Ant and Dec dealt blow as beloved series 'put on hold' after Saturday Night Takeaway ends
ITV has revealed that it has no plans to bring back one of Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly's shows, despite its major viewer success.
The broadcaster has decided to put a pause on the South African edition of the much-loved I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! even though it garnered quite the fan base during its tenure. The spin-off was an extra treat for fans who were thrilled to cheer on their favourite stars as they tackled the notorious Bushtucker trials one more time.
The show was jam-packed with an exciting mix of past and present celebs including Helen Flanagan, Phil Tufnell, and Joe Swash, and saw Myleene Klass triumphantly take the crown of 'legend' at the end. Unlike the live events Down Under, this series was pre-recorded and took away the element of public voting and audience participation.
The fate of the star-studded campmates rested solely on challenges that ultimately determined who would get the boot next. However, according to ITV insiders, it seems there won't be a repeat of the spin-off anytime soon.
An insider told The Sun: "ITV have decided I'm A Celebrity South Africa will not return this year and there are currently no plans for another series. It may well return in the future so it's not necessarily gone for good, but it definitely won't be happening this year and there is nothing set in stone for when it will be."
ITV told OK! in a statement: "I'm A Celebrity... South Africa was commissioned to air in 2023 to celebrate favourite campmates from the past 20 years as they returned to the jungle.
"The series was one of the biggest Entertainment shows of the year averaging 5.2m across its consecutive weeknight run and reaching over 1 million 16-34s for the launch episode. It was never planned for the series to return again this year."
In news that will no doubt leave fans gutted, Ant and Dec's spin-off show won't be making a comeback in 2024, despite the duo hinting it would return.
The show wrapped up filming at the end of 2022 in South Africa and didn't hit our screens until April 2023. It might have come with a serious fan-following, but that didn't save it from audience disappointment when it was revealed the series was pre-recorded, which meant fans couldn't participate in live voting.
Myleene Klass took on Diversity's Jordan Banjo in an utterly revolting eating challenge in the final. The brave pair really put their taste buds to the test as they faced down a menu featuring a staggering 60 mouse tails and 40 spoonfuls of fermented tofu.
At the end of this hard-fought contest, it was Myleene who walked away with the title, after beating Jordan to the punch. Hardly trailing behind, ex-Olympian Fatima Whitbread came in a well-deserved third place.
Reflecting on her success, Myleene said: "The first time round, I wasn't a mum so there was no jeopardy if I ran around the jungle for a few weeks in a white bikini."
"I had a ball the first time, but they say don't go back to an ex and don't go back to a reheated dinner. The jungle back in Australia gave me my family, gave me my work, gave me my career - I wanted to go to the bush as I wanted to say thank you for what the jungle has given me."
