Gogglebox star reveals show secrets including alcohol ban during filming and unlimited supply of takeaways
IT’S one of the best loved shows on the telly, but there’s much more to Gogglebox than meets the eye.
While the nation’s favourite families sit on the sofa, behind the scenes crew members are busying away to make sure everyone is well fed, happy and in peak position to make witty remarks.
Former couch potato Tom Malone Jr has now lifted the lid about what really goes on – after walking away from the show after six years.
He tells us: “They just order us a takeaway. We just get to chose which takeaway we want and they will order it in. That was probably the best thing about Gogglebox for me – the amount of takeaways. I loved it.
“Obviously if you were like I want caviar and this and that brought to my door then they would probably say it’s a bit much.”
He added: “But we are a very simple family, so it was KFC and Nando’s. It was good, I was living the dream.”
Booze ban
Interestingly, the stars are on a booze ban during filming, with Tom revealing: “We weren’t allowed to order or drink alcohol, because I don’t think the show would work if we were all there slurring our words. It would be a different type of show!”
Crew members were always on hand during filming and initially set up camp in the kitchen before moving to a van outside during Covid.
While they were happy to sort food and drinks for the stars – one thing they never did was interfee with what was being said.
Most read in Reality
Tom explains: “The good thing with Gogglebox when I was part of it is was it was genuine. However we felt about a show we were allowed to say how we felt about it. If they wanted to use it, they used it, they never tried to push us to say anything or say more interesting things.
“Some weeks – luckily it never happened to us – but some weeks some of the families wouldn’t be on it at all that week but they might have still filmed it. Some people have an off week and might not say anything they want to use.”
No mixing
Fans might be surprised to learn that the different families aren’t friends off screen – in fact they barely meet.
Tom reveals: “Until the NTAs this year, my family had never met any of the other people on the show. That was the first time my mum and dad met Pete and Sophie. We never get to go to the wrap parties.
“I think it’s because everyone has such different opinions they just keep everyone separate. If everyone got too friendly they might be worried about offending someone else on the show, so they keep it separate.”
The dancer quit the show this year in order to pursue over TV opportunities and previously told us he was relieved his family were allowed to stay on without him.
He thinks producers would draw the line at letting them watch a show he was in though.
We pay for your stories!
Do you have a story for The Sun Showbiz team?
Email digishowbiz@the-sun.co.uk or call us direct on 02077824220 .
We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.