ITV have announced this year's I'm A Celebrity… Get Me out of Here! will be filmed in the UK. The channel announced the news on Friday explaining the dramatic change to the show, in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The channel explained that the celebrity contestants will be heading to a ruined castle in the countryside rather jetting across the world to Australia.
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In a statement, ITV said: "The show will be broadcast live every night from a ruined castle in the countryside. Ant and Dec will host the series, bringing viewers all the news and excitement of the day. As on the regular series, viewers will see the celebrities undertake gruelling trials and fun-filled challenges to win food and treats in the lead up to one of them being crowned, for the first time ever, King or Queen of the Castle."
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Kevin Lygo, the Director of Television at ITV, added: "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."
Meanwhile, the Director of Entertainment, Richard Cowles, assured the channel tried all they could to make the series go ahead in the usual location in the Australian jungle. He explained: "We pulled out all the stops to try and make the series happen in Australia. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and despite us looking at many different contingencies, it became apparent that it just wasn’t possible for us to travel and make the show there."
He continued: "However, we are all really excited about a UK version of I'm A Celebrity. While it will certainly be different producing the show from the UK, the same tone and feel will remain. 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."
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