A 62-year-old reverend making best friends with a lesbian podcaster. A multi-millionaire opening up about her caravan holidays. A radio one DJ learning how to twerk. This season of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here has been inclusive, wholesome and fun, and acts as the perfect proof that reality TV doesn't have to be toxic and harmful to be enjoyable to watch.
Thanks to an influx of new shows over the last few years (Bad Boyfriends? The Ultimatum? Dating Naked? We're looking at you), what we've come to expect from reality TV has developed massively. No longer are we throwing a bunch of individuals into a house for three months and letting a social experiment unfold; instead, participants are being pushed to their limits in formats that are emotionally testing and extreme.
The increased competition for viewing figures has meant shows have had to turn in new directions to compete for eyes; whether it's throwing famous people into casts of otherwise 'normal' people, or finding new and inventive ways of encouraging drama. Which, in contrast, is why this series of I'm A Celeb has just felt so... joyful? Exuberant? Like a warm hug on a cold December day?
In recent years, jungle producers have booked controversial characters up for the show, in a bid to spark contention in camp. From Boris Johnson's dad to the former Health Secretary Matt Hancock, things came to a head in 2023 when Reform UK's Nigel Farage, known for his extreme views on immigration and influence on Brexit, was invited onto the show.
Thankfully, after some uproar on social media, it feels like casting directors recognised the errors of their ways, and this time around, instead chose to give us a heartwarming bunch of celebrities who got on like a house on fire.
Almost from day dot, the likes of Coleen Rooney and Oti Mabuse acted like glue in camp, helping their campmates to open up and relax around their fellow celebrities.
In one particularly poignant conversation during week one, boxer Barry McGuigan shared his story about the devastating death of his daughter in 2019, while McFly's Danny Jones opened up about his estranged father.
Then, when Reverend Richard Coles, a 62-year-old broadcaster and former Church of England priest, was dropped into camp, who would've seen his unlikely friendships with Maura Higgins and GK Barry coming? It truly has been a joy to watch, and for many viewers, proof that reality TV doesn't have to be harmful or extreme to be entertaining.
As one person on X (formerly known as Twitter), put it, "This series set a VERY high standard for reality TV. No fights, no negativity. A SAFE place, every night - without raising my stress levels. I’ll never watch toxic reality TV after this."
Someone else said, "Hope that the producers of #ImACeleb realise that they don’t need divisive, snake oil salesman politicians in the Jungle for us to watch it. This has been the best series in years!"
Others put, "The exact reason, it’s been the best is because there hasn’t been some ****head politician to annoy us. We do NOT want it" and "If this series of the jungle has proved anything it’s that important and heartfelt conversations, funny and loveable people and witnessing the forging of beautiful friendships and bonds make a more enjoyable viewing experience than drama, conflict and tension."
It's something that Ant and Dec, the show's hosts, also recognised in the camp, telling the contestants it was the tightest knit group they'd seen on their 24 years of the show.
More where this came from, please!
