05 March 2023 , 12:00
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Celebrity Gogglebox star Dame Sheila Hancock has claimed she was sacked from the show after complaining about the amount of nudity she was asked to watch, including notorious dating show Naked Attraction.
90-year-old Sheila is the second famous face to reveal they parted ways with the show after speaking to bosses about the amount of nudity in the scheduled programming.
Maureen Lipman also walked last year after saying 'life is too short to watch a series of hopeless men dangle their bits and pieces in my direction.'
Both Sheila and Maureen had appeared alongside their TV pal Gyles Brandreth on the much-loved series.
Breaking her silence on her exit, Sheila told the Mirror: "I used to love doing it with Gyles, but they sacked me from that. Well, they did not ask me back.
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"I think it was because there were a lot of shows with penises in, and because it went down [well] with the audience, they kept showing them to us.
“Eventually I phoned up the lady on the edit and said, 'I am enjoying the show, but do you think we can have anything other than penises?’ and she was quite angry.”
Dame Maureen and Gyles have previously discussed their disappointment over being made to watch Naked Attraction (Channel 4)Last year Maureen Lipman gave a similar response as she explained her reasons for leaving.
She told the Radio Times: "I went in imagining that they wanted me for my wit and my brain. Of course, they just want to show you willies and for you to be shocked.
"Honestly, we were really funny together, but none of that was used. And if they don't want to use what we gave them, f*** them."
She went on to suggest Gyles will continue to appear on the show, but with another friend.
In another interview Maureen vented: "They’re not really interested in our opinions on what they’re giving us. I’d seen Gogglebox and I thought: ‘Oh, [ours] is the grown-up version, is it?
"But it’s your reaction to 12 dangling willies they want. They’re searching for ways to make me go: 'Urgh!
Maureen Lipman used to appear on the show alongside Gyles Brandreth (Channel 4)'So I thought: 'Well, actually, no, life is too short to watch a series of hopeless men dangle their bits and pieces in my direction. So I’m going'."
Gyles agreed at the time, saying: "Some of the things that Maureen has said are Oscar-winning funny. But what do they use? Us yawning!"
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While Sheila appeared unhappy about her exit, she had nothing but praise for today’s quality TV dramas.
“TV is extremely good in this country,” she applauded. “I loved Happy Valley. When we do it well, we do it bloody well. The writing and the last scene was unbelievable. I am so proud of my profession when I see work like that.
“Vera is also a wonderful bit of work. She [Brenda Blethyn] is bloody marvellous in that and the show is beautifully lit and shot. Now TV has come into its own and it is one of the most prestigious things to do.”