Channel 4's long-running show Gogglebox will return on Friday with five new households joining an expanded cast, producers said, while one of the series' regular pairs has confirmed they have left the programme.
The new recruits include friends from Glasgow, a family from Surrey, a couple from the Cotswolds, sisters from Edinburgh and a mother and daughter‑in‑law duo from Yorkshire. Named entrants announced by the broadcaster include the Gordon family — Sarah, Chee and Andre — a couple called Andrew and Alfie, and friends Jake and Calum. Mike Cotton, creative director at producer Studio Lambert, said it was "a delight to welcome some new households to the Gogglebox family" and that producers were "eager to join them in their living rooms and hear their candid thoughts on this week's most talked about TV."
The programme, narrated by The Royle Family actor Craig Cash, shows viewers reacting to and discussing the week's television, often drawing praise for its mix of comic and heartwarming moments. Channel 4 said the new line-up will appear alongside many returning cast members when the series returns.
The new arrivals follow the departure of Scottish couple Joe Kyle and Roisin Kelly, who have been regulars on the show. Kelly posted on Instagram saying the pair had been "brutally axed from Gogglebox." The broadcaster did not immediately comment on the circumstances of their exit.
Gogglebox has regularly refreshed its cast since it began, introducing new households to reflect different ages, backgrounds and regions of the UK while retaining familiar contributors. The format, first broadcast in 2013, continues to draw viewers who tune in to watch other viewers' responses to major television moments, reality shows and news events.
Producers and Channel 4 have said casting decisions are made to keep the series representative of a broad range of viewers and to maintain the show's mix of humour and observation. The latest recruits will be shown reacting to the week's programming alongside established households when the series resumes its schedule on Channel 4.
