Last week we said goodbye to the national canine treasure that was Ted the Dog from BBC’s Gone Fishing.
Ted’s passing sparked a large out-pouring of tributes and grief – and yes, I have to admit I’ve shed some tears myself. I had the great honour and pleasure of meeting and massaging the wonderful Ted in July 2025.
But what made millions of us dog-loving Brits put this Patterdale Terrier cross on a gleaming canine pedestal? His mum Lisa Clarke adopted Ted from a Surrey rescue centre when he was six-months-old in 2013. She soon realised he was a very different character to her other larger breed dog. But even Lisa could not have predicted what a colossal canine star Ted would become.
With his unmistakeable underbite, unruly black coat, typical terrier independence and naughty, inquisitive nature, Ted soon became a huge hit on our screens.
Some might say he became an even bigger star of the show than the original stars themselves, his ‘Muppety’ fishing friends’ Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse.
Television bosses have long known that a show featuring dogs, is likely to garner a huge following. After all, Britain has an estimated 13 million dog owners across the country. But by and large these shows highlight a dog’s training, or lack of it, a dog’s jaw-dropping skills, or their sad rescue status. But Gone Fishing did none of these. Ted’s appearance had little or no agenda.
What it and its accidental star Ted gave us was a mindful meander through the British countryside highlighting all that is still good and joyful about life in our topsy-turvy 21st century world. The stunning scenery, wonderful wildlife, the stillness of lakes, the energy of rivers and beauty of birds is all brought into fantastic focus by the talented Gone Fishing production team.
Ted’s nosey Patterdale potterings, coupled with the witty and whacky largely unscripted comedy genius of Paul and Bob, was the perfect hook for millions of us tv-viewers.
In a world in which the economy, Covid 19, wars around the world and a threatened environment loomed large on our screens – Gone Fishing featuring Ted the Dog, was the complete antithesis.
Ted sauntered into Series 3 joining Bob and Paul in 2020. He quietly joined their gentle jaunts along riverbanks and lakes up and down the country for the next six years.
His Terrier nature meant Ted largely ignored their angling exploits. Not for him were barb and carp, salmon or trout, nets, waders or deep water. He was more interested in sniffing under bushes, exploring in woodland and rolling in mud. Like many always hungry dogs he was an avid watcher of Bob’s outdoor culinary sessions, forever hopeful of a dropped meaty morsel.
But I believe one of the things that made Ted the Dog such a huge hit was his authenticity. There were no showy dance routines featuring frilly costumes; no tricks performed on two legs; no agile antics involving see-saws and tunnels. His coat wasn’t immaculate or groomed to within an inch of its life, he was not paraded around a ring by a smartly-dressed, proud human. Neither did he display the breath-taking herding skills of razor sharp collies on a craggy hillside.
He was quite simply Ted, a dog. A genuine, unscripted, undirected force of canine nature. We were glued to our screens, series after series, week after week to watch Ted simply being a dog. He pottered, he ran, he sniffed, he snuffled, he investigated, he waited, he watched, he soaked up the sun, dipped his paws in the water, rolled in the mud and occasionally barked at geese.
To witness a dog being a dog, uncontrolled by human wants or needs, is indeed a thing of beauty. To watch unbridled dog behaviour and a dog at its happiness is a pleasure indeed, as it proved to be on Gone Fishing.
There will be a very poignant appearance by Ted in one episode of series 9, due to air later this year. His last ‘new’ television appearance before leaving this earth. There’s little doubt ongoing episodes will have a large hole in them. A hole left by a small black being with a huge presence. Ted brought joy into our lives because he was given free rein to be a dog, a whole dog and nothing but a dog. That along with Ted himself, should be celebrated and a lesson to us all.
Rest In Peace dear Ted, you are loved by millions and will always have a place in our hearts.