Gogglebox – is watching other people watching TV something to watch?

You may have heard about Gogglebox around the water cooler, the show that watches couples and families, well, watching and commenting about TV. Our team here at UEC were reluctant at first, but at least one of us is hooked!

The premise is surprisingly simple, regular people watching telly. But the masterful twist is that it’s really about the people themselves; their honesty, quirks and relationships.

On its debut on Pay TV, the show won its timeslot with 146,000 viewers in OzTAM’s ratings release. 24 hours later it was third in its timeslot on Free to Air with 495,000, dropping the following week to 438,000.

Originating from Britain, Gogglebox began in 2013, as a late night show on Channel 4. Dubbed as a new low for reality TV, this show soon became a cult hit, earning a BAFTA and National Television Award.

Locally, ten episodes have been commissioned here.As per the British version, it will follow 10 households who, every week, will discuss the week’s most popular shows, from reality to news and current affairs.

The 10 households are a diverse range from modern Australian society, including blokey blokes, battlers, migrant families, lovable seniors, yuppies and more. In order for the households to feel as comfortable and spontaneous as possible, filming is done remotely.

The cast is made up of: Wayne and Tom, who met at a local country dance; the opinionated Kidd family, Inner Westies Angie and Yvie, Adam and Symon, blokes who like beer; Greek Australians Anastasia and Faye; the Dalton family; the Delpechitra family; the Jackson family; and Mick and Di, art dealers who’ve been together for almost 50 years.

While casting the show, the producers used a different approach to most reality shows. With most reality shows there’s a reason to take part – you can sing or dance, you can cook or you want to lose weight. With Gogglebox, the aim was to put those who didn’t want to be on TV, or who we don’t see on TV, on TV. It was to avoid performers or those simply looking for 15 seconds of fame, and to cast those who are honest and spontaneous.

Casting took place on the street, at the beach, and in shopping centres. One couple caught the producers’ eye while chatting together in a suburban food court, who still cannot understand why on earth ‘anyone would want to watch us on the telly’.

Gogglebox airs weekly each Thursday, 8.30pm on Channel Ten.

Read more at www.sydneymorningherald.com.au.

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