Gogglebox: Everything you need to know about the Channel 4 show

Believe it or there has now been 24 series of hit Channel 4 show Gogglebox, with fan-favourite families Jenny and Lee, Sophie and Pete, Ellie and Izzi and The Malones, as well as many more!

Whether you've somehow avoided Gogglebox over the last 10 years, or love the show and want to learn more about it, we've gathered together some frequently asked questions about Gogglebox.

When is Gogglebox back on TV?

The 24th series of Gogglebox returned to our screens on Friday 13th September. Episodes air every Friday night at 9pm.

The 23rd series of Gogglebox started on Friday 16th February 2024, with the final episode airing on Friday 24th May 2024.

What is Gogglebox?

Where to begin! Gogglebox is a TV show that began in the UK, where normal people are filmed watching the telly... It sounds bizarre, but just one viewing and you'll be hooked.

When did Gogglebox start?

Gogglebox first aired in the UK on 7th March 2013. There have since been 23 series that have aired on Channel 4, with series 24 airing now.

Gogglebox: How to apply for the show

Sadly, there's no process to appear on Gogglebox. A Channel 4 spokesperson recently confirmed that they're "not currently casting" and that there's "no way to apply" to be on the show.

The production team spend time scouting out the perfect candidates for the show, and being spotted remains the only way to be on Gogglebox. Show creator Stephen Lambert said in 2015, "Everybody on Gogglebox has been found and persuaded to be on the show and I think that’s the key to why they are likeable and why the show works, because we get to know these people. We’ve never advertised for people on Gogglebox."

Gogglebox cast: Who is on the show?

Read up on Gogglebox's current cast and find out what jobs the Gogglebox cast do outside of the show.

Do Gogglebox stars get paid?

They certainly do - read up on how much Gogglebox stars get paid.

Which celebs took part in Celebrity Gogglebox?

There have been five series of Celebrity Gogglebox, with series six beginning in June 2024. Read up on which celebrities have been on Gogglebox AND how much they earned.

Is Gogglebox scripted?

Absolutely not! If you've ever watched the show, you'll be able to tell that the telly watchers' remarks are always off the cuff. An anonymous former star of the show claimed that the show was scripted in 2014, but this was rubbished by producers.

They told the Daily Star, "We don’t film across the week. You set aside a night for filming and it can go on for hours. We also keep changing clothes, food and drinks to make it look we’re filmed on different nights.

"Sometimes we are told, ‘Louis Walsh is going to say something shocking on X Factor so we want you to react to that. If you can’t think of anything, the producers come up with a joke. If you fluff it they film it again."

But a Channel 4 rep said, "The Gogglebox cast are filmed for two to three nights per week. We film them watching live television and some that has been recorded. The cast have received fees for their time on every series. The production team do not influence the comments. The reactions are genuine."

Also, a former crew member took to Reddit in 2015 to answer questions about working on the show, saying, 'No it's not scripted. However the families are briefed before filming as to what they're going to watch that evening. Also the producers watch the shows before the families and they know which sections are likely to provoke reactions.'

However - this was all a long time ago and things could have changed since then!

How does Gogglebox work? Does Gogglebox have a camera crew?

Sort of! Each family has two cameras pointing at them - one for wide angle shots and one for close-ups. The crew are set up in another room of the house, and producer Tania Alexander told Vice, "We rig a mini gallery, which is set up in a kitchen or bedroom. There’s a small team in the field – a producer, a camera person, and a sound person and a logger – and those four people are squashed in whatever room is available for the entire shoot.

"It’s like a mini TV studio. There’s nobody ever in the room with the families. For the show we mainly stay on the wide angle but the close-up shot is often used to capture an eye-roll or facial expression that we’ll use in the edit for comedy punctuation."

Each family does around eight hours of filming per day for two days a week, normally around the weekend to fit in with their normal jobs. The crew then work tirelessly throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, with the voiceovers added on Thursday before it's aired on Friday evening. Whew!

The crew worked remotely during the 2020 Coronavirus lockdown to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Who does the voiceover on Gogglebox?

The original voiceover for Gogglebox was Caroline Aherne, who commentated the show from its inception in 2013 until just before her sad passing in July 2016, with her comedy partner and Royle Family co-star Craig Cash stepping in on 8th April 2016. He's done the voiceover for Gogglebox ever since.

When is Gogglebox on? How can I watch it?

Series 24 kicked off on Friday 13th September, with weekly episodes airing at 9pm on Channel 4, every Friday night.

You can watch past series of Gogglebox on Channel 4's catch-up service, All 4, series 7-23.

A number of old series of Gogglebox are also now airing on Netflix.

Gogglebox: Who has left the show?

In September 2023, original cast member Stephen Webb confirmed that he was leaving the show. The popular cast member had been on the show since it began in 2013.

Stephen announced that he and his husband Daniel Lustig-Webb were leaving the show in a statement on Instagram. He said: 'After careful consideration, Daniel and I have decided we will not be returning for the new series of Gogglebox. We feel the time is right to move on and explore other opportunities.

'We would both like to thank Channel 4 and Studio Lambert for letting us be part of this amazing, funny and heartwarming show. We are also extremely thankful to the cast and crew, or Gogglebox family as we call them and of course the fans, thank you for all of your love & support over the years.'

Daniel joined the Gogglebox cast alongside Stephen in 2019.

Following series 20 in December 2022, fan favourites Marcus and Mica announced they'd quit the show after 10 series.

The couple, who went on to film an episode of BBC quiz show Pointless in aid of charity, told fans on Instagram: '💐We just want to say a MASSIVE THANK YOU to @c4Gogglebox for having us for the last 5 years, even though we had to travel so far for filming (downstairs & through the corridor😆) it was so worth it, it’s been an epic journey! You guys are the bestest of the best🤗

'We’ve had so much fun with you all tuning in at home & the hardworking Gogglebox crew’s but it’s time to put down the remote and see what else God has in store for us.

'To everyone that has tuned in & sent us messages of love and encouragement over the years, we appreciate every last one of you🤗Thank you so much❤️

'To the amazing cast, you’ll forever be our G’box brothers & sisters 4life💯❤️

'And lastly, To all our Yardie 🇯🇲 friends & family that always big us up to whoever will listen, when you’re chatting about our departure, the program’s called GOGGLEBOX not GOOOOOGLEbox, it’s not a dam search engine😂

'We love youuuuuuu🥰

'Marky & Big Meesh 👊🏽❤️👊🏿'. (sic)

Read our handy guide to former cast members of Gogglebox.

Other Gogglebox spin-offs

Aside from Celebrity Gogglebox, we've also had two series of Gogglesprogs and one series of Vlogglebox. Gogglesprogs saw children taking on the role of professional telly watcher, running in June 2016 and June 2017. One series of Vlogglebox ran in July 2017, with teenagers watching online content.

There are also international versions of Gogglebox; the Australian version started in February 2015, and series 12 started in August 2020. The US edition is entitled The People's Couch and started in March 2014, and a celebrity version called Celebrity Watch Party aired in May 2020, starring Meghan Trainor, Sharon, Ozzy, and Kelly Osbourne, Tyra Banks and Lindsay Lohan among many others.

The show also exists in Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, South Africa and Spain.

Which awards has Gogglebox won?

Gogglebox has won plenty of awards in its time, the first of which was the BAFTA TV Award for Reality & Constructed Factual Programme in 2014. It also won the National Television Award for Factual Programme in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, as well as being nominated in 2019 and 2020.

It's also been nominated for the 2020 TV Choice Award for Best Entertainment Show, going up against Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Beat The Chasers and The Graham Norton Show.

Celebrity Gogglebox was nominated at the BAFTA TV Awards for Reality and constructed factual, but lost out to Race Across the World.

In August 2021, Gogglebox won the award for Factual Entertainment Programme at the National Television Awards.

In May 2022, Gogglebox won the award for Reality and Constructed Factual at the BAFTA TV Awards.

In June 2023, Gogglebox won Best Entertainment show at the TRIC Awards.

In October 2022, Gogglebox won another NTA in the Factual Entertainment Programme category, with cast members such as Dave and Shirley, and Tremaine, Twaine and Tristan in attendance to accept the award.

In August 2023, Gogglebox landed a nomination for The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award at this year's National Television Awards, and they only went and won it during the live ceremony on Tuesday 5th September!

Cast members Jenny and Lee headed up on stage to collect the award, after the show beat the likes of I'm A Celebrity, The Masked Singer, and Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.

In February 2024, Gogglebox won their 5th TV Choice Award, picking up the award for Best Entertainment Show.

Gogglebox was once again nominated for a National Television Award in September 2024, but unfortunately they lost out to Stacey Solomon's Sort Your Life Out.

Which Gogglebox family had Coronavirus?

Although they're not on Gogglebox anymore, the Tapper family came down with the Coronavirus in April 2020 and spoke out about how they'd had COVID-19.

Now read:

Try out our Gogglebox quiz.

Meet Gogglebox's favourite sibling duo Sophie and Pete Sandiford

Everything you need to know about Gogglebox sisters Ellie and Izzi Warner

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