Tributes paid to River Cottage star Nick Fisher after body found in Dorchester

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Tributes have been paid to the missing journalist and award-winning scriptwriter Nick Fisher after a body was found in Dorchester.

Fisher, whose books included Sea Fishing: River Cottage Handbook, with an introduction by celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, had last been seen in his home village of Hooke in west Dorset on Tuesday.

After searches of the area, a body was discovered by police in Dorchester on Thursday.

A Dorset police spokesperson said the death was not being treated as suspicious. They added: “While formal identification has not yet taken place, the body is believed to be that of Nick Fisher and his family has been informed.”

Celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, a friend and colleague of Fisher’s, said: “I am so very sad to say that our dearest friend Nick Fisher has passed away. He was always full of insight and compassion, which is what made him such a great writer and broadcaster, as well as a brilliant friend.

“His lovely family and his many friends are missing him terribly. Nick was the best person to spend time with, especially on a boat. We talked about fishing endlessly, but we also talked about life, a subject on which Nick was an expert because he had lived so much of it.

“I can’t believe it’s over, but many wonderful memories live on.”

Jon Sen, executive producer of drama for BBC Studios, said: “My thoughts are with Nick Fisher’s family tonight. I will never forget romping around the Dorset countryside with him and my kids still talk about the fishing trip where I spilled my guts … A kind, supportive, generous soul who always made time for you.”

Fisher had left his home in Hooke, near Bridport, on Tuesday with his brown and white springer spaniel.

The 63-year-old had appeared with Fearnley-Whittingstall on his Channel 4 series Escape to River Cottage and its spin-off, River Cottage Gone Fishing. He had also written episodes of EastEnders, Casualty, Hustle and The Giblet Boys, for which he won a Bafta in 2006.