Friday's episode of Gogglebox was an unusually emotional one, as the stars were visibly upset by a poignant advert. In a first for the show, Channel 4 teamed up with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to premier the charity's newest advert.
With a new story-based advert that aired for the first time tonight (October 14), four of the most popular Gogglebox households could be seen reacting to the short RNIB film for the first time. The special 90-second co-branded advert played during Gogglebox's own ad break, with reaction from Ellie and Izzi, Jenny and Lee, Pete and Sophie, and Marcus and Mica.
The advert followed Ava, a young schoolgirl who is experiencing progressive sight loss. Ava can be seen enthusiastically enjoying her time at school and at home, without a care in the world.
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As the advert progresses, Ava - who is a keen videogame player - begins to struggle to see clearly. Her panic and distress is visible, as she battles with her own fears about going blind.
The full three minute and 30 second advert chronicles Ava's sight-loss. From her first symptoms, to diagnosis at hospital, her despair and, finally, acceptance. The end of the advert shows Ava once again happy and thriving, able to navigate life as a blind person, thanks to the support of the RNIB.
It was a moving advert and one that clearly got to the Goggleboxers, as there was not a dry eye on the screen. The households could be seen holding back tears as they watched Ava's struggle.
Reacting to the advert, Jenny told Pete about her own mum's fear of going blind. She said: "Do you know what my mum's biggest fear was? Not seeing her bingo books. My mum went to bingo, that's all she had."
Meanwhile, Pete commented in between tears: "You wouldn't have thought that it could happen to somebody at school, would you? But I suppose it could happen to anybody."
The advert invited viewers to "see the person, not the sight loss", and this was the message that resonated with the Goggleboxers. Ellie said: "You're not defined by your sight loss, you've got to carry on living life. Haven't you?"
And Mica said: "Don't judge me by my disability, do you know what I mean? I'm still a soul, I'm still a character. Still got charisma, judge me by that."
Did you catch the emotional advert on tonight's show? Let us know in the comments!
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