The first episode of I'm A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! aired last night, much to the delight of viewers across the country.
But the first instalment of the new series was brought to an abrupt end on Sunday as Ant and Dec’s usual walk into camp was scrapped due to an early trial twist.
The show returned to its usual home in Australia for the first time since 2019 as welcome scenes aired across the UK.
Ant and Dec looked delighted to be back in their old stomping ground after presenting the show for two years from a castle in North Wales.
Their first episode aired for a massive 105 minutes in a bumper launch and featured a big twist.
Four of the celebs, two of which had been voted to be Jungle VIPs by the public, were sent to a deserted island.
Their fellow campmates were sent to camp to get comfy for the night before the VIPs – Boy George, Olivia Attwood, Chris Moyles and Scarlette Douglas – were told they would be doing the first trial of the 2022 series.
They would have to complete the trial before heading into the jungle, which Olivia seemed excited about while Chris felt a sense of impending doom at the prospect.
The usual format sees Ant and Dec enter the camp at the end of each episode. But last night, as there was no public vote on who should do the trial, the Geordie pair left the celebs to their own devices, shelving the tradition for the night.
At the end of the episode, Ant told how much he’d missed the camp, before Dec revealed they’d be staying put in the studio in the trees.
"So, we already know the VIPs are doing tomorrow's trial, which means Ant and I don't need to go down into camp tonight," Dec revealed.
Ant threw his arms up in the air in disappointment before announcing: "So that's it from us. We'll be back tomorrow from 9 o'clock with the first trial of the series. See you then.”
This year’s line up of celebrities entering the jungle include Boy George, Sue Cleaver, Owen Warner, Scarlette Douglas, Mike Tindall, Charlene White, Chris Moyles, Jill Scott, Babatúndé Aléshé and Olivia Attwood, with Tory MP Matt Hancock set to join at a later date.
Boy George is one of the star names this year, with the singer revealing it was Ant and Dec themselves who convinced him to do the show: "It actually took a while because I talked about it with my manager, and then we stopped talking about it and I said 'oh I'm not doing it'. And then I spoke to Ant and Dec, and they just encouraged me you know, as they do."
*I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! returned last night. Watch the next live episode tonight at 9pm on ITV and ITV Hub.
