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http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/matthew-bell-the-iiosi-diary-1761500.html

Matthew Bell: The IoS Diary

Prepared to sort things out over a White House beerSunday, 26 July 2009 Griff Rhys Jones is in hot water with the fishingcommunity after encouraging us all to get in our canoes to disturb as manyfishermen as possible.

His incendiary comments have proved a brilliant way ofpromoting his new series Rivers with Griff Rhys Jones, starting on BBC1tonight. But I can reveal that he should not have been making the programme at all.

The concept for the show, which has him exploring Britain's forgotten rivers by boat, was dreamed up by angler and writer CharlesRangeley- Wilson. Three years ago his hit BBC show called The Accidental Anglersaw him travel the world in pursuit of weird and wonderful fish. I'm told hepitched his idea to the BBC but wasn't considered famous enough bycelebrity-obsessed producers – and Rhys Jones was drafted in. "The ironyis that Charles is a keen fisherman, but the BBC brought in someone who istotally anti- them," whispers my mole with the maggot tin.