I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here producers have teased some exciting new changes ahead of the long-running reality show’s return this weekend.
For the second year running, I’m A Celebrity will move from its usual home in the Australian jungle to Gwrych Castle in Wales, where this year’s 10 celebrity contestants will be setting up residence in Sunday night’s launch show.
The team have said that they approached this year’s series with “more ambition”, which includes the introduction of a new part of the site dubbed The Clink.
“Life will be made much tougher for the celebrities who end up in The Clink,” creative director Tom Gould said. “This is the biggest change for us and it will change the dynamic at the start of the series.”
Gould continued: “Obviously as a group coming into the castle last year, they were 10 celebrities all together from day one, whereas this time, it’s something we’ve done in Australia in the past, we’ve got these two groups, and that does change the dynamic and has an impact over the first few shows.
“It could then mean that when they do come together that they do come together very quickly or it might not have that effect.
“I think it just adds a different dimension to their personal experience.”
Meanwhile, executive director Olly Nash noted that this year’s trials will be “bigger” and “tougher”.
“We did set out at the beginning to make it much tougher,” he said. “The trials were quite limited last year but this year they’re much closer to the Australian series in terms of their scale.
“There are more trials over the whole series than we have ever had before, and I think there are more trialists, more celebrities who take part in trials across the series than ever before in any other series.
I’m A Celebrity unveiled this year’s initial line-up earlier this week, including TV legend Richard Madeley, singer Frankie Bridge and Paralympian Kadeena Cox.
I’m A Celebrity begins on Sunday at 9pm on ITV.