IN the trendy world of Love Island, shows like BBC Two’s Gone Fishing with Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse shouldn’t work, on paper.
But they do, and Channel 4 is keen to take its own dip into this warm-bath telly by hiring former Strictly Come Dancing winner Bill Bailey.
He’s about to make a similar show called Perfect Pub Walks.
While Bob and Paul switch to different locations during their fishing adventures, fellow comic Bill will be joined by famous faces as he journeys between rural hostelries, enjoying the booze and views.
I can reveal that one of the first celebrities to travel with him while they shoot the breeze will be comedian Paul Merton.
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A TV insider said: “Shows like Gone Fishing hark back to a simpler age of telly when programmes were designed to let viewers unwind rather than be constantly titillated.
“Its success has shown there’s still a market for a concept that hooks the viewer in a more subtle way. Perfect Pub Walks taps into that, and Bill is the perfect figure to take the reins.”
The four-parter for More4 will see Bill — who won Strictly in 2020 with pro partner Oti Mabuse — venture to different corners of England.
He will be drinking and putting the world to rights in the Peak District before heading to the West Country for jaunts in Dorset and Somerset, where he was born.
Finally he will explore the beauty of Suffolk.
With all those pubs, I will be amazed if he can stand and speak, let alone walk and talk at the same time.
Susanna left gumfounded
THERE’S not much Susanna Reid hasn’t dealt with on Good Morning Britain.
But the presenter is unlikely to forget Gene Simmons’ appearance on yesterday’s show in a hurry.
The Kiss rocker told how he once sold a piece of his gum for almost £200,000 at a charity auction, before handing a freshly chewed lump to Susanna.
The Kiss rocker told how he once sold a piece of his gum for almost £200,000 at a charity auction, before handing a freshly chewed lump to Susanna.
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Co-host Ben Shephard said with a laugh: “There’s hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of chewing gum in your hand there.”
Susanna replied: “And quite a lot of bacteria, no doubt.”
Show off business for Ryan
RYAN THOMAS has revealed he got into acting to stand out from his brothers.
The ex-Coronation Street star made the leap after younger twins Adam and Scott “took the shine” from him.
Ryan, who has also been in Neighbours, said he wanted to “show off and draw more attention” towards himself.
His first role was as Corrie’s Jason Grimshaw in 2000 at 16 and he stayed until 2016.
His plan backfired when Adam was cast as Donte Charles in Waterloo Road, and later as Emmerdale’s Adam Barton.
Ryan says on tonight’s Chris & Rosie Ramsey Show on BBC One: “I was the star of the show, I was the first born, it was all about me. Then these two beautiful little twins came out and took all the shine off me.
“So I went into the acting game because I wanted to show off and draw more attention to me.”
JAY BLADES has got his first role on Channel 4 as host of new show Britain’s Best Beach Hut.
He will team up with Laura Jackson to hunt for gems among the 20,000 tiny sheds that line the UK’s coast, and filming is due to start soon.
Romesh: I hate the hussle
ROMESH RANGANATHAN has hit out at the showbiz obsession with hustle culture – the idea of working hard to get ahead – despite naming his new tour after it.
The comedian, whose Hustle tour begins next year, says on tonight’s The Lateish Show With Mo Gilligan: “It’s called hustle but the theme is kind of the opposite of that.
“I think the hustle mentality is a bit of bulls**t.
"You know, those people who are like, ‘Do you know what you want to succeed?
"What you need to do is get up at 5am, write down a list of things you want to do, go to bed for half an hour, get up at 6am, look at the first list, then go back to bed again, then eat a hearty breakfast, then get on the treadmill . . . And finally at 8am, I start my day and I’ve done more than most of these other p***ks have done before their breakfast’.
“Shut up, I’m so done with that bulls***t. Kim Kardashian saying, ‘My advice is to work hard’. Go f ***yourself.”
Rachel's quickie in Vegas
RACHEL RILEY did not have much of a Countdown before getting hitched to Pasha Kovalev in 2019.
The puzzle show presenter married the former Strictly pro, who she met on the dance contest, in Las Vegas.
But they had just a week’s notice after jetting off to see a Robbie Williams gig.
Rachel told The Big Travel podcast: “We were going on a trip to see Robbie Williams because my friend is friends with him, so she said come over and see this concert.
“The week before, we said, ‘Shall we get married?’.
“We had two friends at the wedding and we told them the day before that we were going to get married.
“I bought the dress the day before in the hotel gift shop. It was really low key. We bought some flowers, and I think Pash booked the limo in the morning.
“We went to Robbie’s concert and with my friend we went to meet him afterwards.
“I said to him, ‘We actually got married today, you were our wedding singer’, and he was like, ‘Well you guys are a bit cheap, aren’t you?’.”
FIRST Dates barman Merlin Griffiths has been given the “all clear” from cancer at his one-year scan.
He underwent surgery in September 2021 to remove a 4.5cm tumour from his bowel.
But Merlin has now shared his latest positive results online.
Harry's drunken burps
HARRY HILL’S TV Burp was the jewel of ITV Saturday night family entertainment from 2001 to 2012 – but the writing process behind the show was less than family friendly.
The comedian told the Brydon & podcast: “I’d start writing TV Burp on a Saturday.
"Then I’d go downstairs, have a few drinks with the family, and we’d watch TV Burp because I’d write it a week ahead.
“I’d force the kids to watch it. Then after TV Burp was The X Factor. So I would watch The X Factor, but I’d be drunk.”
He admits it was this boozy routine that sparked the idea behind his 2014 West End X Factor musical I Can’t Sing! which closed after six weeks due to poor ticket sales.
Maybe best to stick to soft drinks from now on, Harry.
