I’m A Celebrity: South Africa should have been one of the golden moments in television when it launched in 2022. It was essentially an all-stars season of the hit-show.
What wasn’t there to love? A brand-new location in South Africa. The ferocious Janice Dickinson being every campmate’s worst nightmare. Paul Burrell doing more Bushtucker Trials, despite the clear PTSD he endured in front of millions last time. And an excuse to get Shaun Ryder back on TV.
Even Gillian McKeith – by far the most absurd, but entertaining camp mate of all time – returned (and with braided hair, no less). If it had been announced as a traditional I’m A Celebrity line-up, it would be hailed as one of the best to date.
But it just didn’t land like it should have. It pulled just half of the viewers I’m A Celebrity managed to attract for its regular season that year – although that was still a respectable 4.9million turning in at its peak.
So I was a little surprised at the news we’re getting a second all-stars season. Was the demand really there?
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I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! is one of the most successful television formats of the century. It’s run for 24 series and has hardly changed a thing since the very first class of celebs were thrown into the jungle with no idea they’d be force-fed a cow’s anus or kangaroo testicle.
Almost a quarter of a century later, the show is still one of the TV events of the year. Not quite like it once was, but few shows today could ever reach the popularity of early-noughties reality television – a cultural phenomenon unlikely to ever happen on that scale again.
But its first-ever spin-off fell flat. Not because the casting wasn’t exciting enough or because its temporary home in South Africa due to lingering pandemic restrictions didn’t work (if I’m A Celebrity can work in a leaky castle in Wales, it can work anywhere).
It didn’t work because it wasn’t live and because there was absolutely zero public participation. Sure, the moments at camp were fun – particularly with McKeith and Dickinson being outrageous – but it just wasn’t enough.
It was missing the usual spark, which was unexpected given how many similar shows – Bear Grylls: The Island and Celebrity Bear Hunt – are pre-recorded. They often don’t even have a winner and they still work immaculately.
But they all come with real jeopardy. The Island feels so perilous, it’s still unbelievable it made it onto television.
To me, the major problem was that the fun of I’m A Celebrity is winning the public vote. So knowing that, when Ant and Dec skipped down the path to reveal the latest twists to campmates, it had all already happened weeks before and the winner was already chosen, the show just lost its edge.
The show is a popularity contest; its winner often goes on to take their career to another league with their newfound fanbase. Backing a star and being part of their victory is a huge part of the I’m A Celebrity experience.
Myleene Klass won the first series of this all-stars format and I’d love to be able to say she was a worthy winner. But, by the end, I had switched off.
Klass has built a career by being incredibly warm, smart, and likeable. I’m sure she was just that throughout.
But would she have won a public vote? Can she really claim the title of an I’m A Celebrity legend? Maybe. She came second in 2006, so it’s not a stretch to crown her a winner. But ultimately, we’ll never know.
Now, three years later, I’m A Celebrity: South Africa is returning – and Ant and Dec have confirmed the critics have been heard. This time around, the public will get its say.
The majority of the series will still be pre-recorded, but the final will be live from the UK. And viewers will decide on the night who is crowned the winner.
It’s a shame the next series will still be mostly pre-recorded and I’m sure there’s a logistical reason as to why that’s the case, even if I can’t see it. But this time, I’m hoping viewers can actually be swept away in the journey, too.
I just fear that, without a public vote, who is holding the celebrities to account? I’m sad we won’t be able to torture them with relentless Bushtucker trials.
This new series will no doubt return with another blistering line-up. Gemma ‘The GC’ Collins is widely rumoured to be taking part after quitting I’m A Celebrity back in 2014 – lasting just three days and self-diagnosing herself with malaria. She did not have malaria.
Should she actually head to South Africa and last more than 72 hours, I’ll be almost as excited for all-stars as I am for Celebrity Traitors, which barely leaves my mind.
I’ll wait to properly judge the show until I see it, but I’m nervous about it. Still, the promise of a live final and the chance for the public to get involved feels like such a clear steer in the right direction.
But without the interactive element throughout, this could be another flop for me. Hopefully I’m wrong and this new all-stars season is the golden ticket it should have been the first time around.
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