Dame Sheila Hancock has claimed she was effectively sacked from Celebrity Gogglebox after complaining about the amount of nudity on the show. The 90-year-old actress, who appeared alongside Gyles Brandreth, said she phoned a showrunner to ask for 'anything other than penises'.
Speaking to the Mirror, Hancock revealed that her request was not well received. 'I used to love doing it with Gyles, but they sacked me from that. Well, they did not ask me back,' she said. '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.'
Hancock is the second celebrity to leave the show over nudity concerns. Last year, Maureen Lipman also departed, telling 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.'
Despite her exit, Hancock praised the quality of British television dramas, singling out Happy Valley and Vera for their excellence. 'TV is extremely good in this country,' she said. 'I am so proud of my profession when I see work like that.'
