I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here is back!

Forget the infamous Bushtucker Trials – arguably the toughest challenge in I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here history has been getting this 20th series on air.

Like so many other TV series, the hit reality show has brought in changes due to the pandemic, the biggest of which is the change of location. Flying a group of famous faces to the other side of the world to compete in Australia was out of the question, so instead ITV are setting up camp in Gwrych Castle in Wales.

When the announcement was made back in August, Richard Cowles, Director of Entertainment at ITV Studios said: “The Australian jungle is such an integral part of the show it was a big challenge to find a UK location where we could continue to deliver what viewers love about I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!

“But Gwrych will definitely do that; the Castle sits in an amazing and atmospheric setting on a hillside overlooking the Irish Sea.

“While there will be plenty of changes required as we move from New South Wales in Australia to North Wales in the UK, we are really excited to see how we can adapt the format and make the Castle our new home for a very special 20th series of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!”

However, since then, some viewers may have wondered if even Wales would be a non-starter in the wake of more lockdowns and tightening restrictions. But for the moment at least, it looks like the series is going ahead.

So, tonight we get to find out just what the Castle has in store for this year’s batch of celebs.

They have been confirmed as Olympian Mo Farah, broadcaster Victoria Derbyshire, soap stars Shane Richie, Beverley Callard and Jessica Plummer, presenter Vernon Kay, former Strictly pro AJ Pritchard, DJ Jordan North, Paralympic champion Hollie Arnold and author Giovanna Fletcher. They won’t have to travel quite as a far to get there, and the local wildlife won’t be nearly as exotic, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be tough.

As 2015 winner Vicky Pattinson points out, at least in the jungle, the campmates had the sunshine to cheer them up – which will likely be in short supply this year.

She also told The Metro: “It’s just going to add another dynamic to it. I think I would struggle, because you fire yourself up. You get all excited that you’re going to be in the jungle shower, and in the famous camp.

“Now it is going to be really different. But on the plus side, they’re the first to ever do this, they’re paving the way for something new. It’s going to be exciting. I’ll be glued.”

This evening we’ll see their first impressions of the castle, and maybe we’ll also get hint of who is likely to emerge as King or Queen of the Castle at the end of the series.

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