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Sam Thompson on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!© ITV/Shutterstock

Why I’m a Celebrity viewers are calling latest episode a TV highlight of 2023

Have you been watching I'm a Celebrity 2023?

Emmy Griffiths
TV & Film Editor
December 1, 2023
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I’m a Celebrity’s Thursday night episode had fans in hysterics, with some even going so far as to call the comedic moment between Sam Thompson and Tony Bellew the television highlight of 2023!

During the episode, Sam and Tony were taking part in a Dingo Dollar challenge, with Tony appearing to look somewhat less enthused than Sam, who has been praised for his enthusiastic approach to the show. 

WATCH: Fans in hysterics as Sam tries to kill mosquito on Tony’s head

While chatting to the camera, with Sam explaining to Tony that he was "Jamie Laing’s intern," he interrupted Tony’s questions by hitting him on the side of the head after spotting a mosquito. He shouted: "Mosquito! Swear on my life." Tony responded by taking a deep breath, with Jamie joking: "That was dangerous! Could have got punched then!" 

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, to discuss the hilarious moment, one person wrote: "The funniest thing to happen tonight. Like Tony had to dig deep to not knock Sam out #ImACeleb." Another person added: "Sam is unreal. I can't believe he just slaps Tony Bellew without warning and just carries on with himself, quality, my favourite to win."

Tony Bellew and Sam Thompson on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!© ITV/Shutterstock
Tony Bellew and Sam Thompson on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

A third person wrote: "Arguably the best 10 seconds of TV in 2023 courtesy of Sam and Tony."  Another person joked: "If Sam doesn’t win this season we RIOT!" 

Sam is dating Zara McDermott who has been supporting him on social media. In a recent Q&A, she responded to questions about whether people were finding Sam irritating in the jungle, saying: "I think all of us are different and there’re so many different personalities in there, but no one has said anything unkind to him or about him at all? 

HELLO!'s favourite Apple TV+ shows

Brie Larson as Elizabeth Zott© Apple TV+
Brie Larson stars as Elizabeth Zott in Lessons in Chemistry
  • Bad Sisters - A dark comedy that follows four sisters who set out to free a fifth from an abusive husband. 
  • Hijack - Idris Elba leads the cast as Sam Nelson, a courageous hostage onboard a hijacked commercial plane on a seven-hour flight from Dubai to London.
  • Slow Horses - Star-studded spy thriller that follows a group of misfit intelligence agents who have been banished to the dumping ground department of MI5 after making career-ending mistakes. 
Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb in Slow Horses
Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb in Slow Horses
  • Lessons in Chemistry - Brie Larson stars in this adaptation of Bonnie Garmus's bestselling novel. It follows chemistry genius Elizabeth Zott, whose dreams of becoming a scientist are stunted by 1950s sexism. 
  • The Buccaneers - A frothy period drama that sees five young, rich American girls journey from New York to 1870s London, where they enter High Society in a bid to bag themselves an aristocrat.
Did you spot Mia in The Buccaneers?
Mia Threapleton in The Buccaneers
  • Ted Lasso - Jason Sudeikis plays a hapless American coach who comes to the UK to manage struggling football team, AFC Richmond. 
  • The Morning Show - Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon star in the drama, which examines the culture behind a network news show. After her co-star is accused of sexual misconduct, anchor Alex Levy is handed the reins to The Morning Show. 
  • Silo - A dystopian murder mystery thriller in which the last of humanity live underground in a giant silo and are forced to follow strict rules they believe are in place to protect them. 
Reese Witherspoon in The Morning Show© Apple TV+
Reese Witherspoon in The Morning Show

"Unless I’m watching something different? It seems to me that everyone has warmed to him in the camp! I think it would be a very different camp without him there, he has created more fun and excitement for everyone." 

During the episode, Sam spoke about his ADHD and autism diagnosis, saying: "[It happened] last year, mate. There are loads of people who are actually like, of a certain age who get diagnosed way later. When the low bits happen, it goes low. But then the highs are really high.

Tony Bellew had to take a deep breath after the hilarious moment© ITV/Shutterstock
Tony Bellew had to take a deep breath after the hilarious moment

"My girlfriend Zara is so steady and it's so good for me. When she's going steady I'm going like that [motions a wavy line]. My timekeeping is terrible. I get quite selfish, not just with her, but with everyone, my mates or whatever. My listening to Zara… I'm just finding myself staring off at something completely different. You sort of feel like you're a bit of a kook sometimes." 

He added: "[It’s] weird no one spotted it beforehand at school, but if you look at all of my report cards, every single one says the same, it says: 'Likeable enough guy, but lacks focus'. It's staring at you in the face. If I'd known as a kid, not much would have changed, but how you feel about yourself probably changes. I remember crying into my textbook because I couldn't understand the words going into my head. You want to do good. You don't want to be mischievous or anything like that."

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