Gogglebox favourites Emily ‘Emmie’ Silbery and Mick and Di Kershaw have been noticeably absent for much of this season as the show takes extra precautions to coronavirus social distancing restrictions.
WATCH: Mick and Di announce they are quitting Gogglebox due to COVID-19 fears
The senior members of the cast of families have not only been missed by viewers during the pandemic, but also production crew from the show.
“We just have to be cautious. We have to follow the guidelines that the government has set out. And I certainly want to protect and look after them,” executive producer David McDonald told TV Tonight.
Adding: “It’s a shame because I miss all of them. It’s just for everyone’s safety, the crew and the cast.”
Mick, 77, and Di, 74, who have been on the show since season one, made the heartbreaking decision to leave earlier this month, announcing the news in a video on Gogglebox‘s Instagram.
The couple said they were “considered old people” and most at risk from the deadly virus.
Emmie, another senior cast member, has also been kept apart from her daughter Kerry and granddaughter Isabelle, who she usually stars with on the show.
While Jad Nehmetallah has been forced to watch TV along with his friends, Sarah Marie and Matty Fahd, via videolink and a laptop, because he could be a potential risk to their new baby Malik.
It’s hoped that the award-winning show’s “in it together” mentality resonates with viewers.
“I know for myself that first week of being in isolation and watching the show, I found something very comforting about it. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. It’s the familiarity and probably just watching people on TV going through exactly the same thing,” David shared with TV Tonight.
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