Entertainment
This is how much Gogglebox stars are paid – and it’s lower than you think-Evelyn Richards and Josie Copson-Entertainment – Metro
Do they really get paid in takeaways?
Do they really get paid to watch the telly? (Picture: Channel Four)
The 23rd series of Gogglebox is in full swing, with our favourite families giving us the verdict on the most popular and bizarre TV shows.
The sofa critics, including sisters Ellie and Izzi Warner, spouses David and Shirley Griffiths, and besties Jenny Newby and Lee Riley, have viewers laughing, crying and everything in between with their comments.
But what’s in it for them? Apart from getting to be part of the iconic Channel 4 show, they are also financially compensated for their time.
Louise Thompson recently revealed that she was paid just £25 per day to film Made In Chelsea (that eventually increased to £200), but how much do Gogglebox stars get paid?
Previously, it has been speculated that the stars in Gogglebox get paid in takeaways, as (particularly in earlier series) they all seemed to be eating delivered food all the time.
So as the series continues, let’s find out if there’s any truth to these rumours.
Each family gets £1,500 per month (Picture: Channel 4)
How much do the Gogglebox families get paid?
Each Gogglebox family gets paid £1,500 every month, The Sun previously claimed.
Not bad for watching the TV. If only we could figure out a way to get paid while rewatching Gossip Girl for the sixth time.
They can then share that among themselves. This would mean that a pair such as siblings Pete and Sophie Sandiford would get more individually compared to the Siddiqui family, which includes Sid, Umar, Bassit and Raza.
This is assuming they all divide it equally, and don’t give a higher sum to the person who cracked the best joke.
The stars also get a takeaway (Picture: Channel 4/Gogglebox )
As an extra Brucey bonus, they also get two free takeaways of their choice to keep them fuelled during long filming sessions. We know exactly what we’d get. Chicken bhuna, lamb bhuna and prawn bhuna, mushroom rice, bag of chips, keema naan and nine poppadoms.
Richard Osman shared on his podcast The Rest Is… Entertainment, that each person is paid ‘different sums, depending on how long they’ve been there.’
Co-host Marina Hyde added: ‘Not crazy sums, but not, you know, not nothing.’
How much TV do they watch?
The families in Gogglebox have to watch 12 hours of TV a week for the show.
That is split into two six-hour shifts, allowing most participants to hold down their day jobs around filming.
The Gogglebox stars watch 12 hours of TV per week (Picture: Channel 4)
How can I apply to be on Gogglebox?
The bad news is there isn’t an application process to join the cast of Gogglebox – the production team usually scouts for new cast members by travelling the country and finding personalities that fit the bill.
Fan favourite Jenny, who appears each week with her best friend Lee Riley, was spotted by a talent agent while enjoying a day out at Beverley Ladies’ Day.
How much do reality shows pay their contributors?
The Only Way Is Essex
Stars were reportedly paid as little as £100 a day filming, but whatever the scene required was covered including food, drinks, entry, and travel. However, it has now been said to have increased and been worked out on a tier-based system, going up to £450 per episode.
Speaking to Vicky Pattison on her The Secret To podcast, Saffron Lempriere said: ‘The longer you’re there, the better you’re paid. It’s like a tier system and I think it’s a fair way of doing it. When you get to the top, though, there’s nowhere to climb so then there’s discussions. But, yeah, they were paid bad back in the day. It’s true.’
Made In Chelsea
Despite bringing drama to the programme and cementing herself as a fan favourite, Louise Thompson revealed she was paid just £25 for each day of filming.
Speaking on Elizabeth Day’s How To Fail podcast, Louise said: ‘At the beginning, it was £25 a day, then it went up to £50 after one series, and then after a while, I was paid £200 a day and that was capped at that – that was the absolute max.’
Louise left in 2020 so it could have since changed.
Married At First Sight
The cast is put up in fancy London apartments, and have everything paid for including their groceries and dates.
‘It was 12 weeks off work in a free apartment with all the bills paid for, so I was having a lovely time,’ recalled Zoe Clifton to Metro.co.uk.
E4 previously told Cosmopolitan: ‘Contributors do not get paid to appear on Married at First Sight but are provided with financial compensation for loss of earnings due to the time taken for filming.’
She got talking to a Channel 4 researcher and before she knew it, was convincing Lee – her best friend of over 20 years – to join her, as her husband didn’t want to appear on TV.
Speaking about the casting, the show’s creator Stephen Lambert said in 2015: ‘Everybody on Gogglebox has been found and persuaded to be on the show and I think that’s the key to why they are likeable and why the show works because we get to know these people. We’ve never advertised for people on Gogglebox.’
But there are plenty of other Channel 4 shows you can apply to take part in.
Gogglebox returns tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.
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