We filmed Gogglebox from an Airbnb and lived on takeaways until we were suddenly axed – the reason they gave was bizarre
THEY were billed as an exciting new addition to the Gogglebox family – but within weeks they’d vanished from our screens.
Chantelle Walker, 26, alongside mum Elizabeth and sister Monique were only given a few episodes’ worth of air time in 2020.
The North Londoner says there was “silence for months” after Gogglebox put them on hiatus, claiming there “weren’t enough cameras” to continue filming them – only to find out later that their contract wasn’t being renewed.
Chantelle told The Sun: “It was all a bit disappointing, I feel like we should have had more airtime but they chose to use less of us.”
Known as Channie B, Chantelle believes Gogglebox cast her after she went viral on TikTok dancing to pigeon noises.
The clip amassed 1.1million views and led to a flurry of interest from production companies.
“I was going viral – I believe that’s how they found me and asked if I was interested in going through the process,” she says.
“I had quite a few shows interested including The Circle, Gogglebox and another that wanted people and their nans.”
Chantelle chose to take her family onto the show – rather than her boyfriend – as she thought they would be more entertaining.
“My mum and sister are a lot more confident so I thought they would make good TV,” she tells us.
“My sister works in theatre and is animated, and my mum’s Caribbean so she’s animated.”
Chantelle and Monique were no strangers to TV, having already been hired as “the people who react in the audience” on Britain’s Got Talent just weeks before Gogglebox got in touch.
Due to family difficulties, the Walkers were unable to film at their home – so the Gogglebox team suggested an alternative.
“My parents were sort of splitting up so we couldn’t do it there and we ended up filming at an Airbnb – it was like having our own filming studio,” Chantelle explains, adding that it was a little on the small side.
“They said we could bring stuff to make it a comfy place and like a home but we never did, it was compact really.
“There was always gap between the sofa, where me and my mum were, and where my sister sat, so we had to keep making sure she was still in the shot and could be seen by the cameras.”
Strict dress code
Ahead of filming, Chantelle says they were given strict instructions about what they could and couldn’t wear.
She added: “One of the big things was making sure that me, my mum and sister were all coordinated.
“But we couldn’t wear the same colour and we couldn’t wear clothes with brands or logos.”
Chantelle says filming sessions lasted for eight hours and due to fitting into three schedules they would sometimes finish at 10pm.
During breaks the family were offered lots of snacks and even a free takeaway.
“We could have whatever dinner we wanted on the day, they would tell us to look at whatever app, like Deliveroo, Just Eat or Uber Eats, and pick what we wanted,” Chantelle recalls.
“There wasn’t any limit on what we could order and there were loads of snacks too – from healthy stuff like fruit to chocolates and crisps.
“You could even ask for them to buy specific things for you. I never did but my mum asked for something. They tried to cater to you as much as they could.”
Producer prompts
Due to filming taking place during the pandemic, the crew didn’t mix with the Walkers and instead worked from a van on the Airbnb’s driveway.
The team would communicate with them through speakers, set up in the living room, and Chantelle says they’d interrupt TV shows to push the family for better responses.
She adds: “If I said something interesting they would ask me a question about it through the microphone.
“If I said, ‘The sky is blue’ they would say, ‘Did you say, the sky is blue?’ and they would get you to talk more about it.”
Previous Gogglebox families have claimed the team tries to encourage families to give exaggerated responses – including one star who likened it to “a pantomime”.
Chantelle insists that wasn’t the case with her family because they are naturally emotive people.
“I definitely acted normally, my family is very animated,” she says.
“People saw it as us ‘acting’ or ‘being extra’ on the show but that’s just how we are day to day.”
TV briefs
Chantelle says Gogglebox gave them detailed backgrounds on TV shows they were “clueless” about.
“There were five shows and one news clip to watch, so six in total, and we would be seeing them more than once in case we had missed something,” she recalls.
“I’m a big TV watcher but sometimes I’d have no clue what a show was and had never heard of it. I’d be a bit lost on the story sometimes, too. So before watching it they would give us context to the show.
“It was useful because it meant we could catch a bit of what the storyline was and it was easier to discuss.”
Bizarre excuse
Not long into their stint on Gogglebox, Chantelle claims they were informed the team was “pausing filming” for a while. Months later they were told their contracts weren’t being renewed.
“They told us they ‘didn’t have enough cameras to film us’, so we thought they were going to come back and restart filming in the next season,” she explains.
“But that didn’t happen. There was silence for a while and we didn’t know what was going on for months. Then they dropped us, which was a shock.
They told us they ‘didn’t have enough cameras to film us’, so we thought they were going to come back and restart filming in the next season – but that didn’t happen
Chantelle Walker
“There was no discussion, we couldn’t understand why – but what can you do when they tell you they don’t want to film anymore?
“They said they would be in contact if there was any time for us on future shows and other opportunities but we’ve not heard from them.
“People were shocked when we were dropped, even now they ask us when we are going back on.”
But Chantelle doesn’t hold any grudges and says she enjoyed the experience.
And she has plenty to keep her busy, as she now works in marketing and runs a hair business and digital illustration firm.
She recently gave birth to her first child – a daughter who is approaching three weeks old.
Reflecting on her time on the show, Chantelle says: “It was a good experience but I wish it could have been for longer. If I was asked to go on Gogglebox again I would do it.”
Studio Lambert, who create Gogglebox, did not respond to The Sun’s request for comment.