# Ted (dog)
**Ted** (c. late 2012 – April 2026) was a British Patterdale Terrier mix who became a regular on the [BBC Two](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-two) comedy series *Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing*, appearing alongside comedians [Bob Mortimer](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-mortimer) and [Paul Whitehouse](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-whitehouse) from 2020 until his death at age 13[1](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/apr/30/ted-dog-mortimer-whitehouse-gone-fishing-died). He was also credited as the author of two books[1](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/apr/30/ted-dog-mortimer-whitehouse-gone-fishing-died) • [2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/fyi/1082/rip-ted-from-gone-fishing/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Breed and life span | Patterdale Terrier mix; c. late 2012 to April 2026, died aged 13[1](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/apr/30/ted-dog-mortimer-whitehouse-gone-fishing-died) |
| Rescue | Taken from a dog's home in Surrey in spring 2013, at about six months old, by Lisa Clark[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/fyi/1082/rip-ted-from-gone-fishing/) |
| Television debut | Series 3, Episode 3 of *Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing*, BBC Two, 2020[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/fyi/1082/rip-ted-from-gone-fishing/) |
| Books | *A Pawtobiography* (November 2024), a Sunday Times bestseller; *Pup Fiction* (September 2025)[1](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/apr/30/ted-dog-mortimer-whitehouse-gone-fishing-died) • [2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/fyi/1082/rip-ted-from-gone-fishing/) |
| Show honor | Lifetime Achievement Award in the show's 2025 Christmas special in Cornwall[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/fyi/1082/rip-ted-from-gone-fishing/) |
| Social media | 282,000 Instagram followers[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ted-bob-mortimer-whitehouse-bbc-surrey-b2968013.html) |
| Final appearance | One episode of the forthcoming ninth series, already filmed at the time of his death[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/fyi/1082/rip-ted-from-gone-fishing/) |
## Rescue and early life
Ted was a [Patterdale Terrier](https://www.edgepedia.org/patterdale-terrier) mix, a small working-terrier cross. According to his owner, he began life as a skinny, unwanted pup who was dumped outside an animal shelter; the publisher's account places the abandonment on [Boxing Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/boxing-day), over a decade before his books appeared[4](https://wp.penguin.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Ebury-Autumn-Catalogue-2024.pdf). In the spring of 2013, when he was about six months old, he was rescued from a dog's home in Surrey by Lisa Clark, the executive producer of *Gone Fishing*, and went to live with her[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/fyi/1082/rip-ted-from-gone-fishing/).
## Television career
Ted made his first appearance on *Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing* in Series 3, Episode 3, in 2020, and quickly became a fan favorite[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/fyi/1082/rip-ted-from-gone-fishing/). The series, first aired on BBC Two in 2018, follows comedians Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse, who fish together after treatment for serious heart conditions, Mortimer after a triple bypass and Whitehouse after receiving stents[5](https://www.mortimerandwhitehouse.co.uk/). Ted, described on the show's official site as "also portly and unskilled", joined them on their riverbank trips and appeared in more than 40 episodes over six series[5](https://www.mortimerandwhitehouse.co.uk/) • [6](https://www.penguin.com.au/authors/ted-the-dog).
The show's hosts developed a running comic backstory for Ted, portraying him as an explosives expert who had lost his briefcase in the woods; the missing briefcase became a recurring motif that carried into his books[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ted-bob-mortimer-whitehouse-bbc-surrey-b2968013.html). Viewers also followed Ted celebrating his birthday, going on his first date, and being spruced up in a poodle parlour before an episode filmed at Driffield Beck in East Yorkshire[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ted-bob-mortimer-whitehouse-bbc-surrey-b2968013.html) • [7](https://www.televisioncatchup.co.uk/mortimer-whitehouse-gone-fishing/series-7-episode-3-driffield-beck-east-yorkshire-brown-trout-613857). During the Christmas special filmed in Cornwall in 2025, he was given the show's Lifetime Achievement Award[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/fyi/1082/rip-ted-from-gone-fishing/).
## Books
Ted was credited as the author of two humorous memoirs, both published under the Ebury Spotlight imprint and credited as told to Lisa Clark[8](https://cdn.penguin.co.uk/dam-assets/books/9781529944969/9781529944969-sample.pdf).
- ***A Pawtobiography: My Adventures on Gone Fishing***, published 7 November 2024, tells his story from abandonment outside a rescue shelter to life on the show, written in his own comic voice with the disclaimer "Nearly all of it is true"[9](https://books.google.com/books?id=eJAZ0QEACAAJ). It reached the top five of the Sunday Times bestseller list[9](https://books.google.com/books?id=eJAZ0QEACAAJ).
- ***Pup Fiction: An Epic Journey with Gone Fishing***, published 25 September 2025, continued the story and the search for the missing briefcase[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/fyi/1082/rip-ted-from-gone-fishing/).
A third book, ***Ted - Happy Ever After: My Final Journey with Gone Fishing***, was published on 24 September 2026, after his death[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/fyi/1082/rip-ted-from-gone-fishing/). A further book about Ted was announced for release following his death[10](https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/news/gone-fishing-dog-ted-is-the-subject-of-new-book-after-his-death/a/160171414.html).
## Death and tributes
Ted died in April 2026, aged 13, with the BBC confirming the news on 30 April 2026[1](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/apr/30/ted-dog-mortimer-whitehouse-gone-fishing-died). Lisa Clark said Ted was "a much-loved family pet as well as a treasured companion to Paul and Bob on Gone Fishing", recalling that he loved "messing around on the riverbanks, nicking Jammie Dodgers from Bob and bait from Paul"; he was survived at home by Bo the briard[1](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/apr/30/ted-dog-mortimer-whitehouse-gone-fishing-died).
Mortimer wrote: "So very, very sad. Lovely Ted, the best companion and the greatest little chum. Going to miss him so much … and away, boss." Whitehouse added: "Bye bye Ted, old friend. He wasn't a dog, he was a species all of his own. He's gone to the great briefcase emporium in the sky."[1](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/apr/30/ted-dog-mortimer-whitehouse-gone-fishing-died) Ted will appear for the final time in one episode of the ninth series, which had already been filmed[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/fyi/1082/rip-ted-from-gone-fishing/).
After his death, a GoFundMe page set up in his name to raise money for dog charities and a memorial passed its original £25,000 target and raised over £28,000[11](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/mortimer_whitehouse_gone_fishing/press/).
## Reception
His Instagram account reached 282,000 followers, and tributes after his death came from figures including the comedian [Diane Morgan](https://www.edgepedia.org/diane-morgan)[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ted-bob-mortimer-whitehouse-bbc-surrey-b2968013.html). *A Pawtobiography* drew a mixed-to-warm critical response, holding a 3.95 rating from nearly 2,000 [Goodreads](https://www.edgepedia.org/goodreads) readers, with reviewers praising its humor and warmth while some found the conceit slight[12](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/217281608-a-pawtobiography).
## References
1. [Andy Welch (30 April 2026). 'Bye, bye, old friend': Ted, the dog from Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, has died aged 13. The Guardian.](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/apr/30/ted-dog-mortimer-whitehouse-gone-fishing-died)
2. [Ted, the canine star of Gone Fishing, has died. British Comedy Guide, 30 April 2026.](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/fyi/1082/rip-ted-from-gone-fishing/)
3. [Gone Fishing's Ted dies as BBC pays tribute to Mortimer and Whitehouse's canine star. The Independent.](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ted-bob-mortimer-whitehouse-bbc-surrey-b2968013.html)
4. [Ebury Autumn Catalogue 2024 (Aug–Dec). Penguin.](https://wp.penguin.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Ebury-Autumn-Catalogue-2024.pdf)
5. [Mortimer And Whitehouse Gone Fishing, official website.](https://www.mortimerandwhitehouse.co.uk/)
6. [Ted the Dog, author page. Penguin Books Australia.](https://www.penguin.com.au/authors/ted-the-dog)
7. [Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, Series 7 Episode 3. TelevisionCatchUp.co.uk.](https://www.televisioncatchup.co.uk/mortimer-whitehouse-gone-fishing/series-7-episode-3-driffield-beck-east-yorkshire-brown-trout-613857)
8. [Ted the Dog (as told to Lisa Clark). Ted: A Pawtobiography, sample PDF. Penguin.](https://cdn.penguin.co.uk/dam-assets/books/9781529944969/9781529944969-sample.pdf)
9. [A Pawtobiography: My Adventures on Gone Fishing. Google Books.](https://books.google.com/books?id=eJAZ0QEACAAJ)
10. [Gone Fishing dog Ted is the subject of new book after his death. Belfast Telegraph, 18 August 2026.](https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/news/gone-fishing-dog-ted-is-the-subject-of-new-book-after-his-death/a/160171414.html)
11. [Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing press clippings. British Comedy Guide.](https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/mortimer_whitehouse_gone_fishing/press/)
12. [A Pawtobiography: My adventures on Gone Fishing. Goodreads.](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/217281608-a-pawtobiography)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Animals › Notable individual animals*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license