Julian Clary is joining the new Celebrity Gogglebox cast when the series returns on Friday 5 June, with Channel 4 confirming a fresh batch of famous faces for the show’s milestone 50th episode. He will appear alongside Nigel Havers as the long-running sofa-watch format heads into its eighth season.
The timing matters because the new run begins later this week at 9pm on Channel 4, and viewers will be seeing a reshuffled line-up from the start. Clary, a former Strictly contestant, said the filming was “an absolute treat” and called it “a perfectly civilised way to spend an evening,” which fits neatly with his own view that his commentary brought “a certain level of refinement to proceedings.”
That polish sits beside the programme’s more familiar appeal. Celebrity Gogglebox is sold as frequently hilarious and occasionally chaotic, and Clary’s account landed right in the gap between those two things. He said Nigel stayed awake, “although there is an unsightly stain on my sofa,” a line that sounds less like a formal review of television and more like a reminder that even the most refined night in can go a little off course.
He is not the only new addition. George Clarke is teaming up with his Useless Hotline podcast co-host Max Balegde, while Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, known as Nitro from Gladiators, will watch with Matt Morsia, known as Legend from Gladiators. Olivia Attwood and her mum Jennifer are also taking to the sofa, adding to a cast that Channel 4 says will continue to evolve as the series airs.
Celebrity Gogglebox features famous faces watching the week’s biggest shows and giving their reactions as they go, and more new names are expected to be confirmed alongside returning stars. The open question for the first episode is which programmes will get the full Clary-and-Havers treatment when the cameras start rolling on Friday night. What is clear is that Channel 4 has set the table for a familiar format with a noticeably fresh cast, and the audience gets the answer at 9pm on Friday 5 June.
