Gogglebox slammed by star as they reveal filming secrets
Comedy legend Frank Skinner has had a dig at Celebrity Gogglebox, the popular spinoff that invites stars to share their reactions to television shows. At 67, Frank teamed up with his old mate, comedian David Baddiel aged 60, for an episode of the Channel 4 hit, yet he found the experience far from satisfying.
Sharing his thoughts on his podcast Frank Off The Radio, Frank – whose radio show was axed earlier this year – didn't hold back: "So you sit in a room - you only watch like ten minutes of a programme. " He recounted how any spontaneous banter was curtailed during filming: "We're sitting watching the telly and we start talking, and a voice says 'Say something about his jacket'. Then it would stop, and they'd say 'Can you not go into digressions, it's funny if you keep it close to what's actually happening'."
Frank felt the constraints stifled the fun, saying: "It's such a shame because I think we could have had a laugh and stuff. " Despite his gripes, Frank did acknowledge the expertise behind the scenes: "But to be fair to them, they know how to make it - they've been making it for years."
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And it wasn't all bad – Frank gave a shoutout to the kind team who treated him well: "The producer was a really nice guy, they were nice people, they got me fish and chips."
Yet, he seemed unimpressed with the format that caters to less experienced TV personalities: "But they've been working with a lot of non-professionals on Gogglebox, who probably need a lot of guidance. Why change a winning formula? " Frank continued: "I think it's quite helpful as you get older and you've got less time, to within a couple of weeks discover two things that you know you'll never do again.
Frank revealed he made his feelings known to the producers. He said: " He candidly revealed that he let the producers know exactly how he felt: "And pretty soon I'm thinking 'just please make this stop'. And when I left - I'd made it pretty clear in a politer way - I said 'Sorry, I thought this was going to be like enjoyable'."
"As I left I said 'anyway good luck with all of it', and the producer said 'you're not going to watch it are you? ' And I said 'No, no, I'm not going to watch it' - and I haven't."
