Roisin and Joe were not invited back for the new series
Gogglebox’s Roisin Kelly has spoken about her “brutal axe” from the show. The popular Channel 4 programme made a long-awaited return to screens last week for a 26th series. The much-loved series first aired in the UK on March 7 2013.
The nation’s favourite armchair critics returned to the sofa to give their verdict on several TV shows, including The Great British Bake Off, Coronation Street and Educating Yorkshire. Several fan-favourite families returned to the sofa on Friday evening, including Jenny and Lee, Giles and Mary, Ellie and Izzi, Pete and Sophie and Dave and Shirley.
However, many viewers couldn’t help but notice the absence of one couple who have been axed from the programme. On social media, viewers asked: “Where is Roisin and Joe?”
Roisin Kelly and Joe Kyle were the first Scots to appear on Gogglebox in over six years but were not invited back for the 26th series. The couple announced the news on TikTok earlier this year.
In a recent video posted on TikTok, Roisin gave her verdict on saying goodbye to the show after three and a half years. While doing her make up for a “Get Ready With Me” video, Roisin said: “Obviously Gogglebox was back on last night and we saw a lot of comments saying ‘where are Joe and Roisin?’.”
She continued: “‘Brutally axed’ is probably a strong way to put it but we weren’t asked back to do series 26. They just said they wanted to take the show in another direction, away from our house”, she laughed.
She added: “There’s not really any lore or any stories to it. I would be the same if it wasn’t me but you always think there’s more to it than there actually is.”
Roisin explained she tried not to overthink the decision: “You have to get over the ego part of being ‘booted off’. We had a job watching TV and getting paid for it like that is class. And in life not everything is going to go your way.”
She said: “I don’t know who made the decision. I think it was Channel 4 but you don’t know who it was in Channel 4, you don’t know why, you don’t know the inner workings so there’s no point trying to like guess and go over and over it because you’ll never know.
“You just need to be grateful for the opportunity. Not many people can say they got to be on Gogglebox.” She joked: “This is me being nice in case they want us to come on Race Across The World.”
The TV star shared she was disappointed to not say a “proper goodbye” to the crew. She said: “We had the same crew every single week and they became part of our family.
“That’s the sad part to not know that the last time we filmed would be the last time. And we didn’t say a proper goodbye to everybody like that’s sad.”
Roisin and Joe announced the news they would not be returning for the 26th series on TikTok earlier this year. A statement from Roisin said: “After three and a half years of sitting on the sofa Channel 4 have decided it’s time for Joe and I to stretch our legs and have not asked us back for season 26.
“Therefore we are leaving the Gogglebox family. We couldn’t be more grateful to Studio Lambert for the opportunity, the experience has actually been so mad and we will miss watching TV with you all on Friday nights! It’s been an honour to represent Scotland as some of the first Scottish people on the show and prove we don’t actually need subtitles.”
