MX23RW : Monday, August 2 14:12:12| >> :120:11117:11117:

ITV 'scraps plans for I'm A Celebrity to return to Australia'

ITV 'scraps plans for I'm A Celebrity to return to Australia'
© ITV
I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! will reportedly return to Wales this year amid Australia's continuing coronavirus restrictions.

ITV has reportedly decided not to return to Australia for this year's edition of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

The show relocated to a castle in North Wales last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the broadcaster was hopeful of being back in the Aussie jungle this year if circumstances allowed.

The Australian government has been notoriously tough in dealing with the virus - and in recent weeks, much of the country has been placed back in a state of lockdown following an uptick in cases.

According to The Mirror, the uncertain situation has led to producers taking the pre-emptive decision to rule out Australia and return to Wales for the 2021 series.

"The logistics involved in trying to get the entire production team plus celebrities and presenters and all the families to the other side of the world amid the ongoing COVID travel restrictions has just proved too difficult this year," a source told the newspaper.

"The show will be in Wales again and it will be brilliant, just like last year. There is a lot of humour involved in making I'm A Celebrity from a spooky castle at a dark, damp time of year on the Welsh coast. It will be a hoot.

"We took this decision in the last few hours and it is not something we do lightly as there are lots of people involved. But if you look at the situation in Australia at the moment there are States in lockdown or with curfews then it is hard to imagine going out there to make the show.

"The current situation there is not good and it feels like we needed to make a decision and so we are going back to Wales. We were welcomed there with open arms last year and it was a great series.

"The challenge now will be to make it bigger and better than last year. We always try to do that with I'm A Celebrity and last time we only had 10 weeks to transform the castle and we had never been there before.

"This year we have a lot longer, more than three months, and we know the castle and what we are working with so we can really transform it ahead of the arrival of the celebrities."

The new series begins on ITV in mid-November.

ID:457802:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect3039:

Follow us on Twitter @SMEntsFeed and like us on Facebook for the latest entertainment news alerts.

Latest coronavirus PSA banner

Coronavirus latest - entertainment - Click here for more stories

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Did you know...?

rhs 2.0
New TV Picks header

Monday, August 2


MasterChef Australia: W, 7pm
Strap yourself in for the next three months as a brand new series begins!

Come Dine With Me: Channel 4, 5pm
A brand new series starts with a meal fusing cuisine from Lebanon and... the Caribbean

Coronation Street: ITV, 7.30pm and 8.30pm
Alina gets caught up in a fire at the salon flat

MTV Cribs: MTV, 8pm
This week, a nose around DJ Cuppy's pink penthouse
Media Mole's Spotify playlist
Olympic medal table header
CountryGold medalSilver MedalBronze MedalT
ChinaChina29171662
United StatesUnited States22251764
JapanJapan1761033
AustraliaAustralia1441533
Olympics flagOlympic Athletes from Russia12211750
Great BritainGreat Britain11121235
Today's Olympic highlights header

Monday's key events


ATHLETICS
· There are no Brits in the women's 100m hurdles final, but Puerto Rico's Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, fresh from breaking the Olympic record in the semis, will hope to pip world record holder Kendra Harrison to gold (3.50am)
· The women's 5000m final also has no Team GB representation, but two-time world champion Hellen Obiri of Kenya will be looking to add an Olympic gold to her list of honours (1.40pm)

SAILING
· The women's skiff 49er FX (6.33am) and men's skiff 49er (7.33am) come to their conclusion, with Team GB involved in both medal races

FOOTBALL
· A place in the women's gold medal match is up for grabs, starting with an all-North American semi-final between United States and Canada (9am)
· Australia, who edged past Team GB's in a seven-goal quarter-final thriller, take on Sweden in the second semi-final (12pm)

CYCLING
· The track cycling schedule gets underway, with Team GB holding a particular interest in the team pursuit qualifying. Laura Kenny is part of the women's team (7.54am), while the men's team includes Ed Clancy (9.02am)

ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS
· The Gadirova twins Jessica and Jennifer will both take part in the women's floor final as they look to add to their team bronze (9.57am)

WEIGHTLIFTING
· Newly-crowned European champion Emily Campbell flies the flag for Great Britain in the women's +87kg, but faces stiff competition for medals from China's Li Wenwen and New Zealand's Laurel Hubbard (11.50am)

HOCKEY
· The women's hockey quarter-finals begin, with Team GB last up against Spain (1pm)

> Today's schedule in full