Gogglebox’s Sid Siddiqui admits he ‘doesn’t feel safe’ as he details struggle to get GP appointment

Sid Siddiqui has admitted that he ‘didn’t feel safe’ when he spoke about his struggles with his local GP.

On Thursday afternoon, the Gogglebox star, 75, spoke candidly about the difficulties he faced trying to see a doctor.

Sid took to Twitter to reveal that he had a nightmarish phone call with his local clinic that left him waiting nearly two hours and ended up with no scheduled appointment.

The TV personality tweeted: ‘This morning I queued for 1 hour and 55 minutes at my GP surgery, only to be told there are no more appointments for today and to start again at 8am tomorrow.

“I no longer feel safe and protected under the NHS,” adding a sad face emoji.

Real talk: On Thursday afternoon, the Gogglebox star candidly described the difficulties he faced trying to see a doctor

Speaking out: Sid took to Twitter to reveal that he had a nightmarish phone call to his local clinic that left him waiting nearly two hours and ended up with no scheduled appointment

Sid and his family were part of the furniture on Gogglebox for a decade, despite thinking the show wouldn’t last more than a year.

And while they are recognizable faces to many people in the UK, it is only by chance that the Siddiqui family from the Channel 4 program rose to fame.

The three men – father Sid and sons Baasit, 40, Umar, 45 – were asked to appear by series creators Studio Lambert after an old friend recalled an exchange between Sid and his sons when the friend worked part-time in a video store . past.

The youngest son Baasit was approached by the friend who was in the pilot episode, asking if they wanted to audition.

His brother Umar recently explained to the radio times“We did a little bit of an audition, where people would come along with a camera and some flashcards – photos of Boris Johnson, Simon Cowell… and they’d say, ‘Okay, just say the first thing that comes to mind’.”

“Whatever dynamic we had, it seemed to fit the show, because they asked us if we wanted to be a part of it. And they kept asking us.’

The trio now sit down for six hours twice a week to film with producers while watching TV shows.

While the rest of their family prefers to stay off camera, third brother Raza, 49, sometimes appears.

Anniversary: ​​The Siddiqui family – (LR) Brothers Baasit, 40, and Umar, 45, with their father Sid – recently spoke about how they were found for Gogglebox as the show celebrates 10 years on the air

Umar said, ‘There are a few shows we watch – about five or six. What we do is very simple: it’s just guys talking in front of the camera. The genius comes afterwards, during the assembly.

“Every bit of it is like a long joke told by different families. And then one family gets the task of the punch line.’

Hundreds of hours of footage are filmed of the show’s families scattered across the country and then edited within days before the episode airs.

While the Siddiquis insist their reactions are perfectly natural, there have been allegations that the show’s stars were coached before watching the programs.

Bassit explained that if a show is watched earlier in the week, they’re more likely to watch long cuts or full episodes, but if they’re filming later in the week, the footage of their family is a bit more “cropped up” as producers know what people react and what other show families have already filmed.