Just 17 reasons why Gogglebox is the best thing on TV right now

With clubs closed and beer gardens impossible to get into, we have been left with an impossible dilemma: What do we do with our Friday nights?

As odd as it sounds, absolutely nothing in this world beats getting quietly pissed, sitting on the sofa, watching other people get quietly pissed while sitting on a sofa.

From Pete and Sophie’s mugs to Jenny’s Line of Duty notebook, Gogglebox has it all.  Here’s just 17 reasons why Gogglebox is the best thing on TV right now.

1. When someone cheers at the same bit of TV you cheered at

Don’t lie to me. When Steve Arnott shot the sniper from the toppled police van, you defo cheered. I know I did. And so did everyone on Gogglebox.

When they react to things in the same way you do, it gives you a sense of affirmation. You think: Maybe my views are pretty damn good. Maybe I’m on the right track. Maybe I COULD BE ON GOGGLEBOX.

2. When Mary and Marina talk about sex

It’s absolutely golden when when these two start chatting about all things sexual. One of them will the think the other hasn’t heard what they just said, so they shout, “He could never cum!” Golden.

Who could forget the time when Marina told Mary she prepared for a holiday by getting a Brazilian wax?  Marina justified it by saying: “Well you never know who you’re gonna meet.” She’s got a point.

3. The Malones’ dogs

“Get down Dave!” is one of the best catch phrases of the show. Those dogs are forever marauding around on the Malones’ sofas.

The only time they calm down a bit is when they’re watching other dogs on TV.

Remember the time when one of dogs head-butted the Dad while they were filming the show and his response was to call it a knobhead. Classic.

4. The Malones’ cakes

This family seem to have an endless supply of cakes and sweet treats. But they only seem to get eaten when the dogs manage to sneak one.

5. Jenny’s Line of Duty notebook

Stuffed full of notes on the plot and what all the acronyms mean, Jenny’s Line of Duty notebook has become a key feature of this series of Gogglebox.

I just want to know  if she’s managed to work out who “H” is.

6. Pete and Sophie’s mugs

It feels as if the Blackpool siblings try and outdo themselves each week to get a more ridiculous mug than the last one.

7. The Siddiquis just being the loveliest men ever

 I aspire to be a Siddiqui. I’m sorry Dad but these men are my my primary male role models. They’re just so nice, really calm and have such a gentle wit.

8. When Nutty and Jenny get bit emotional

Mary aka “Nutty” loves a cry. Jenny loves a cry. We all love a cry from time to time.

Unfortunately Lee and Giles have absolutely no time for it.

9. The old Welsh couple showing us what love is

Dave and Shirley Griffiths are really carrying the torch for Wales and for the late legends Leon and June. They show us what love could be like lasting into your later years and they’re really funny as well.

10. The characters who don’t really appear on screen

Izzi moans about “her Grant.” Yes, he’s been on the show once or twice, but he exists more in our imaginations than in reality.

Do you ever have those people that you hear about so much, all the mad stories they’ve done, and then you meet them in real life and are let completely down? That’s Grant.

11. When they film the outside of the house and you can hear speech from inside

This is such a cool technique. Because you can’t see the show’s stars, but you can hear them speaking, this creates the possibility of an innuendo.

They could be doing something completely mundane like looking for the TV remote, but because you don’t actually know they’re doing that, it can come across as something completely different.

12. The spread of opinion on things happening in the UK right now

Gogglebox gives a pretty comprehensive view of what’s going on in the UK. It’s what every politician should watch to help them understand who people are and what they care about. The families traverse the boundaries of race, class, religion, geography, sexuality, gender and political opinion.

Admittedly, the show rarely ventures that far to the right of the political spectrum, but Mary writes for right wing publication The Spectator and the Dad of the Michael’s family literally stood as UKIP MP soooo…

13. It’s so relatable

The show’s concept is so simple and yet it’s enthralling, reflecting your own life back to you and feeling completely relatable.

14. It’s packed full of armchair comedians

Ellie and Izzi. Pete from Blackpool. The Dad from the Malones. Gogglebox is absolutely jam-packed full of some of the funniest comedians around. It’s a breeding ground for innuendos and sarcastic jibes.

Even the characters you don’t think are that funny are often indispensable to the humour, acting as side-characters off whom the jokes bounce off. Take Pete’s sister Sophie for example.

15. The narration

Obviously nothing will beat the late, great Caroline Aherne’s witty voice overs, but Craig Cash, her ex-Royle Family co-star, comes a close second.

His dull Mancunian tones are the perfect way to introduce scenes or give snippets about the families’ lives.

16. Emotional rollercoaster

Gogglebox is a kaleidoscope of shifting emotions. One minute you’re watching someone fighting for their life in A+E, the next minute you’re laughing at a vet in Yorkshire with his hand up a donkey’s arse. Gogglebox takes you through the highs, the lows and the absolutely bizarre moments of real life, more so than any TV drama ever has done.

17. The theme tune absolutely slaps

IN A PERFECT WORLD! IN A PERFECT WOR-OR-ORLD!

Related articles recommended by this writer:

• Gogglebox cast ages: How old are all the family members on the show?

• Vote: Which Gogglebox family is undeniably the best of them all?

• A considered ranking of every family on Gogglebox currently