Who will be king or queen of the castle?
Scotland has plenty of attractive venues to offer reality show chiefs
ITV are to move I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here to a ruined castle in the UK because of coronavirus.
TV bosses made the decision to abandon plans to film this year’s series in Queensland, Australia, because of quarantine restrictions and after it closed its border with New South Wales creating a headache for production of the hit show.
Now speculation is rife as to where in Britain the celebrities will compete for the crown.
There have been rumours that the show, which pulled in an audience of up to 10million last year, could be filmed in Scotland where ruined castles are in good supply.
And recently producers were said to be looking at stately homes, castles and mansions in remote areas up north. But
This Morning presenter Rochelle Humes confused viewers yesterday when she ruled Scotland out as a possible location. Rochelle was hosting This Morning alongside Dermot O’Leary yesterday as they discussed show’s change of location.
She said: “I wonder where it could be? I doubt Scotland because it’s quite dark.”
Her comments confused some viewers who took to social media to question her statement.
One wrote: “Sorry but Scotland’s quite dark? Eh hello, we get daylight hours same as England you know.”
And another said: “It’s ok we’ve had that new fangled electricity thing installed in Scotland.”
If producers did choose
Scotland they have a host of ruined castles to choose from.
Dunure Castle in Ayrshire is an option and the small fishing village was used as a location for filming Outlander so villagers will be well used to cameras. And it’s a mere 25 minutes drive from the luxury five-star Trump Turnberry Hotel where the celebs can stay.
Loch Leven Castle in Perthshire, where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned in the 16th Century, is suitably remote. Visitors need to take a ferry to get there and the celebrated Gleneagles Hotel is close by.
Or bosses could be attracted by Lochranza Castle on Arran or Urquhart Castle in the Highlands which have surroundings suited to trials and outdoor challenges. Yesterday there were unconfirmed reports suggesting North Wales could also be the setting for the 20th series of the show, hosted by Ant and Dec. Kevin Lygo, ITV’s Director of Television said: “We announced last week that we were doing all we could to make the series and I’m thrilled that we can bring the show to viewers albeit not in the jungle. “We have a great team both on and off screen and I know they will produce a hugely entertaining series”. Bosses now face a race against time to make the show work with dozens of new games and trials needed with a very different climate and camping conditions for the contestants, who will need the camp fire more than ever with UK temperatures in November.
Some fan favourite games such as the Celebrity Cyclone and eating trials may continue but will look different from when they take place out in the bush as the setting is the ruins of a castle.
Richard Cowles, Director of Entertainment at ITV Studios said: “Our celebrities will probably have to swap shorts for thermals but they can still look forward to a basic diet of rice and beans and plenty of thrills and surprises along the way.”
A show source said the UK series ended up being the “only realistic option”.