Baasit Siddiqui (left) and his brother Umar (right) and father Sid will return to our screens this Friday as Gogglebox returns to Channel 4 for a new series.
We caught up with Baasit to find out how the schoolteacher from Derby is handling fame, if his pupils are fans of the show and whether his baby daughter will be appearing on the new series…
Do any of your pupils wind you up about the show?
"I haven’t had much stick from the kids to be honest. Most of them are really good about it. Quite a lot of them always ask me to mention them on the show as well!"
We hear a few people have asked for your autograph?
"Yeah they have. It’s really shocking and flattering when it happens and it doesn’t happen often so it always catches you off-guard. People have a really warm reaction to the show, but we’re just sitting around watching TV!"
Would you fancy going into Strictly Come Dancing?
"Oh god no. If I was going to do any of them it would be I’m A Celebrity... One I definitely wouldn’t do would be Celebrity Big Brother because the last one was absolutely crazy. George Gilbey from Gogglebox went on there and did really well last summer, but I’m not sure how he would have handled this one! I don’t think he would have coped. I certainly wouldn’t have coped!"
We loved it when your baby daughter made an appearance last year; will she be back this series?
"Hopefully her mum will let her come back on. I thought it would be nice as she was wearing a little pumpkin outfit for Halloween. She got some great feedback on Twitter which was really cute."
Your brother Raza is sometimes on the show, how come he’s not on it more often?
"He wishes he could do more but he works quite late, so it’s all down to the time we film. He’s very pleased for us, but sometimes when we’re out as a family and people recognise us they say 'Don’t I know you as well?' and he says 'Yeah I was kind of in it for a while.' He’s a bit like the fifth Beatle."
Is it true that you once got in trouble with your mother-in-law for not having a shave before you appeared on the show?
"Yeah, that’s right, I did. After the first episode I got loads of texts saying well done and then there was one from my mother-in-law saying 'You could have shaved! What’s wrong with you!' She likes the show and she’s a very nice lady, but I have to remember to bite my tongue sometimes because I’m so casual when the cameras are rolling. I know I’m going to slip up one day and end up offending her!"
How did you find watching Sex Box with your dad?
"That was a bit awkward! But we also watched American Pie, which I remember watching as a kid and laughing at, but I when we started watching it I started thinking it was a bit inappropriate to watch with my dad!"
What TV shows do you enjoy the least?
"My issue is Saturday night TV to be honest. You’ll probably notice you don’t see our family on the show watching Saturday night television that much. X Factor just kills me now, its been going on for far too long. Having said that I’m really enjoying the new Stars In Their Eyes with Harry Hill. It’s good fun TV."
You’re a big Coronation Street fan as well aren’t you?
"Yeah I am and it was so sad to hear about Anne Kirkbride’s death. She was only just coming back into the show as well. When you see people you’ve been growing up with on TV for years passing away its really sad. That makes you realise how much an impact TV has on you when you’re growing up!"
Gogglebox returns at 9pm on Friday, February 20 on Channel 4
