So Nadine Dorries is heading to the jungle with a couple of cheeky Geordies for a spot of Bushtucker trialling. It seems a bit excessive to get away from the two ‘out of touch posh boys’ but with Eric Bristow and Brian Conley in the jungle, at least she can expect some down-to-earth japes.
However, that’s not why she’s going, she says. She’s justified her decision to take part, telling The Sun: "I'm doing the show because 16 million people watch it. If people are watching ‘I'm A Celebrity’, that is where MPs should be going.”
A similar line was taken by George Galloway in 2006 when he joined Celebrity Big Brother. After just one year as the Respect party’s MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, Galloway turned up at Elstree in order to get his political message across. That most people watched CBB in order to get away from ‘real life’ seemed to have passed him by. He was there for us all to have a good laugh.
And the viewers loved it. His magnificent dancing display alongside Dead Or Alive singer Pete Burns dressed in leotards that gave more information than anyone really needed was classic reality TV. However, his finest moment – or ultimate humiliation – depending on your point of view, was without doubt when he discovered his feline side and snuggled up to Rula Lenska, pretending to drink milk from her hands and purring for good measure.
That scene was voted the ‘most memorable moment’ in CBB (perhaps one of the most eagerly sought accolades in TV) by the viewers of Channel 5’s ‘OK! TV’ – all 302 of them, which is probably a good reflection of the channel’s viewing figures.
Of course, Nadine and George aren’t the only politicos to have passed over to the dark side of reality TV. Dredge through the depths of your mind and the memories of Christine Hamilton, Robert Kilroy-Silk and more will reappear. For a fuller review check out the gallery below.