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Rev Kate Bottley Says Gogglebox Was Exploitative and Harmed Her Family

On the Walking the Dog podcast she said filming overtook her home, isolated her children from friends, wiped out her modest pay.

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Overview

  • She described the show as "consensual exploitation" that dominated her family life for two and a half years.
  • Her children spent two nights a week confined to their bedrooms during filming, missing homework support and social interaction.
  • Although the family received a modest fee, all earnings were consumed by cooking meals and covering electricity and internet costs for a six-person crew.
  • A strict exclusivity clause barred her from accepting other television roles during her Gogglebox contract.
  • Since departing in 2016 she has forged a career as a BBC Radio 2 presenter and a regular on Songs of Praise.