Ted A Pawtobiography

Ted A Pawtobiography is a little book about (and supposedly by) Ted the dog from the BBC series, Gone Fishing. I picked it up in Sainsbury’s, flicked through it, tried to put it down and realised I needed to buy it and read it! It’s only 160 pages – and those include pictures. I’m not sure if it’s for adults or kids, but it was a nice little read for anyone who loves dogs and gentle humour.

I don’t watch Gone Fishing religiously, but I do always enjoy it when I see it – and I love Ted the dog.

Ted A Pawtobiography is the semi-true story of the funny little dog’s life. He was born the runt of the litter, given as a Christmas present and rejected soon afterwards. He went to a rescue centre and was adopted by Lisa Clark – producer of Gone Fishing. The book was actually written by Lisa Clark and, unsurprisingly, has a very Bob Mortimer feel to it. Anything written by Bob Mortimer, whether his autobiography And Away… or his quirky crime novels, The Satsuma Complex and The Hotel Avocado, will always be a joy to read. So anything written in his style is also a joy to read.

In Ted A Pawtobiography, Ted isn’t just a dog. He’s an explosives and security expert, who lost his briefcase. A big, bad dog called Vinnie knew where the briefcase was, but Ted still hasn’t got it back. In the book, he auditioned to be on Gone Fishing, rather than the reality that he just happens to live with the producer of the show.

But the made up stuff is mixed up with real stuff about his life, dogs in general and what they need from their humans to help them thrive. Plus there’s bits about Gone Fishing and Paul Whitehouse and Bob. I must have actually watched more episodes than I thought I had, because I’ve seen every one of the star guests Ted mentions.

If you enjoy Gone Fishing, you love dogs or you’re just looking for an easy, quirky read, I can definitely recommend Ted A Pawtobiography.