heat gets the giggles with Gogglebox’s Pete and Sophie
TV siblings Pete and Sophie try to convince Katie Holloway they’re just ‘ordinary people’ when, actually, they’re hilarious
While we’ve all fancied ourselves as witty and captivating stars of Gogglebox (when we’d probably be terrible), naturally hilarious brother and sister Pete and Sophie Sandiford, who made their debut on the show last year, have no clue how entertaining they are. Which is surprising given that they’ve got funny bones – the late Barry Chuckle was simply Great Uncle Barry to the Blackpool siblings. No, we had no clue, either.
From the moment they walk into our photo shoot, they have us in stitches. Pete, 24, recounts how annoyed he was on the train down from Blackpool to London due to someone on a very loud phone call interrupting his essential train viewing: Only Fools And Horses. He later tells us he’s a bit of a wheeler dealer himself and is thrilled when we liken him to Del Boy. Sophie, 22, can’t believe her eyes when she sees the exact yellow armchair she sits in for
Gogglebox in the middle of our studio, but looks alarmed when we tell her Pete will be drawing on her face for the shoot. Particularly when he says if it were up to him, he’d be drawing something a lot more explicit than cat whiskers…
‘I don’t have aspirations to eat a camel’s anus’ Pete
Gogglebox is now on its 12th series. Why do you think people love it so much?
Pete: You’re saying what everyone is thinking. Also, it’s because it’s the best bits of TV from the week – that’s kind of the highlight. A lot of people watch Gogglebox because they don’t want to watch 20-odd programmes to discover the best bits. They just watch that to find out what’s been good and what’s been on the news. So true. Have you ever got into a series because you had to watch it for the show? Sophie: I did that with
The Crown. It’s not something that I’d watch at all and then I was like, “Oh my word, I absolutely love this.” There’s loads of scandal. Is there ever anything you’ve dreaded watching? P: Eurgh, Mamma Mia! Did you have to watch the whole film?
P: Yeah , and we just couldn’t be arsed. Then it came on and I was singing away! S: He loves it. P: I did end up getting sucked in – I thought I was Pierce Brosnan by the end!
Why do you think you were picked to be on Gogglebox?
S: I’m not too sure. We’re just ordinary people and we live very ordinary lives, but I think it’s probably rare that a brother and sister are so close. We’re basically like the male and female version of each other. Do you have any other siblings who might make an appearance?
S: We’ve got a stepbrother and a stepsister, but…
P: Our stepsister is at uni. She’s just doing what she’s doing. And [our stepbrother] Harry’s just being a bit of a… not a wild child, but he’s just turned 18, so he’s going out and finding his feet.
S: What Pete’s trying to say is that they’re embarrassed to be seen with us.
P: Yeah, we’re uncool and they’re really cool. Who were your favourite Goggleboxers before you were on it?
P: Leon and June . I couldn’t say anyone else but them. But we love everybody else, too.
Jenny and Lee are hilarious. Everybody’s got their own unique qualities. When you were offered
Gogglebox, did you accept straight away?
P: It was a shock more than anything. We’re not anything special, we don’t come out with anything special. But it is a no-brainer – you just didn’t have to think about it because it’s
such an amazing show. It’s kind of surreal, really. Is it how you expected?
S: I sort of went into it with no expectations and it’s been amazing. We love it. And when we’re not filming, it’s kind of like, “What did we ever do before?” How does it actually work when you’re filming? S: There’s not that much disruption, really – they just come around and we watch a bit of telly.
P: We’re just sat in my living room. That is the top and the bottom of it! Do you tidy up before filming? P: Well, my house isn’t immaculate, put it that way. I just do the usual stuff, pushing the Henry round a bit and job’s a good ’un! Do you like that it’s filmed at your house, or is it annoying?
P: I don’t mind. And Soph’s never away from my house, anyway.
S: I have my own key. Even if he’s not there, I just go round and make myself at home.
P: When I come back, I’m like, “What we having for tea?” Do you watch yourselves on Gogglebox? I do. I’ve always been a fan. Me and my mum always watched it. And do you enjoy seeing yourself on TV? S: It’s weird, but I think I pay more
attention to the other families, because it’s nice to see what everybody else has to say. Is it weird knowing that you have fans? [Both erupt in laughter.] P: We wouldn’t say that. You definitely do! Have you met any famous fans?
S: We’ve met Ant Middleton out of SAS: Who Dares Wins. He’s nice, but I think we’re definitely more fans of his.
P: We went to watch his show and he was just like [puts on unimpressed voice], “Y’alright?” How did your friends react when they first saw you on the telly? P: They find it a bit weird how people recognise us. I’ve been in Wetherspoons having breakfast, and I’ve got a bit of egg hanging out and somebody’s like, “Hiya!” And I’m like [imitates having mouth full of food], “Yehrrgrgghh.” Are people a bit star-struck when they see you? P: It’s just nice, because people feel like they’re in your home while they’re watching. So, they feel like they’re your friends. There was a guy yesterday, who we met in Tesco of all places, and he was just chatting away about his wife and all sorts.
I felt like I’d known him for years.
S: A lot of people know your face, but they can’t place where from, so they’ll say, “Do I know you?” And then you have to do the awkward thing and say, “Yeah, Gogglebox.” Have you met any of the other Gogglebox cast?
S: No, none! But we feel like we know them because we’ve seen them on the show. And obviously, we’re all experiencing the life of Gogglebox, so we all have that common denominator. Who would you love to meet?
S: Again, I think I’d like to go for a coffee with June. She seems so sweet. Who would you love to see on the show celeb-wise?
P: There’s literally so many. You see them and think, “What would their opinion be?”
S: I think it’s a long shot, but the Queen would be a good one.
P: Oh, the Queen would be a VERY good one.
S: I think she’d be hard to pin down, though. [Laughs.]
Scarlett Moffatt obviously started out just like you guys. Would you like to follow in her footsteps and have a career on TV?
P: We’re just normal people at the end of the day. We don’t have aspirations of doing things like that. I feel like Gogglebox is our natural home. I don’t have big aspirations to eat a camel anus or something in the jungle… I don’t fancy that!
S: It’s nice that Scarlett’s gone on to do other things, though. Because, as a young woman myself, it’s nice to see a young woman going out there and doing all those amazing things. If you had to choose a reality show for each other to go on, what would you choose?
P: Something to do with drains – down the London sewers.
S: [Laughs.] I would watch him in the SAS thing [Who Dares Wins].
P: Oh God. I’d be in tears in the toilets, like, “I want my mum!” Pete, why do you want to send Sophie down a drain?
P: Just because she’d be gipping [gagging]. She’d be down the drains like, “Bleurgh!” ■ Gogglebox is on Fridays at 9pm on Channel 4.