Gogglebox’s Mary opens up about ‘minor’ payment for Channel 4 show

12 January 2023, 10:54 | Updated: 12 January 2023, 10:56

Giles and Mary discuss marriage on Gogglebox

By Naomi Bartram

@naomibartram

Gogglebox star Mary Killen said she sometimes forgets the cameras are rolling when she's filming.

Gogglebox star Mary Killen has opened up starring on the Channel 4 show with her husband Giles Wood.

The pair made their debut on the reality show back in 2015 from their home in Wiltshire.

In a new interview, Mary revealed the cast get paid a small amount to review the latest TV series’ and films.

• Listen on Global Player: Spencer & Vogue. Spencer Matthews and Vogue Williams let you know what they’re doing, thinking, and disagreeing on every week.

“It's a job, we get paid a minor sum and it means I don't have to worry about packing my bag, losing my keys. I just go downstairs and turn on the telly,” she told new! Magazine.

Mary added that she loves being part of the show so much she even forgets she’s being filmed.

The star added: “They're filming for 12 hours a week so of course we forget. The cameras are so small.

“The point is they want the cast to be as natural as possible, so that's why they film for so long.”

Channel 4 has never confirmed how much the Gogglebox families get paid but an insider previously told The Sun that each family get a monthly allowance of £1,500 between them.

This is then split between the stars however they sit fit.

As well as that, the families are also said to be provided with a free takeaway of their choice while they’re watching TV.

To earn their ‘minor sum’, the families are expected to commit to 12 hours of filming a week across two six-hour shifts.

This means most of them film in between working full time or part time jobs.

Mary and Giles have been married for over three decades and they are both now retired.

But Giles now runs his own website where he sells art, including beautiful paintings of homes and landscapes, with some framed prints selling for up to £250.

Meanwhile, Mary is an author and columnist, and has a column in The Spectator.

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Here she also gives readers advice about all manner of things, including family arguments and awkward work situations.

Mary has also written five books, including one called How to Live With Your Husband in 1997, and another titled How the Queen Can Make You Happy in 2012.

Opening up about how their relationship has developed, Mary said: “When I first met him, he was so funny. I was crying with laughter all day, even when he wasn't there.

“A taxi driver said to me recently, 'Your husband makes us laugh'. I said 'He used to make me laugh too!'

“He is still quite funny but when you get to a certain age... We do have a good relationship, but a lot of it is we're two old cats going at each other.”

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