Latest Ch4 hit leaves no Room To Improve

TV Watch with Denise McNamara

Wouldn’t you just love to be in the commissioning department of Channel Four?

They really do give the thumbs-up to the maddest shows, concepts that just shouldn’t work but somehow or another do, the madder they are the better they are to watch.

The idea of a TV show consisting entirely of watching people watching TV was something which was popularised by The Royle Family. The sitcom featured a family who barely did anything other than watch the box – the granny’s wake will surely go down as the best in TV history.

The sitcom inspired Stephen Lambert – responsible for some of reality TVs most watched programmes, such as Secret Millionaire and Wife Swap – to create Gogglebox, the latest Channel Four hit.

Characters from The Royle Family narrate the show, which brings you into the living room of 14 families around the UK as they sit on the sofa, put the feet up and drink tea – or in the case of the poshies, sip champers, G&Ts and bucketloads of wine – tuning in and out of the last seven days of programmes.

These have been billed as Britain’s most opinionated viewers. There are heated discussions over minutae, debates about the nonsensical story lines of soaps. News programmes often incite the most vitriolic comments, particularly when politicians are featured. It’s a real snapshot of what the people of the nation are feeling.

What makes it really good telly is the spontaneity of it all. Clearly these people feel very much at home despite the cameras and are not afraid to say the first thing on their minds.

Apparently the producers have a team of editors who work 15-hour days sifting through the footage and TV clips to put out a very topical show.

Of the households that are filmed, there are a few real gems. My personal favourites: the hairdressers, the poshies and the retired teachers.

Hairdressers Chris Steed and best friend Stephen Webb from Brighton appear like a lifelong couple such is their easy familiarity. Last week they had some wonderfully bitchy comments about the Kangaroo Dundee man in the Australian outback who is has created a little pouch for joeys in his bed.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.