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ITV's I'm a Celebrity to swap Australian bush for British castle

The 20th series of I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! will take place not in the Australian bush but in a castle in the UK.

The ITV reality contest, launched in 2002 and filmed near the Queensland border with New South Wales since 2003, is staying closer to home this year owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

Richard Cowles, the head of entertainment at ITV Studios, said: “We pulled out all the stops to try to make the series happen in Australia. Unfortunately, due to the 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.

“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’s director of television, Kevin Lygo, said: “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.”

Hosted by Ant and Dec, the series usually airs in November for three weeks. The most recent series was won by the former EastEnders actor Jacqueline Jossa, and other previous winners include Kerry Katona, Tony Blackburn and Harry Redknapp.

The exact location for this year’s show is yet to be revealed.

On Thursday ITV reported a 43% drop in second-quarter advertising revenues. The chief executive, Carolyn McCall, described the period as “one of the most challenging times in the history of ITV” but said the company was seeing an “upward trajectory with productions restarting and advertisers returning”.

Another ITV hit, Love Island, was cancelled owing to logistical issues, with Lygo also questioning whether it was appropriate to air a show with contestants “slavering over each other while the rest of world has been told not to go near anyone in the park”.