John Bishop's Great Whale Rescue
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John Bishop’s whale rescue documentary leaves ITV viewers in tears

It charts efforts to rescue beluga whales Little White and Little Grey

By Nancy Brown
| Updated:

John Bishop’s Great Whale Rescue was ‘too emotional’ for a Monday night, according to viewers who were in tears watching the ITV documentary.

The programme, hosted by the Scouse comedian, aired last night (October 12) and centred on efforts to rescue two beluga whales from a facility in Shanghai.

John Bishop's Great Whale Rescue
John Bishop’s Great Whale Rescue started on ITV last night (Credit: ITV)

What happened with the belugas on John Bishop’s Great Whale Rescue?

Little White and Little Grey lived together and trainers had them entertain crowds at a pool in the centre of a park.

The facility’s new owners, however, were shutting the attraction down and the animals were due to move thousands of miles to a sanctuary in Iceland.

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But it was a complex operation involving multiple modes of transport and, as expected, it hit a number of snags along the way.

John Bishop's Great Whale Rescue
Emotional scenes as the two beluga whales were separated (Credit: ITV)

Towards the end of the last night’s episode, John and the team had to get each of the whales onto a stretcher, one by one, to then lift them into the custom-built tanks that would transport them to Iceland.

The team moved Little White first. Little Grey, alone in the pool, was visibly anxious and started crying out for its companion.

Afterwards, John said he found the experience “heartbreaking”.

John Bishop's Great Whale Rescue
Beluga whales Little White and Little Grey had not been apart in years (Credit: ITV)

What did ITV viewers think of John Bishop’s Great Whale Rescue?

And for viewers at home, already on the edges of their seats because of the challenge of actually moving the creatures, it made for emotional viewing.

One tearful viewer said on Twitter: “Aaaw Little Grey calling… #WhaleRescue @SeaLifeTrust @JohnBishop100.”

Another wrote, alongside a crying face emoji: “Little Grey calling for Little White #WhaleRescue.”

Far too emotional for a Monday night. Little White and Little Grey.

A third said: “Far too emotional for a Monday night. Little White and Little Grey #WhaleRescue.”

Someone else wrote: “Ah, Little Grey is [feeling] stressed and calling for Little White… #WhaleRescue.”

A fifth viewer called it, “Too stressful and emotional” while another said, “This is too much”.

https://twitter.com/90s_BlackWidow/status/1315757621790552073

Elsewhere, viewers heaped praise on the “incredible” documentary.

“Amazing,” said one, adding: “Cannot wait to watch part two!”

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“No words to say how incredible you are for doing this for those beautiful souls,” another wrote to John Bishop. “Cried rivers. If everyone in the world was like you, it would be a different and so much better place.”

“Just watched #WhaleRescue and @JohnBishop100 you are absolutely incredible,” someone else tweeted.

– John Bishop’s Great Whale Rescue concludes tonight (Tuesday, October 13) at 9pm on ITV

What did you think of part one of the programme? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.

Nancy Brown
Associate Editor

Related Topics

Documentaries ITV John Bishop