Gogglebox

Gogglebox

Produced by: Studio Lambert

Format distributor: All3Media International

Broadcasted on: Channel 4 at 9pm on Fridays (watershed)

TEXT

Genre: Reality-TV

• Channel 4 groups the text under the genre of documentary, but there is plenty of evidence of hybridity e.g. TV Review show.
• Mainly seems to use aspects of the following documentary sub-­genres: observational documentary, fly on the wall and reality television.

·         Contains signifiers of a television review show.

Narrative:

Some of Britain's most opinionated and avid TV viewers comment freely on the best and worst television shows of the past week, from the comfort of their sofas.

o   There is no plot, but a narrative is constructed for the audience through a range of techniques.

o   One device is the deliberate selection of the voiceover narrator (Caroline Aherne). The ‘narrative’ arises from the situation: sitting in the living room talking about what they are watching.

o   The narrative structure of the show is created through the use of montage: a selection of shots edited together selected to create the impression that the groups are watching at the same time. Same structure is repeated each episode.

o   It is possible to argue that the participants are constructed as characters through the selection and use of mise en scene.

Representation:

o   National Identity - provides a representation of ‘contemporary’ Britain that shows we are united by the shared pleasure we receive from watching television (preferred reading). Oppositional readings might be that it presents a highly mediated, partial, over-­‐simplified representation that reflects ideological assumptions about identity. For example, the balance of age, gender, ethnicity and relationship types could be seen as unrealistic because it is too constructed. A negotiated reading might be that the show provides some insight into how Britain is changing: sitting in front of the television is a valid selection for providing insight into our behaviour. TV continues to have a big impact on British culture, but the ritual of sitting in front of the television has changed over the past 20 years with the growth of technologies. This is suggested partly through such denotations as participants using their smart phone whilst watching.

o   Gender & Ethnicity – channel 4 openly select a range of contributors partly based on these factors; this is deliberate, and the preferred reading might be that it serves to offer a snapshot of modern Britain.

AUDIENCE

Started off with roughly 732,000 viewers yet by the time the second series landed in September 2013 the audience had grown to 1.3 million viewers, with the fifth series' début netting 3.3 million viewers in February 2015.

Appeal and targeting:

It is constructed to appeal to the British audiences primarily through the selection and construction of the show.

Encourages viewers to join in the conversation using the #Gogglebox and features a feed on the website.

There have been spin-off versions with celebrities, this is done to attract a wider audience.

Uses and gratification:

Social interaction – as gogglebox has such a large audience, people watch it to be able to talk about it with their friends and colleagues.

Surveillance – since the show is about what’s been on the TV in the past week, people watch it to get a quicker overview on what’s been happening.

INDUSTRY

Marketing: There has been a lot of press coverage on the show, which is likely to have generated more viewers.

Importance for Channel 4:

The show is highlighted as one of Channel 4’s main success stories and part of the channel’s attempt to mix documentary and comedy.