Arka Evren

TV SERIES · 2013– · UK

Gogglebox

16 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026

14 Interesting Facts About Gogglebox

  1. #001

    Gogglebox's voiceover narration is provided by Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash. Both appeared as actors in The Royle Family (1998), a sitcom in which much of the action centres on characters sitting on a sofa watching television — a premise similar to this series.

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  2. #002

    Each group is usually filmed on three nights a week. Temporary control rooms are set up. When Jenny and Lee are filmed in Jenny's caravan, an Outside Broadcast recording van is parked outside. Each group is shot with two remote cameras: one takes a wide, fixed shot, and the second is a 'roaming' camera that captures close-ups. The final cut of each episode reaches the network broadcaster Channel 4 on Thursdays and is ready for broadcast on Friday.

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  3. #003

    Jenny and Lee (residents of Hull) are interviewed in Lee's caravan. A teddy bear sits behind them throughout the series, known among fans of the show for its sinister smile. Jenny and Lee met in a pub: Jenny was the landlady of the Crown Pub Inn, and Lee was a regular drinker.

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  4. #004

    The series began airing in March 2013 with four episodes. It won great acclaim from its first episode. In the third season, ratings rose by three million viewers. In early 2017, at the time of writing, viewing figures stood at around 5 million.

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  5. #005

    Liverpool couple Viv and Ralf met at a Pagan festival celebrating Christmas. Ralf was the drummer in a band playing at the festival.

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  6. #007

    Stephen and Christopher (Brighton hairdressers) were friends and had known each other for nine years before the series began. They were a couple in the first series but had eventually separated.

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  7. #008

    Pete and Linda (from Essex) have looked after 70 children.

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  8. #009

    The eccentric Wiltshire couple Giles and Mary are friends with Member of Parliament Boris Johnson and his writer sister Rachel.

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  9. #010

    According to former star Scarlett Moffatt, participants in the series are paid very modest expenses of around £15 per person.

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  10. #012

    One of the original participant groups, the Michael family from Brighton, had to leave the series due to a conflict of interest after father Andy Michael entered politics as a candidate for the UKIP party in nearby Hastings and Rye. Because he lost the election, the family was allowed to return to the series in the next season.

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  11. #013

    Regular contributors Leon and June are retired teachers who met at a teacher training college. They have been married for 60 years.

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  12. #014

    The Reverend Kate Bottley was discovered through a viral internet video in which she was filmed dancing to the 1990s hit song 'Everybody Dance Now' while leading a flash mob at a wedding. She has been married to her husband Graham for 23 years.

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  13. #015

    Brother and sister Pete and Sophie Sandiford joined the series in 2017 after being spotted in a TalkTalk TV advert in 2016.

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  14. #016

    The Spanish adaptation of the series, 'Aquí mando yo' (2016), aired for only 1 episode. It was cancelled because its ratings were very low.

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