouse, friends for 30 years, decided to take to the outdoors together in search of a healthier lifestyle. Paul, being a keen fisherman, convinced Bob to tour the country's best fishing locations to help recover from his triple heart bypass. 

Bob took control of providing heart healthy food as well as selecting interesting accommodation and of all the options available to them, they chose to stay in luxury yurts at Round the Woods during their Norfolk adventure.

Is that Mortimer and Whitehouse?

The production company initially contacted us to say they were interested in hiring the site for a ‘fishing based’ programme. Even though this was decidedly vague, we agreed to work with them and did all we could to help. 

They continued to keep us in the dark about the actual details of the show until the day that Bob and Paul actually arrived. In fact, they had originally intended to show the stars being greeted by their hosts as they arrived onsite and although they didn’t eventually air this part, they did film it. As we stood on the deck to await our guests with the cameras rolling, we still didn’t know who was coming! Growing up in the 80s and 90s, we were very familiar with the work of these legendary comedians, so you can imagine our shock and surprise when they arrived on the deck of Oak Tree Yurt as we tried to keep it together and look calm on camera. 

As you would hope and probably imagine, both were friendly and conversational and seemed to be genuinely excited to be beginning their fishing adventure together.

We could all learn a great deal from these long-standing friends and their harrowing health journey. If you still haven't caught up with this heart-warming show, described by one reviewer as ‘a warm hug’, I would recommend finding it on BBC iplayer and enjoying a good laugh along at their fishing adventures.

If you’re interested in recreating the Mortimer and Whitehouse experience, take a look at our blog which includes the best local fishing lakes as well as a recipe for Mexican stew cooked over the firepit.