For most of 2020, the stars of Gogglebox Australia found themselves in the unusual position of living the news instead of just watching it.
With pandemic restrictions in place, flatmates and families locked down to review the shows that kept Australia going, while those who lived apart resorted to virtual meetings.
For the Silbery women – grandmother Emmie, daughter Kerry and grand-daughter Isabelle – that meant splitting up the Melbourne trio for most of last season, even to the point Emmie’s birthday was celebrated with a video-conferencing call.
From left: Emmie, Kerry and Isabelle are three generations of TV watchers.
“It was weird, as the dynamic wasn’t the same,” Kerry, 67 tells TV WEEK.
“Although, Isabelle and I didn’t have to explain or translate everything [for Emmie], which was a first!”
Isabelle, 36, agrees, but adds she doesn’t mind explaining the finer points of Married At First Sight if it means she gets to see her grandma again.
“It was a hard year for so many reasons,” Isabelle says.
“To go from seeing my grandma every second day to not having her around for months on end felt unnatural and was extremely challenging – I’m sure many people can understand what it was like.”
“When restrictions were eased and we could finally see each other, it was the best feeling in the world!”
It’s a feeling Emmie, 92, echoes, admitting that she’s thoroughly enjoying the fact that somehow her family have gone from being the ones who watch celebrities to stars in their own right.
“It still feels very surreal to me,” she says. “I’ll be picking my veggies in the supermarket and people come up and talk to me, even with my mask on! It does make my day.”
Isabelle too knows what it’s like to cross the line from watching celebrities to being one.
News of her engagement and purchase of a new house during the 2020 lockdown made headlines.
That’s taken some getting used to, she admits, saying, “I definitely don’t feel like a celebrity!”
But there are upsides to fame.
“It’s given me a platform to speak on social issues I’m really passionate about,”she says.
“For me, that’s a responsibility that comes with being on TV: using my voice and making it count. But of course, I’m the same old Isabelle who loves binge-watching reality TV.”
And it’s in that new house where we’ll see the three generations of the Silberys once again when they sit down to take up their Gogglebox duties once more, which they can’t wait to do.
Kerry says her mum kept up with whatever shows were going to air, and would call her and Isabelle to debrief on what they’d all watched… but it wasn’t as much fun as being together.
“We missed her terribly – and I did enjoy keeping her chair warm,” Isabelle says with a laugh.
“But I’ve been asked a lot about how Emmie is going. It’s clear that people missed her. It’s hard when part of your team has to sit on the sidelines. Poor Em – she’s missed it too!”
And like any successful team, Kerry adds, something “didn’t feel the same” without her mum there to share her thoughts about their viewing.
“We can’t wait to have her back where she belongs, as it didn’t feel the same,” she says.
“She keeps us on our toes with her witty remarks and unfiltered comments.”
And there’s little danger that’s going to change.
“It’s a great feeling to be back on the couch – I’ve really missed it,” Emmie says.
“Although, I must say I haven’t missed MAFS. I can’t believe it’s back again!”
