Channel 4’s Gogglebox first burst onto our screens in March 2013 and has continued to provide laughter and entertainment across the nation ever since.
The reality show which gives viewers insight into how families enjoy TV together has now become a staple part of Friday night viewing for many Brits across the country.
And for those who are avid Gogglebox viewers, they will most certainly recognise the popular Michael family who have been cast members since the programme began eight years ago.
Dad Andrew, mother Carolyne and siblings Louis and Alex, from Brighton have frequently engaged viewers with their sharp witted anecdotes and undeniable onscreen bond.
But due to viewers only potentially seeing an hour of the family every week, Daily Star have taken the opportunity to look inside the lives of the Michael family, their exocentric home and the scandals that caused them to hit headlines.
Dropped by Channel 4
Back in 2014, the Michael family hit headlines and was dropped by Channel 4 for conflicts of interest regarding political matters.
Though they had only been on the show for a year at the time, Channel 4 confirmed that the family from Brighton were no longer going to appear on the programme due to dad Andrew standing as a UKIP candidate in the general election the following year.
Channel 4 told Newsbeat at the time: “Mr Michael has confirmed his proposed candidacy as a UKIP MP,” Channel 4 told Newsbeat.
“Sadly any Gogglebox cast member who becomes a candidate for a political party will have to step down from their involvement in Gogglebox.
“It’s with great regret that the Michaels are no longer in the show.
“They have been excellent contributors to Gogglebox, and we are very grateful for all they have given to the show.”
Daughter Alex also spoke to Newsbeat at the time of the incident and expressed how gutted she was to be leaving the reality show.
“We sat down as a family and we discussed it at length, either we stay on Gogglebox and my Dad doesn’t accept his position or he accepts the position and we can no longer be on the show.”
She added: “I’m proud of my dad to have got to where he is and we will be fully supporting him in his political endeavours from now on”.
Rarely-seen family member
(Image: louisrmichael/Instagram)
After their short hiatus, the family made an unexpected return to Gogglebox in 2015 and continued their roles as key fixtures on the show.
The Michael’s also introduced other family members on the show since then, for example daughter Cathryn who sometimes makes an appearance and brother Pascal, who chooses not to be on the show.
Cathryn has occasionally replaced Alex on the show, leaving viewers gobsmacked with how similar they look.
(Image: Instagram)
Speaking about his return to Gogglebox in September 2015, father Andrew told The Sun he was “happy” to be back on reality series.
He explained: “I have a responsibility to keep my family happy after they supported me last autumn. That was a big deal for us.
“They supported me then, so it’s my time to support them now.
“I was happy to step down in order to pick up Gogglebox.”
Ofcom complaints
(Image: CHANNEL 4)
Although the Michael family are much loved by viewers, they’ve also been in the firing line when it comes to Ofcom complaints.
Last year, the Michael’s received backlash after they made “derogatory” comments regarding young adults moving to other parts of the country to go to university.
While they sat down to watch the segment from the BBC news, Son Louis said: “As long as they’re not going clubbing and picking up 18/19 year olds and taking them back to halls, things will be fine.
“It seems crazy that they were putting out all of these schemes like Eat Out To Help Out and trying basically to get everyone back to normal, and now they’re blaming young people.”
His sister Alex also agreed with his sentiments and said: “It just seems backwards to me because if there’s a small group of people who are at risk of dying, then it should be them self-isolating – not the large group of young people.
“And also it should be their choice because if they’re aware of the risks and the statistics then it should be their choice whether they isolate or not. But to make everyone else put their lives on hold, it’s ridiculous.”
The comments by the siblings caused uproar and led some viewers to contact Ofcom as a result.
Other avid watchers also took to Twitter to complain about what they just heard.
One upset viewer penned at the time: “The Michael family. So bloody selfish and ignorant. I’ll just give up working and hide in a box. Happy now? #GOGGLEBOX.”
Lavish home
(Image: louisrmichael/Instagram)
As viewers only get to see a glimpse of the family’s lavish home every week, siblings Alex and Louis often post pics inside other parts of the their luxurious pad.
The gorgeous home located in Sussex features vintage crockery, stunning art pieces and fashionable flooring.
The home comes with a large living room area that boasts huge open windows with antiques placed over the top of the curtain pelmet.
The family’s dining room also features a large dining table and French doors that look out onto another room in the house.
There is also a huge gold mirror located in the hallway that the family members pose at while getting ready.
