Robson Green lands in a new country each week, baits his hook and bets he can beat resident anglers at their own game. The stakes are personal: five head-to-head rounds, one victor, no trophies beyond bragging rights and whatever creature surfaces first. Brazil’s payara, Alaska’s halibut, South Africa’s great white: every bout is filmed like a title fight, complete with slow-motion jumps and Green’s breathless Geordie commentary.
The format, lifted from Channel 5’s earlier Extreme Fishing with Robson Green, strips away travelogue padding and keeps the clock running. A Tasmanian episode pits him against mako shark in 40-knot winds; in Tanzania he hooks Nile perch while hippos yawn nearby. Local guides supply lore, but the camera stays fixed on Green’s face when line snaps or 200 lb of fish goes airborne.
Twenty episodes across three series took him from Greenland ice fjords to Mauritian coral reefs, clocking 140-odd species on the score sheet. Viewing figures hovered around a million, modest yet steady enough for Channel 5 to recommission twice. The Guardian called it “Top Gear with rods,” praising the star’s willingness to look foolish in waders; anglers argued the contests were stacked for television, though none denied the locations were world-class. The programme quietly ended in 2014, but repeats still fill late-night schedules, hooking insomniacs rather than fish.
Production Details
5 / 3 Seasons / 20 Episodes / 2012 - Present
Main Cast
Robson Green as
