For the first time in six years, Scots feature on Gogglebox

Gogglebox has welcomed its first Scottish cast members in six years.

On Friday, Glasgow's Roisin and Joe made their Channel 4 premiere. The pair, who are 23 and 25, had been dating for four years and moved in together at Joe's family house at the start of lockdown. Following complaints from fans and politicians over the lack of Scots on the show, Channel 4 established a special casting team.

When Channel 4 executives went before MPs in September, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross questioned them about the matter. He described the lack of a Scottish family on the show since 2016 as "simply insane," adding that he and his wife watch it every week and "could be part of it."

Later, the channel's chief executive, Alex Mahon, wrote to MPs to confirm that a separate budget had been established for a dedicated staff to recruit Scots to participate on the show. Half of the 99 complaints Channel 4 got about programming in Scotland last year, according to Ms Mahon, were over the lack of Scots on Gogglebox.

"Many of people who contacted us to highlight this were getting in touch to put themselves forward," she said at the time, referring to Mr Ross. Roisin, a newcomer to Gogglebox, enjoys shopping, getting dressed up, and socializing with her pals, according to Channel 4. Joe, on the other hand, likes video games, pizza, and spending time with Roisin.