Gogglebox has been a hit television show for almost eight years, but the reality series has recently been hit by rumours of “inhumane” and “toxic” working conditions.
Various staff who have worked on the show allege the production company who make the series, Studio Lambert, tolerated excessive working hours, with some claiming they were shouted at and expected to go without breaks.
“People have had enough. You don’t turn up to work to be screamed at for 12 hours a day,” a recently departed former Gogglebox employee said.
“It was the worst job I ever did. The way that it’s made is inhumane at times,” they added to the Guardian.
Gogglebox staff have claimed it was “inhumane at times” working behind the scenes on the show (Image: Channel 4)
According to the publication, it is understood that Channel 4 and Studio Lambert have been made aware of a number of claims about the treatment of off-screen staff.
Certain individuals contacted the Bectu trade union, which is looking to improve working conditions in the reality TV sector.
Bectu confirmed it had recently received a number of complaints about working conditions at Studio Lambert and was urgently seeking a meeting with the company.
Gogglebox has been a hit TV show for Channel 4 for almost eight years now (Image: Channel 4)
“Bullying and harassment are big problems in the TV industry, particularly for freelance workers,” a Bectu spokesperson told the newspaper.
“That is why we recently launched the #UnseenOnScreen campaign to raise awareness of the issue and demand change.”
Studio Lambert are also responsible for making reality show The Circle for Channel 4 as well.
Staff on that programme have claimed they were told by a member of the production team that programme makers were desperate to avoid disruption to production of the show, which was filmed as Covid-19 cases began to rise again during September and October.
One former Gogglebox employee claimed they were ‘screamed at for 12 hours a day’ (Image: Channel 4)
After a handful of crew members were forced to self-quarantine, some even claimed that they deleted the NHS Covid-19 app from their phone to avoid risking further disruption.
However, a Studio Lambert spokesperson said all its shows since March had been produced with Covid-safe protocols.
“Studio Lambert takes the welfare of its teams extremely seriously across all its productions, and has a number of measures in place to encourage people to come forward with any concerns they may have, as well as support systems for a range of issues,” they told Daily Star Online.
“All our shows since March last year have been produced with Covid-19 safe protocols.”
A spokesperson for Channel 4 added: “Channel 4 has a clear code of conduct which sets out the standards of behaviour it expects from its suppliers and production partners.
“We can’t comment on anonymous allegations and rumours, but we are satisfied Studio Lambert is taking appropriate action to ensure the welfare of its teams and to enforce appropriate standards of behaviour across the shows it makes for us.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
