'I've been involved with Gone Fishing since it was first mooted 10 years ago and I think everybody's amazed that it's become BBC2's most-watched programme. And, hate the phrase, but Paul and Bob are on their way to becoming national treasures.'

The premise couldn't be more simple. Comedians Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse hang out on a riverbank, landing the occasional catch.

But combine fishing with an authentic, decades-long friendship, silliness, beautiful scenery, heartfelt conversation - and Ted the dog - and you've got something special.

'Sometimes you'll see Bob and his face just explodes into massive beams of excitement and joy and that is absolutely genuine. He just feels such a thrill at catching a fish, it's sometimes almost tear inducing,' says John, who as the programme's fishing consultant, plans and organises the locations they visit and is in charge of all the fishing tech.

Bob and Paul. Photo: John Bailey Apart from two years living in a bothy in Scotland, John lived in Norfolk between leaving university and relocating to the Welsh borders in 2020. For many years he was the angling correspondent for the Eastern Daily Press. And he's brought Bob and Paul to the county for several episodes - including the very first, where they fished for tench.

'We were originally from Greater Manchester and my parents brought a house in Blakeney,' he says.

'As an angler I was brought up fishing in the north west where the canals were just so depressing and anything bigger than four inches was a monster. Coming down to fish the Norfolk rivers and, particularly in those days, the Norfolk estate lakes up in the north of the county, places like Blickling, Felbrigg, Gunton, Bayfield, it was an absolute paradise to me. I look back to the most idyllic, special, magical childhood.

'I'll forever be grateful for my parents moving down to Norfolk and leaving the dark Satanic mills.'

Both of John's parents got ill shortly after he left university, and he returned to Norfolk to be with them.

He did a postgraduate teaching course at UEA and got a job at the Norwich School, teaching history and classics, while spending lots of time fishing in the holidays.

Bob, Paul and John with a biggie. Photo: John Bailey

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'It was in that period, when I was in my 20s, that I met the infamous and legendary John Wilson, with whom I fished for seven or eight years intensively,' says John.

'And to be fair to John, even though he wasn't the easiest man to get along with,' he laughs, 'he really changed me from just being a lad who was crazy about fishing to somebody who eventually would make fishing his career.'

John loved his time teaching, so it was a wrench to leave after 10 years to become a full-time writer.

'I'd always loved writing, as a........

© Eastern Daily Press