From the jungle to castle ruins as ITV finds a way to film the reality series at home…

I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! is leaving Australia behind this year and staying in good old Blighty, as filming over in New South Wales has become too problematic during the ongoing pandemic. Instead, Ant and Dec are set host Season 20 from “the ruins of a countryside castle” in the UK, according to Deadline. Apparently, the show will be as hardcore on its celebrity contestants as ever, with only one of them getting a chance to be named “King or Queen of the Castle” in the upcoming series.

“We pulled out all the stops to try and make the series happen in Australia. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and despite us looking at many different contingencies, it became apparent that it just wasn’t possible for us to travel and make the show there,” confirmed Richard Cowles, director of entertainment at ITV Studios. “However, we are all really excited about a UK version of I’m A Celebrity. While it will certainly be different producing the show from the UK, the same tone and feel will remain. Our celebrities will probably have to swap shorts for thermals but they can still look forward to a basic diet of rice and beans and plenty of thrills and surprises along the way.”

ITV director of television Kevin Lygo added “We announced last week that we were doing all we could to make the series and I’m thrilled that we can bring the show to viewers albeit not in the jungle. We have a great team both on and off-screen and I know they will produce a hugely entertaining series.”