Lights, camera, inaction: celebrity TV critics are back on the sofa
Denise Van Outen talks to Gemma Dunn about the new season of the celeb version of Gogglebox
With the nation consuming more TV than ever before, what better time to welcome back Celebrity Gogglebox?
For while we love checking in with Britain’s sharpest armchair critics on the regular version of the iconic reality show, there’s something rather special about hearing from a bunch of famous faces – and having a quick peek around their living room – too.
Returning for a second series, the spin-off, much like its predecessor, will invite those involved to react to the week’s biggest and best television shows from the comfort of their own homes.
And one fan favourite keen to get back into the fold mid-lockdown is actresscum-singer-cum-presenter Denise Van Outen, who will be reporting from her Essex home alongside partner Eddie Boxshall.
Other recurring stars are Nick Grimshaw and his niece Liv, and the lovable Joe Swash and Stacey Solomon. While new additions include Zoe Ball and her son Woody Cook; Nicola Adams and her partner Ella; Harry Redknapp and his wife Sandra; and engaged couple, Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling.
“I love Gogglebox, we watch it all the time,” says Van Outen, 46. “It’s nice to be able to be at home and be together – and it’s what we’ve been doing for the past couple of months anyway.”
So what else can she tell us about the upcoming edition? Why did you decide to return for a second series?
I just loved it the first time. When you’re in this situation it’s only what we’ve been doing anyway, sitting down together, watching loads of different things on TV. So yeah, we’re at home, and we have a laugh doing it. And the fact they can make it work – obviously you haven’t got the crew in your house or anything, you’ve just got the cameras set up, but it’s one of the shows that is still going. It’s also nice having a little nose into people’s homes.
Well, I love Rylan [Clark-neal] and his mum. I think they’re hilarious; she just makes me laugh and those classic lines she comes out with always crack me up. We also love the Eubank [family], as well. I loved when they watched Titanic and Chris Eubank was getting all emotional.
How do you find the set up – is it odd to be filming without a crew present?
Not really. They just set the cameras up so there’s no cameraman or anything in the room, and actually, it’s probably better, because then you forget that you’re on telly. If you had a sound guy in the room and a cameraman in the room, then you’d be really aware that you’re making a TV show, whereas this way, you don’t.
Do you worry afterwards about things you may have said?
They just use what they want to use, so no, not really. There’s never anything offensive but you always forget yourself. We just tend to bicker a little bit, but that’s how we are anyway when we watch TV. That’s probably why it works so well.
Which TV shows have you been watching in lockdown?
We watched Netflix’s Tiger King at the beginning when everyone was watching it. We’ve been watching a lot of dramas; we watched Save Me, which we loved, and we’ve started on series two. A lot of films. I’ve also watched loads of reality stuff which is my guilty pleasure – stuff like The Real Housewives Of Cheshire, Gemma Collins: Diva On
Lockdown, Ferne Mccann: First Time Mum... Eddie’s not really a fan of [reality TV], so he watches shows like Wheeler Dealers and Salvage Hunters.
If you were to film for Celebrity Gogglebox again, would you let your ten-yearold daughter, Betsy, join?
Yeah, she can be on it. She could do it now if she wanted to. If they were showing a TV family thing, she could have a comment on it. We’ve just never discussed that really, but she’d be fine to do it.
How did you enjoy your stint on The Masked Singer – and how has it impacted your life since?
I just loved the concept of it. The fact that it drives you mad because you have no idea [who’s behind the mask] and you’ve just got to try and guess. I really enjoyed it and I’d started to work on an album [after], but obviously with everything that’s happened that’s been put on hold. I also got my own show [Cabaret All Stars with Denise Van Outen] in London off the back of it, but life’s on pause, really, at the moment.
Are you excited to get back to it all, once allowed?
Yeah, I’ll try and get back to everything, but some things will have changed. I just feel very sad for all my friends who are in West End shows, because that’s very tricky. Let’s just pray for a vaccine; I hope they get one soon and then we can all get back to ‘normal’.
● Celebrity Gogglebox returns to Channel 4 on Friday, 5 June