I’M A CELEBRITY... GET ME OUT OF HERE!
ITV, Sunday-Thursday, 9pm
AS THE nights start to draw in around Britain, attention turns once again to the southern hemisphere and the latest series of I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Once again, the time has come for a brand-new cast of celebrities to head down under and battle it out in TV’s toughest challenge.
This year’s fresh batch of celebrities will be thrown in at the deep end, as they all face gruelling challenges right from the start as viewers choose which of them will face the first of the dreaded Bushtucker Trials.
First screened in 2002 and filmed in a real jungle in Murwillumbah, New South Wales, the show reaches its 16th season this year and, as always, is presented by the nation’s favourite duo Ant and Dec.
The format over the past 14 years has remained largely the same, with a group of celebrities living in jungle conditions with creature comforts few and far between.
Viewers also get the chance to donate to charity as they vote for the contestants to take part in the infamous Bushtucker Trials – and ultimately the final accolade of choosing the King or Queen of the Jungle.
The Bushtucker Trials involve the celebrities undergoing daily physical and mental tests, though some might argue that they are more akin to torture!
The famously grisly eating challenges involve the celebrities consuming a variety of deeply unappetising local fauna, including cockroaches, grubs, worms and the nether regions of various marsupials, in order to win meals for themselves and their campmates.
It may be hard to watch, but partaking is no doubt harder!
Past winners of the competition include Charlie Brooks, Carol Thatcher, Gino D’Acampo, Kian Egan, Carl Fogarty and last year’s Queen of the Jungle, Vicky Pattison.
Every year speculation abounds about who will be entering the jungle, with some big names put forward already this year, but who will actually be brave enough to step into the wild in 2016?
One thing is for sure – they will never forget the experience!