Andy Burnham made history on tonight's episode of Celebrity Gogglebox on Channel 4, becoming the first sitting prime minister to appear on the show. The PM appeared from a sofa in 10 Downing Street alongside his friend Steve Rotheram, the mayor of Liverpool.
Beer, Crisps and Pork Scratchings
Millions of viewers watched the pair drink beer and munch on crisps and pork scratchings during the episode, which was in aid of Stand Up To Cancer. The former mayor of Greater Manchester was joined by a host of other celebrities for the special broadcast.
Emotional Moments Over Cancer Stories
The programme took an emotional turn during a clip about Callum, a 16-year-old boy who died from a rare form of cancer. Viewers could see Burnham close to tears and biting his lip. "I couldn't imagine," he said.
It became emotional once more during a clip about Shona, who was diagnosed with stage 2B cervical cancer only to discover her husband was struck down by bowel cancer. He died weeks later aged 41.
Burnham spoke of the "utter devastation" caused by cancer and said: "The only thing that does give some hope is there is so much incredible research going on, and some of the main cancers of years ago, there's been such big progress on them. But it's utter devastation isn't it, if you're that couple I don't know how you cope with that."
Light-Hearted Moments and Political Predecessors
There were also lighter moments, such as when Burnham said he couldn't listen to Gangnam Style without thinking about former Labour chancellor Ed Balls' appearance on Strictly Come Dancing. "I don't think I can ever get that image out of my mind, ever," said the PM. He joked he could also appear on the BBC show, but only if the song was Sit Down by Manchester band James.
In 2017, Jeremy Corbyn appeared on a charity special, and others from politics, such as Alistair Campbell, Tony Blair's former spin doctor, and Stanley Johnson, father of ex-Conservative PM Boris Johnson, have also taken part. But Andy Burnham is the first sitting PM.
