Viewers Slam Channel 4 Gogglebox, Demand Change: "It Used to Be Fun!"

Audiences who watched Friday evening’s Gogglebox installment felt let down, with several even stating they have had enough of the program.

The reality series inspired by TV shows has been broadcasting since 2013, featuring outspoken fans of television discussing their views on the week’s programmes.

Many tune in regularly for light entertainment, but viewers of the programme are now contending that it has grown overly preoccupied with political issues. This week’s episode took things further when the cast discussed Reform’s showing during last week’s electoral events.

A number of actors expressed their views about Nigel Farage, including Dave and Shirley Griffiths who talked about the head of the Reform movement.

Dave explained that he concurs with certain viewpoints presented by Farage but finds himself entirely opposed to others.

Various households similarly questioned Reform’s performance in the recent election, offering differing opinions. Nonetheless, it appears that there was a request to exclude political debates from what had been considered a “light-hearted” program.

A viewer expressed their frustration on X: "I've watched #Gogglebox for ages because it was enjoyable and light-hearted, but recently they have been shunning viewers with differing political opinions. After many years of watching, I think I'll stop now. They might as well just relabel Channel 4 as Channel Leftie/Woke and call it quits."

Another provided a varied opinion stating: "#Gogglebox Steered clear of the politics. Really enjoyed watching Gogglebox tonight."

"Absolutely – not going to watch those dimwits on #Gogglebox who have lost all understanding of politics now. @Channel4, shove this biased show where it belongs," a disgruntled viewer commented angrily.

Some people requested alterations to the material, voicing complaints that the program devoted considerable attention to the reality TV show "Married At First Sight."

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"Why is everyone so fascinated by Married at First Sight? All these series! #Gogglebox," a fourth commenter noted.

"I quite like watching #Gogglebox, but I can’t understand the constant fixation with Married at First Sight Australia; enough with that nonsense," someone else chimed in.

“I depend on #Gogglebox to reveal just enough of these programs to reaffirm why I don’t watch them in full,” another person remarked.

Nevertheless, several individuals expressed great appreciation for the most recent installment, with another person adding: "Absolutely loving @C4Gogglebox; it’s captivating. Despite being a show where people simply watch television over multiple seasons, it remains incredibly addicting and profoundly soothing. Always manages to highly entertain... #Gogglebox." (original sic)

This isn’t the first instance where the show has been urged to alter its content, as an episode earlier this year caused viewers to express intense dissatisfaction over “strange and unsettling” scenes.

The contentious clip from The White Lotus Season 3, aired during February’s episode of Gogglebox, included an intense hotel room scene with actor Patrick Schwarzenegger that involved graphic material and full-frontal nudity. This was deemed too risqué not only by the participating families but also by viewers watching at home.

In the agonising scene, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character Saxon was depicted as being in bed alongside his on-screen sibling when he posed some explicit queries regarding his preferences for adult content.

The scene next depicts Saxon wandering barefoot towards the bathroom, describing it as "his moment", with his entire frontal view clearly reflected in the mirror.

Although Gogglebox audiences were saved from full nudity, the programme’s participants saw the uncensored edition, resulting in shared exclamations of astonishment.

Tremaine and Tristan Plimmer could hardly bear to look.

"It’s fortunate that Saxon shut the door since I started feeling rather uneasy there," Tristan remarked as his sibling pulled their hood over their head and kept their eyes tightly closed.

During the scene, Giles Wood turned to his wife Mary and commented: "So far, so perverse."

Audiences watching from home were equally disapproving, with numerous people criticizing the Channel 4 program for broadcasting the White Lotus scenes.