Gogglebox star Paige Deville says show was a 'pantomime' behind-the-scenes
3 March 2023, 12:02 | Updated: 3 March 2023, 12:09
Gogglebox star Paige Deville has opened up about how she found filming the reality TV show.
Former Gogglebox star Paige Deville has claimed filming the show was like a ‘pantomime’ and scenes were shot up to three times.
Fans of the show will remember Paige for sitting alongside mum Sally for three seasons between 2019 and 2021.
But the reality star quit the show two years ago, where she fell out with her mum and also accused bosses of providing ‘zero aftercare support’.
A spokesperson for Gogglebox said at the time: "The welfare of contributors – past and present – is of paramount importance and robust protocols are in place to support contributors before, during and after taking part in the series.”
Well now, Paige has claimed a lot goes into filming that viewers don’t see when they are watching the finished product.
Describing the experience as ‘tense but exciting’, she told The Sun producers ‘prep you’ to say things and warn stars which comments won’t make the show.
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“Sometimes they give you a ‘three, two, one’ countdown which gears you up and gets you ready to react,” she continued.
“It’s a bit of a pantomime behind the scenes, you have to understand that you’re a character in a show and you can’t be your 100 per cent authentic self, otherwise everyone would be on their phones for half of the show.”
According to the star, filming involved families watching 15-minute clips from five different shows each week.
Paige went on to say producers can film things ‘three times in case they miss a reaction’ to have different responses, adding: “At times it can be a bit like, ‘Right, I’m watching this again’, but it’s a job at the end of the day.”
And the whole production could take up to seven hours, with producers having to explain the background of the program if they hadn’t seen it before.
As for the pay, it's thought stars get upwards of £100 a day and they also get given a budget for takeaways and snacks.
Speaking of snacks, while there’s often lots of delicious treats in the family homes, they aren’t usually eaten to ensure the shots are the same. Cast members also have to sit in the same positions to help with the editing process.
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Heart.co.uk has reached out to Channel 4 for comment.
This comes after Paige revealed she’d fallen out with her mum and that’s one of the reasons she decided to quit.
Talking to Birmingham Live, Paige said: "There have been problems within the family and my mum was given an ultimatum.
“The decision means I have nothing to do with her now. I think the decision is irreversible. It is very sad but that's life unfortunately."
