The I’m A Celebrity camp was on the brink of evacuation as floods wreaked havoc, prompting producers to devise an emergency plan to whisk contestants off to the safety of the Bush Telegraph amid the storm turmoil.
Insiders have reported that parts of the set were wrecked and access roads swamped by the deluge, resulting in a one-hour delay for last night’s trial.
TV favourites Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly shared their arduous journey into the waterlogged camp over the weekend via social media. Ant, 49, revealed: “We all got texts this morning saying the rain is so bad you might not even make it in today.”
Dec, 49, spoke about the difficulties faced in broadcasting the show, pointing out that the inclement weather had led to a reduced crew presence: “It was an effort to get the show on air today. There were only a few people here.”
Concerns grew among insiders that the severe storm, which unleashed 114.5mm of rain in a single day, might disrupt satellite and broadcast operations. A source speaking to The Sun said: “All the campmates are fine, but producers monitored them on Saturday night as the storm worsened. The crew were struggling to make it on site. At one point there was genuine concern about how much they would be able to film. Fortunately, it calmed down a bit and all was OK,” reports Chronicle Live.
An ITV spokesperson has provided assurances about the network’s readiness for extreme weather, saying: “We have contingency plans in place to cover all weather eventualities, the health and safety of our celebrities is an absolute priority.”
Unpacked star Joel Dommett revealed that he, along with co-stars Sam Thompson and Kemi Rodgers, were briefed on severe weather warnings that might leave the show’s sets unreachable. Presenters Ant and Dec shared insights into the impact of the adverse weather on the production, mentioning that a planned trial was facing delays or even possible cancellation due to the conditions.
Ant admitted: “[The trial] has been delayed because of the weather. So we will be here for a lot longer today,” as Dec added: “We just have to make sure that the trial that was scheduled is doable in the area that it was. Everything is a little up in the air here.”
Joel spoke about the unseen difficulties of producing the show, stating: “People don’t understand that this show is more than what you see on telly. There is an entire infrastructure of stuff.
“Things have blown down in the night. There’s a tent out the back there where friends and family come and guests on the ITV2 show stay before they go on. And that’s all blown away. That’s all gone. It’s been pretty tough.”