Scottish families will at last get the opportunity to feature in the hit reality show Gogglebox and take a chance on rising to stardom.
For the first time since 2016, Channel 4 has confirmed a dedicated casting team will find a suitable family to appear on the popular programme and represent Scotland.
The programme shows some of Britain’s most opinionated and avid TV viewers comment freely on the best and worst weekly TV shows from the comfort of their sofas.
And since its launch in 2013, it has proven to be a huge success among audiences all over the UK with hundreds of people taking a shot at joining the regular group of participants.
No representation of Scottish families
However, the channel has been repeatedly under fire in the last year for the lack of Scots on the show – with complaints on a number of issues flooding in.
According to Channel 4’s chief-executive Alex Mahon, the reason for this comes down to “production difficulties” and the impact of Covid.
Speaking to MPs at the Scottish Affairs Committee in September, she described the situation as “continued pressure”.
The lack of representation in the last five years was also criticised by Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, who even suggested he and his family would go on it.
At the meeting, he told the TV executives: “You have spent an hour today so far speaking about how great Channel 4 is because you get to all remote parts of Scotland.
“Yet we can’t get clips to a family in Glasgow or Edinburgh or Perth or Moray or anywhere like that.”
Scotland is ‘bursting at the seams’ with talent
But after several months of inquiries from different parties, Channel 4 has now agreed a separate budget for a casting team to audition Scots for the show.
It is hoped that at least one Scottish family will be appearing on the programme from the New Year.
Scottish Affairs Committee chairman Pete Wishart MP said: “Channel 4 has impressive credentials for supporting independent producers and offering opportunities for young people wishing to explore the sector.
“We are bursting at the seams with talent in Scotland, and I am pleased to hear Channel 4’s efforts to harness this potential.
“A theme which came up in our evidence session was the lack of a Scottish family on Gogglebox.
“It is clear some have approached the channel with similar concern, often offering themselves as an option.
“I am therefore pleased to see a dedicated team tasked with this and look forward to seeing the successful family on our screens in the new series.”