Gogglebox Australia

Did You Know?

• Voiceover artist Jo Van Es initially thought the show would disappear 'into the winds like a lot of jobs do' after she recorded her audition.
• Cast member Di Kershaw died after a short illness, announced on 25 July 2022.
• Former cast member Emmie Silbery passed away in July 2025 at age 96 following a battle with dementia.
• In November 2024, Foxtel announced it would end its association with the show, with Network 10 airing the program exclusively from 2025.

Production

The premise of Gogglebox Australia comes from a British reality series that started in 2013, where ordinary people sit at home and react to the television shows and movies airing that week. The Australian version selected ten households to represent a broad mix of the country’s population, including larrikins, gay couples, migrant families, battlers, yuppies, and empty-nesters. These participants are filmed using remote-controlled cameras, with the production crew staying out of sight in other rooms of the house.

The show’s narration is provided by voiceover artist Jo Van Es. After her audition, she wasn’t sure she would get the job and expected it to be a short-term gig. She recorded a sample of the script without seeing any footage, which she found a bit challenging, and was instructed to keep her delivery mostly neutral. Van Es later recalled thinking the concept was odd and that the show would likely fade away like many other jobs she’d had, but instead it kept growing. She typically records on Tuesday afternoons, with sessions lasting about an hour. When the writers and producers don’t have footage of a particular scene to show her, they describe the tone she should use and which words to emphasise. Over time, her narration has become sassier compared to the straightforward style she used in the early seasons.

The first season of Gogglebox Australia consisted of ten episodes and aired on The LifeStyle Channel (which later became Lifestyle) and Network 10 from February to April 2015. After that debut season ended, the show was picked up for a second season, which premiered on subscription television on 30 September 2015 and on free-to-air the following day. A third season was ordered on 21 September 2015, debuting on STV on 6 April 2016 and on FTA on 7 April 2016.

On 8 February 2016, a fourth season was commissioned, premiering on STV on 24 August 2016 and on FTA the next day. A fifth season was renewed on 4 November 2016 and premiered on 15 February 2017. A sixth season followed, premiering on 4 October 2017. In November 2017, Foxtel announced two more seasons for 2018, with each season expanded from eight to ten episodes.

The ninth season premiered on 6 February 2019. The twelfth season began on 26 August 2020, the thirteenth on 17 February 2021, and the fourteenth on 8 September 2021.