How ‘the most pointless TV show ever’ became an Aussie hit

To say that viewers were sceptical of Gogglebox Australia before its 2015 debut is an understatement. “Will this be the most pointless TV show ever?” asked one Reddit user. “An incredible lazy format,” scoffed another.

But the most common objection was this: “Why would anyone watch a TV program about other people watching TV ?” David McDonald, head of comedy at Endemol Shine Australia, had a similar reaction when the concept was pitched to him. Gogglebox Australia participants Anastasia and Faye. Credit: Foxtel/Narelle Portanier “I could feel the muscles in my face pulling,” says McDonald, who has a strikingly similar voice to his father, Garry ( The Aunty Jack Show , Mother and Son , Offspring ).

“It wasn’t until I saw the [original] British version that I went, ‘Oh, now I get it!’ Averaging two seasons per year, Gogglebox returns for its 20th season on August 14. The format is straightforward: each week, a diverse group of Australian households are filmed in their living rooms while watching a selection of dramas, reality shows, news reports and documentaries. David McDonald, head of comedy at Endemol Shine, which produces Gogglebox Australia.

Credit: Endemol Shine The Delpechitra family, for instance, might be moved to tears by the plight of an orphaned chimp in a nature documentary while larrikin mates Adam and Symon dissect a Neighbours cliffhanger, and best friends Anastasia and Faye give their verdicts on the carnally incontinent bozos of Love I.