Gogglebox#Spin-off series

The show was created by Stephen Lambert, Tania Alexander, and Tim Harcourt. Lambert is a media executive who had previously launched the Channel 4 television shows Wife Swap, Faking It, Undercover Boss, and The Secret Millionaire. Alexander was Director of Factual Entertainment at Lambert's independent production company Studio Lambert, who said the idea was for Gogglebox to be a mix of the ITV comedy show Harry Hill's TV Burp, which looked back at the previous week's television, and the BBC sitcom The Royle Family, which centres on a television-fixated family, but with real, ordinary people.{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10480336/Gogglebox-the-TV-show-making-Britain-feel-great.html|title=Gogglebox: the TV show making Britain feel great|last=McNulty|first=Bernadette|date=18 December 2013|work=The Telegraph|access-date=27 April 2020|archive-date=27 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427055659/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10480336/Gogglebox-the-TV-show-making-Britain-feel-great.html|url-status=live}} Harcourt, a Creative Director for Studio Lambert, had the original idea for Gogglebox while watching the 2011 London riots,{{Cite news|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/gogglebox-axe-celebrity-big-brother-4092564|title=Gogglebox axe for Celebrity Big Brother star George Gilbey and family|last=Methven|first=Nicola|date=22 August 2014|work=Daily Mirror|access-date=26 October 2017|archive-date=26 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026111504/http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/gogglebox-axe-celebrity-big-brother-4092564|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.studiolambert.com/tim-harcourt.html|title=Tim Harcourt|last=Arrow|first=Platinum|website=www.studiolambert.com|language=en-gb|access-date=2017-10-26|archive-date=26 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026162658/http://www.studiolambert.com/tim-harcourt.html|url-status=live}} and along with Alexander, devised the format for the show. They wondered what people talked about while watching the news, and came up with the idea of cutting between people watching the same TV shows.{{Cite news|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/gogglebox-axe-celebrity-big-brother-4092564|title=George Gilbey's family AXED from Gogglebox due to CBB appearance|last=Methven|first=Nicola|date=2014-08-22|work=Daily Mirror|access-date=2017-10-26|archive-date=5 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405214800/https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/gogglebox-axe-celebrity-big-brother-4092564|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/20/watching-us-watching-them-on-the-people-s-couch|title=Watching Us, Watching Them: On 'The People's Couch'|last=Teeman|first=Tim|date=2014-03-20|work=The Daily Beast|access-date=2017-10-26|archive-date=18 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118145544/https://www.thedailybeast.com/watching-us-watching-them-on-the-peoples-couch|url-status=live}} Farah Golant, the boss of All3Media, said: "But the show isn't really about TV. The show is about people's lives, their relationships, their living rooms and the way children and parents talk about TV [...] That's quite priceless. It captures a cultural response to something that's happening in the world."

The concept of Gogglebox was criticised before the show aired; Alexander recalled people thinking Channel 4 had run out of ideas, but credited the network's head of factual David Glover as the one who recognised the show's potential and subsequently ordered Alexander to produce a proof of concept tape.{{cite web |last=Marghitu |first=Stefania |date=3 April 2015 |title=The Woman Behind Gogglebox: An Interview with Tania Alexander |url=https://cstonline.net/the-woman-behind-gogglebox-an-interview-with-tania-alexander-by-stefania-marghitu/ |access-date=30 April 2023 |publisher=CST Online}} The show's team set about casting, and it was during this period they signed on Leon and June Bernicoff. Alexander described the original reel as "a little rough around the edges, gosh it was actually really rough", and thought the script was "God awful" which was read by a narrator whose tone of voice was incompatible. Despite this, Glover felt strongly towards the concept and gave the green-light for a mini-series. The first series consisted of four episodes, the first of which aired on 7 March 2013. The show was a success, and a second series of 13 episodes began in September 2013.

In November 2020, Alexander left Gogglebox after seven years to pursue a fresh challenge. She was replaced by Studio Lambert's deputy creative director, Mike Cotton, alongside Gogglebox executive producer Leon Campbell.

The people cast on Gogglebox were found by the show, and the producers do not advertise for participants. Lambert said this approach is key to the show's success as it results in more likeable people and the audience can get to know the cast over time. From the beginning, Alexander did not want to feature people who wanted to be on television, and sought individuals "that had the ability to make us laugh very naturally and that's quite hard."{{cite news|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-10-02/the-secrets-of-making-gogglebox/|title=The secrets of making Gogglebox|date=2 October 2015|work=Radio Times|access-date=29 April 2019|archive-date=5 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191005212954/https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-10-02/the-secrets-of-making-gogglebox/|url-status=live}} One of the methods used to find participants is termed "street casting", whereby the show's team looked in everyday public places; Leon and June were found in a bridge club, and Stephen and Chris were found in a hair salon. In later series, members of the show's production team visited random houses and held up a card that contained something, such as a picture of the British Prime Minister or a Daily Mail headline, and noted how quick the person responded and any funny, interesting, or insightful comments they had. The show has also found participants through recommendations, which was how the Siddiqui family and couple Giles and Mary were found.

The programme is filmed in the viewers' homes using two small remotely controlled cameras, known as "hot heads", operated by a small team elsewhere in the home that set up a temporary production control room. This team consists of a producer/director, gallery operator, assistant, audio engineer, researcher for live logging, and a runner.{{cite web |url=http://www.shooting-partners.co.uk/gogglebox-2/ |title=Gogglebox 2 |publisher=Shooting Partners |access-date=12 June 2014 |archive-date=2 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140802204722/http://www.shooting-partners.co.uk/gogglebox-2/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20131104163905281 |title=I made... Gogglebox |last=Cahn |first=John |publisher=BBC |access-date=12 June 2014 |archive-date=22 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222105409/http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20131104163905281 |url-status=live }} Each episode of Gogglebox is made in two days, and Alexander said that people who assumed the show is cheap or easy to make makes her "blood boil". Filming starts on Friday and continues through the week, but most of the first four days are spent assessing the filmed material. Four-person crews circulate between the households two or three evenings each week, and the cast watch the same programs as each other, which can amount to as much as six hours of television.

Alexander said that the biggest problem encountered during the filming stage is the cast forgetting that they are meant to be commenting and having to be given "gentle prompts". She added that "the craft happens over the last couple of days before it goes out on the Friday", which usually begins on a Tuesday afternoon or the Wednesday, with the production team working through the night to produce an initial cut. Lambert said the skill involved is "throwing away 99.9% of what people say". The team reviews the first edit on a Thursday afternoon, after which further cuts or tweaks are made before the narration is recorded and the episode is delivered for broadcast.

{{Main|List of Gogglebox cast members{{!}}List of Gogglebox cast members}}

This is a list of cast members currently appearing in the programme.

{{:List of Gogglebox cast members}}

{{Main|List of Gogglebox episodes{{!}}List of Gogglebox episodes}}

{{:List of Gogglebox episodes}}

A version of the show featuring children, titled Gogglesprogs, launched as a Christmas special on Christmas Day 2015, and was followed by a full-length series that began airing on 17 June 2016.{{Cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/c4-follow-up-xmas-gogglebox-kids-special-with-series-order|title=C4 follow up Xmas Gogglebox Kids special with series order|date=14 December 2015|website=Channel 4|access-date=3 January 2020|archive-date=4 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404200746/http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/c4-follow-up-xmas-gogglebox-kids-special-with-series-order|url-status=live}} In 2017, a spin-off show titled Vlogglebox aired on E4, which featured reactions from 16 to 24-year-olds as they watch online content on their smartphones, laptops or tablets.{{Cite news|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/gogglebox/news/a829505/gogglebox-getting-teenager-spinoff-called-vlogglebox/|title=Gogglebox gets a teenager spin-off called Vlogglebox|last=Houghton|first=Rianne|date=30 May 2017|work=Digital Spy|access-date=30 May 2017|archive-date=31 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170531075318/http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/gogglebox/news/a829505/gogglebox-getting-teenager-spinoff-called-vlogglebox/|url-status=live}} In 2019, it was announced that a celebrity version had been ordered; Celebrity Gogglebox began airing in 2019. It was later renewed for a second series, which aired in 2020, a third series that aired in 2021, and a fourth series in 2022.

In August 2022, it was announced that a Welsh-language version of the show, called Gogglebocs Cymru, would be produced for S4C, after Channel 4 had agreed to release exclusivity of its rights to the show in the UK. S4C issued a competitive tender for the production rights on the same day, with the show scheduled to debut in autumn 2022 as part of the channel's 40th anniversary.

:{{Color box|#90EE90|border=darkgray}} Currently airing

:{{Color box|#FFC0CB|border=darkgray}} No longer airing

{{main|Gogglebox Australia}}

An Australian edition of the programme debuted on 11 February 2015. It is a co-production between pay TV provider Foxtel and commercial Network Ten. It airs on Foxtel's Lifestyle Channel first and is repeated 24 hours later on Ten.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2014/10/gogglebox-to-premiere-on-foxtel-one-night-ten-the-next.html|title=Gogglebox to premiere on Foxtel one night, TEN the next.|work=tvtonight.com.au|date=30 October 2014 |access-date=30 October 2014|archive-date=1 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101230633/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2014/10/gogglebox-to-premiere-on-foxtel-one-night-ten-the-next.html|url-status=live}} The programme started its second season on 30 September 2015,{{Cite web|title = Gogglebox Australia: season 2 will get you talking|url = https://www.foxtel.com.au/got/whats-on/foxtel-insider/lifestyle/gogglebox-australia.html|website = www.foxtel.com.au|access-date = 2015-10-15|archive-date = 26 September 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150926101531/https://www.foxtel.com.au/got/whats-on/foxtel-insider/lifestyle/gogglebox-australia.html|url-status = live}} and its third season in 2016. It is currently in its 21st season as of April 2025.{{Cite web|title= GET YOUR GOGGLE ON. GOGGLEBOX AUSTRALIA IS BACK.|url= https://www.paramountanz.com.au/news/get-your-goggle-on-gogglebox-australia-is-back/|access-date=2025-04-28|website=www.paramountanz.com.au}}

{{main|The People's Couch|Celebrity Watch Party}}

Canadian (Bell Media),{{cite web|title=Gogglebox Canada casting call|url=http://goggleboxca.com|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140404173337/http://goggleboxca.com/|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 April 2014}} and American broadcasters. The American and Canadian versions, both called The People's Couch, premiered on Bravo on 10 March 2014 (although a three-episode pilot run was aired in October 2013) and Bravo (Canadian TV channel) in July 2014.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/dec/17/channel-4-gogglebox-goes-global|title=Channel 4 hit show Gogglebox goes global|last=Plunkett|first=John|date=17 December 2013|work=The Guardian|access-date=19 December 2013|archive-date=18 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218174718/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/dec/17/channel-4-gogglebox-goes-global|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bellmediapr.ca/Network/Bravo/Press/Everyones-a-Critic-All-New-Canadian-Unscripted-Series-THE-PEOPLES-COUCH-Gets-Cozy-on-Bravo-July-13|title=Everyone's a Critic. All-New Canadian Unscripted Series, THE PEOPLE's COUCH Gets Cozy on Bravo July 13|access-date=17 January 2015|archive-date=18 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118145547/https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/tv/ctv-life/pressures-on/|url-status=live}}

A celebrity version, called Celebrity Watch Party, premiered on Fox on 7 May 2020.{{Cite web|title=Fox Orders Remote Reality Series 'Celebrity Watch Party', Based On Studio Lambert's UK Format 'Gogglebox'|url=https://deadline.com/2020/04/fox-gogglebox-celebrity-watch-party-rob-lowe-meghan-trainor-1202922904/|last=White|first=Peter|date=2020-05-01|website=Deadline|language=en|access-date=2020-05-05|archive-date=6 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506164420/https://deadline.com/2020/04/fox-gogglebox-celebrity-watch-party-rob-lowe-meghan-trainor-1202922904/|url-status=live}}

{{main|Gogglebox Ireland}}

An Irish edition of the programme debuted on 22 September 2016, a co-production between Kite Entertainment (Dublin) and Studio Lambert (London). By 2023, nine series had been broadcast.

Polish version called Gogglebox. Przed telewizorem premiered on TTV on 6 September 2014.{{cite web |url=http://prasa.tvn.pl/informacje-prasowe/polska-wersja-gogglebox-juz-od-jesieni-w-telewizji-ttv,128732.html |title=Polska wersja GOGGLEBOX już od jesieni w Telewizji TTV |website=prasa.tvn.pl |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614094734/http://prasa.tvn.pl/informacje-prasowe/polska-wersja-gogglebox-juz-od-jesieni-w-telewizji-ttv,128732.html |archive-date=14 June 2018 |url-status=dead}}

A Russian version called Диван (translated as "The Couch") premiered on CTC on 30 March 2017. Only one season aired, consisting of 8 episodes.

The Finnish version called Sohvaperunat (translated as "Couch potatoes") premiered in February 2015 on YLE TV1.

S4C and Studio Lambert aired Gogglebocs Cymru on 2 November 2022, as part of the channel's 40th anniversary celebrations. The show is narrated by Welsh comedian Tudur Owen.{{cite web|last=Warner|first=Sam|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/a41856113/gogglebox-spinoff-wales-new-cast|title=Gogglebox spinoff reveals new cast|date=3 November 2022|website=Digital Spy|publisher=Hearst Magazines UK|access-date=9 September 2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103172257/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/a41856113/gogglebox-spinoff-wales-new-cast|archive-date=3 November 2022}}

The series was renewed for a second series slated to air on 18 October 2023. It has also been nominated for a BAFTA Cymru award.

• The Royle Family

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• {{Channel4.com|programmes/gogglebox|Gogglebox}}
• {{IMDb title|2762330}}
• {{Epguides|Gogglebox}}

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