Gogglebox stars’ TRUE earnings revealed – as the Siddiqui family cash in on fame after dad Sid was signed off work due to ‘stress’

We can reveal the true amount that the stars of Gogglebox are making from being a hit on our screen.

The Siddiquis have made a fortune from their fame over the 12 years that they’ve been on the show.

This much-loved Gogglebox family have been there since the show’s inception in 2013 – and have been the only ones to set up a family business connected to the show called Siddiqui Ents Ltd.

Latest accounts reveal that it is sitting on a whopping £232,941 reserves.

In 2024, the company’s total increased by £115,449.

And the previous year, 2023, the increase was £104,770.

Prior to 2021 they filed full accounts, and although capital and reserves seemed to be lower in those years, the accounts showed corporation tax paid of around £20,000 per annum, indicating again an increase of over £100,000. 

The three directors of the firm are NHS manager Sid, 80, IT teacher Bassit, 43, and microbiologist Umar, 48.

Third son Raza makes occasional appearances on the show but isn’t a director.

In October, it was revealed that Sid had continued to appear on the show despite being on leave for stress from his taxpayer-funded NHS role.

The pensioner was absent from his job at the Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust as a health service environmental manager.

The Trust reportedly gave him permission to continue with the show, but it left his NHS colleagues fuming while Siddiqui remained at home ‘on full pay’.

He is understood to have been working three days a week. 

The role pays a full-time salary ranging from £55,690 to £62,682, meaning he would be earning around £35,000. 

One frustrated insider revealed to the Daily Mail that they had been ‘left to pick up the pieces’.

‘We’re all under massive pressure at work – we’ve hardly got any staff and we’re doing everything we can to keep things going,’ they said.

‘We get home after a long day, put the telly on and there he is, laughing and joking on Gogglebox.’

He is said to have sought and received permission from both his doctor and his employer to keep filming Gogglebox while off work. 

Siddiqui’s doctor and the trust both insisted that there is no conflict between the filming of the Channel 4 show and his professional responsibilities.

Filming for the hit show takes place outside of his working hours and it’s good for his mental health, according to the NHS employee’s bosses.

A source added: ‘He has done all the appropriate checks with his employer and his doctor. They have both signed him off and agreed that whilst he’s off he can continue to film the show.

‘From their point of view Gogglebox is not related to his job. It’s not in his work environment and it’s not during normal working hours. And it’s also good for his well-being.’

Gogglebox participants are typically filmed twice during the week leading up to each broadcast, capturing their reactions to the latest shows and current events.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Siddiqui’s role involves reducing the NHS Trust’s carbon footprint and implementing sustainability measures across sites serving more than a million people across Derbyshire.

Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust said: ‘We’re unable to comment on the personal circumstances of any individual employee.’

A Gogglebox spokesperson said: ‘The welfare of our contributors is always of paramount importance.

‘Whilst it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment on individuals’ health conditions, we can confirm that all necessary medical and employment permissions were given, with full support, for Mr Siddiqui to continue filming the Gogglebox series. Any suggestion to the contrary is categorically untrue.’ 

A recent study by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that mental health and stress are among the top reasons cited by workers for sick leave.

It comes as workers are now taking nearly two weeks off ill every year, according to recent analysis from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) show.

Employees were off sick for a record 9.4 days on average over the past 12 months, with mental health one of the top ailments.

This represents a sharp increase from 7.8 days in 2023 when the survey was last carried out. It was also the highest level since the CIPD survey began in 2010.

The CIPD report found minor illnesses were the most common reason for short-term absences with mental health second.

And for long-term absence, mental health was ‘by far’ the biggest cause, typically resulting in four weeks or more off work.