Gogglebox star Gyles Brandreth explains why his celebrity co-hosts keep changing
Gyles Brandreth is best-known for being a writer and former politician, but in more recent years he's become known for his appearances on TV shows such as This Morning. The 76 year old joined the cast of Celebrity Gogglebox in 2019, which saw him win over numerous fans with his hilarious one-liners and witty remarks.
And, while speaking exclusively told OK! about his new partnership with Specsavers which has launched the ‘Misheard Manifesto’ - an amusing new campaign to correct common phrases the nation are mishearing - Gyles revealed some of the behind the scenes secrets about his time filming the show.
While Gyles has become a Gogglebox staple, he's seen his co-star change often, with producers regularly switching up his pairing on the Channel 4 show. He made his Gogglebox debut alongside Sheila Hancock, but in series two and three she was replaced by Maureen Lipman.
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Then, in 2022, Gyles starred alongside Joanna Lumley in some episodes, with Carol Vorderman stepping in for others. He's also been joined by Susie Dent, who Gyles also hosts the podcast Something Rhymes with Purple with, and most recently, 80s pop star Lulu joined him on the sofa.
However, Gyles has now revealed that producers are solely in charge of picking the celebrity he shares the sofa with on Gogglebox. He's been impressed with their picks so far, but does have some suggestions for future guests.
"They choose the people for me – they choose the celebrity friend and they seem to give me all these Dames which is marvellous. Lovely Dame Maureen Lipman and Dame Sheila Hancock are fabulous - and the singer Lulu of course. The team choose who I’m partnered with – I can't choose," Gyles exclusively told OK!.
He added: "I have a wish list, though, for who I would love for next year if they ask me again - I would love Dame Twiggy. That would be nice, wouldn't it? I'm keeping my fingers crossed!"
Aside from Twiggy, Gyles has another dream Celebrity Gogglebox partner and it's no other than Queen Camilla. The TV personality is close pals with the Queen, 76, as they are involved with many of the same charities.
Gyles is a trustee of the Queen's Reading Room and involved with the Queen's Commonwealth Prize, while she is involved with Gyles' charity, Poetry Together. While the Queen is unarguably very busy, we do know she loves watching television - it's no secret that she's a big Coronation Street fan - so a brief stint on Celebrity Gogglebox isn't completely off the table.
Gyles told OK!: "I know the Queen loves watching telly but I don’t think she is going to find the time! She did say that she persuaded the King to watch an episode of me and Sheila Hancock hosting Great Canals. I think she was just saying that to keep me happy because I don't think the King watches very much television. The Queen certainly knows what's on television, but I don't think the King is too familiar with it and doesn't have a lot of time.”