Gogglebox celebs Giles Wood and Mary Killen have lived in Pewsey, Wiltshire, for over 30 years, and are now famous faces after they joined the TV show Gogglebox in 2015.
The much-loved pair are known nationally for their dry humour and wit as they film episodes from their Wiltshire home.
Now, Mary Killen claims her life in Wiltshire has been made worse since BT Openreach upgraded her home phone system to digital.
Writing in The Spectator she claims the upgrade was carried out ‘without her consent’ and saw her landline service removed completely while her new Wi-Fi reliant landline kept ‘cutting out.’
She said that when the change took place, “my quality of life began to go downhill.”
Gogglebox stars Giles Wood and Mary Killen film from their home in Wiltshire (Image: Channel 4)
According to Mary, workers have blamed the issues on the thick walls of her old Wiltshire cottage, despite her having never had issues before.
The telecommunication giant’s new ‘Digital Voice’ rollout involves overhauling its network of copper cables and replacing them with a fully digital system reliant on broadband routers.
BT originally aimed to complete this nationwide by 2025, but pushed back the deadline due to safety concerns, when customers were left unable to call 999 during Storm Eunice due to power cuts affecting internet connections.
Now, the Wiltshire Gogglebox star has also raised concern about what could happen in the event of a ‘digital blackout’ similar to the one orchestrated by Donald Trump in Venezuela.
She added: “In a digital blackout, where would we turn for info? Carrier pigeons? Only some of us have had the sense to retain our analogue radios.”
TV stars Giles and Mary play an active part in the community, having previously cut the ribbon on Pewsey Primary’s new playground (Image: Pewsey Primary School)
A BT spokesman told The Telegraph: “While we were sorry to read about Mary’s experience, we can’t comment on her case without her customer details.
“We’ve attempted to get in touch with Mary but haven’t heard back.
“We’d encourage her to contact us so we can understand which provider she’s with and if BT can help.”
Despite previous speculation that Gogglebox’s Mary and Giles could be planning to leave their Wiltshire home of 30 years, the pair continue to play an active role in the community.
In June 2025, they were invited to cut the ribbon on Pewsey Primary School’s new playground, and are regularly seen around the Wiltshire village.
Mary, who is not able to drive, has also previously claimed the lack of a reliable bus service had left her missing out on social occasions.
Writing in her book, she said her friends and family would be “20 times” more likely to visit her in a London home than they are to trek to Pewsey for a catch up.