It’s I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! but as you’ve never seen it before.
The hit ITV series normally comes from Australia in November but for one year only there will be an extra show starting on April 24 which was recorded in South Africa last year featuring some of the most popular and memorable contestants of the past as well as kings and queens of the jungle.
They are all vying to be crowned the first “I’m A Celebrity legend”.
Viewers have now been treated to a trailer and a glimpse of what is to come and here are more details of what we can expect during the three week run...
The trials
The famous show trials will be harder than in Australia - and ITV say are the hardest ever.
So if they think they learned some tricks of the trade in Australia, they are in for a shock. This series also includes the highest ever Trial of ANY series.
Previously, contestants have taken part in Walk The Plank on top of the Focus building in Surfers Paradise in Australia which is 32 storeys and 96 metres tall. This time around a teaser clip shows Carol Vorderman on top of a huge mountain in a similar style challenge.
There will of course be lots of eating trials, with a new South African menu to gag through.
Ex-royal butler Paul Burrell, who screamed his way through trials in Australia, will no doubt be petrified again and said: “I ate kangaroo testicles in Australia. I expect everything to be bigger in South Africa.”
ITV said simply that “the challenges are bigger and tougher” than ever before.
The hosts
The show will of course be hosted by ITV favourites Ant and Dec, who also go Down Under for the conventional series and say it is the programme where they have the most fun. They have fronted it since it began in 2002.
They had an unusual and unexpected audience when filming took place in South Africa though.
Comparing the experience to Australia, Ant said: “Do you know what though, there was loads of baboons when we filmed the series.
“There were baboons everywhere. Like we’d be in the middle of doing a trial and then you would just hear the noise, literally just behind the cameraman, and a whole family of baboons… is that what you call them? A group of baboons? A school of baboons? I don’t know. A babble of baboons would just sit watching the trial.”
Dec added: “They came along in the middle of the trial, they just came along and just sat there. That was the audience, yeah! Hopefully there will be a few more watching when it goes on telly…”
And Ant joked: “We didn’t get any laughs from the baboons!”
How does it work?
The series was recorded last year and so with no public vote, the contestants will be competing against each other in a battle to become the first ever ‘I’m A Celebrity Legend’.
Viewers will be watching things like head-to-head Bushtucker trials, with the contestant with the least stars at the end leaving camp.
As host Dec explains to camp in the opening show: “You compete against each other, in a series of trials and challenges, for the right to remain in the camp.”
In a fitting twist for the new location, Trials will start on the ‘vuvuzela’ rather than klaxon for the South Africa series.
Although there is an initial line up, ITV have also now confirmed there will be more celebrities joining. They said: “There will be many more celebrities taking part in the series but viewers will have to watch to find out who they are and when they will enter camp.”
The camp is within Kruger National Park in South Africa which is a vast area covering 19,485 km². The camp beds, metal mess tins used to eat dinner and even the bridges into camp will look similar, but there are a few changes to the Aussie setup.
The long drop, which is the dunny in Australia or camp toilet, is much closer in camp than usual. On arrival, the campmates are shocked to find it’s basically in the ‘open-air’ and they will need to work out a way to, erm, maintain their modesty. The environment is described by ITV as “harsher and more unforgiving”.
The wildlife
The series is understood to have been filmed within Kruger National Park in the which is home to the Big 5: lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalos.
Hundreds of other mammals also make their home here including 54 types of snake including the venomous puff adder and perhaps the most feared snake - the Black Mamba. They are Africa’s largest venomous snake and can grow to between 2.5 and 4.5 meters.
Other versions of I’m A Celebrity with celebs from Germany and Australia have used the same location, with filming also taking place on the Blyde River Canyon on the fringes of the Park, which provide dramatic elevated views for miles around and potential areas for trials.
The incredible natural attraction of the park will be seen in all its glory when some of the celebrities arrive via helicopter to take part.
The Kruger National Park is also home to over 12,000 elephants, 27,000
African Buffalo, 2,000 leopards and 2,800 lions.
The contestants
“I wonder who is crackers enough to do it again,” asks Shaun Ryder in his car into camp in the opening show.
Well, the celebrities entering camp in the launch episode are; former Boxing Champion Amir Khan, Diversity Dancer & DJ Jordan Banjo, former Coronation Street Star Helen Flanagan, TV Presenter Carol Vorderman, former Olympic Athlete Fatima Whitbread, former Royal Butler Paul Burrell, ex-England Cricketer Phil Tufnell, supermodel Janice Dickinson and of course Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder.
Extra famous faces will also join midway through as late entries to camp, with former winner Joe Swash believed to be amongst them.
Ryder, who went on the show originally in 2010 said looking back: “In the trials I ate a lot of penises, testicles and eyeballs. I loved living outdoors and could’ve stayed another year.”
Soap actor Flanagan, who struggled with trials Down Under says she is “so determined to do better than last time” whilst Vorderman insists the show “changed her” as a person and so she couldn’t turn down a second appearance.
Tufnell, who did the show way back in 2003 said: “They phoned to invite me back and I said yes immediately. I experienced it all in the jungle, which really appealed to me.”
Why do it?
This South African version of the show was filmed last year as an expensive backup option for the Australian series.
ITV boss Kevin Lygo wanted to guarantee a sun-filled version of the show after having to film in a castle in North Wales during the Covid pandemic.
The first series at Gwrych Castle did well but it was thought viewers preferred the original version of the show in the sunshine with spectacular wildlife and locations.
So they filmed this show in case lockdown prevented them returning to Australia in 2022. Thankfully that traditional show went ahead Down Under and was won by Jill Scott in December. And so this show has been edited up and is now finally getting its own slot in April. It is likely to be a one off but If for any reason ITV wanted to leave Australia again or freshen up the show they now have another option.
