Skip to content
Eve Crosbie
Viewers were uneasy at the start of the program thanks to Channel 4’s bold new marketing stunt, which featured a chilling ‘message’ from the government
celebrity glasses box launched a brand new series on Friday night featuring the likes of Denise Van Outen, Rylan Clark and Gyles Brandreth, who curl up on their sofas to share their views on this week’s TV.
MORE: Gogglebox adds another big star to lineup – amid Baggs family exit
However, many viewers felt uncomfortable at the beginning of the show, thanks channel 4 bold new marketing stunt for one of his upcoming dramas.
WATCH: Channel 4’s advertisement for The Undeclared War left viewers confused
Just before the new episode of the celebrity spinoff show began, a ‘message’ was broadcast from government headquarters Viewers warn of an “impending cyber attack” on the UK that “could destroy the way we live”. The clip also appeared simultaneously on Channel 4’s other channels, including E4, Film4 and More4.
MORE: Celebrity Gogglebox: The stars you forgot appeared on the Channel 4 show
MORE: Rylan Clark’s mom Linda’s health: How the Celeb Gogglebox star nearly died three times
However, as the clip neared its end – and even looked like it had been attacked by hackers themselves by having glitches in a few places – it turned out that it had it wasn’t really an emergency program at all, but an advertisement for a new political thriller The undeclared war.
The ad got viewers thinking
Still, viewers took to Twitter in droves to complain about the horrifying moment. One said: “Sorry @Channel4 – Isn’t it against Ofcom rules to broadcast an ad or feature that could be confused with a real life emergency broadcast…? The Undeclared War Ads may have just violated that… #UndeclaredWar.”
Another wrote: “Strange trailer for ‘The Undeclared War’ last night on C4. Faux press conference with scowling. Wasn’t exactly the Orson Wells radio show that scared Americans that the aliens had landed. But still….“
Many glasses box Viewers were unhappy with the clip
A third added: “I didn’t like this commercial for the new CH4 show the undeclared war, It was pretty scary until I realized it was Simon Pegg‘ while many more said they were also confused as to whether or not the announcement was genuine.
MORE: The children of famous Gogglebox stars who never appear on the show
As well as Impossible Mission Actor Simon Pegg also featured in the ad trigger points Adrian Lester, set to play Prime Minister on the new show.
The six-part series, which also stars Ed Stoppard, Kerry Godliman and Mark Rylance, is is set in a post-pandemic 2024, with another UK general election looming and follows a leading team of analysts buried at the heart of GCHQ, secretly working to thwart a cyberattack on the country’s electoral system.
Like this story? Sign up for our What to Watch newsletter to get more stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.