I'm a Celeb hosts Ant and Dec(Image: James Gourley/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

ITV I'm A Celeb has a new look camp in major shake-up

by · NottinghamshireLive

This year's I'm A Celebrity is set to launch with a thrilling competition challenge and a revamped camp, as part of the show's fresh look. Executive producer Olly Nash provided the Mirror with an exclusive tour of the new camp, which now boasts a Leaders Lodge, equipped with a bed and rocking chairs, offering some respite from the rain.

The show will see a pair of celebrities become joint leaders of the camp after triumphing in the inaugural competition - aptly named Snakes And Leaders - which involves a race to the finish line after the stars pick their teams. This marks a significant change from the usual Walk The Plank opening atop a building on the Gold Coast.

Olly shared insights into the new format: "Every year, we try and create something new, and try and create a better or different race to camp or different journey to camp."

He added: "This year we're going out for an ultra competitive series, you've got a really positive cast, everybody's really happy and up for it, very few sort of nerves. Everybody's terrified, but can't wait to get in. So the advantage with all of them, is that faced with the competition from the very beginning will hopefully lead on to healthy competitions throughout the run."

Among those teaming up will be WAG Coleen Rooney, singer Tulisa Contostavlos, Coronation Street star Alan Halsall and McFly's Danny Jones. After the celebrities make their way into camp, executive producer Olly revealed they will encounter a new area.

"There is a new building that is called the Leaders Lodge that will have wonderfully comfy beds sheltered from the rain, nice plush pillows and big duvets, or doonas, as they call them, in Australia, which will keep them nice and snug and warm. As opposed to everyone out here who's exposed and sleeping in Swags," reports the Mirror.

The Mirror's Mark Jefferies takes the Jungle Press Tour ahead of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!(Image: James Gourley)

He added: "The reason why there's a leader chair for two and the Leaders Lodge is because this year, our walk in, our journey to camp is an epic race. All the celebrities will be pairing up into pairs, and those five pairs will go head to head in a number of challenges."

Olly continued: "The winners will become the first leaders of camp, exempt from all chores, and live in the leaders Lodge, and they'll be running camp, setting up the way they want and the way they like for the first few days. There is a twist coming, which will give them more power than they expected before. So there's more stuff to come, and there are additional perks that they don't get. I would imagine they will be leaders at least until the end of that first week."

Last year's I'm A Celebrity winner Sam Thompson has given his seal of approval to the show's revamped camp and lodge. Sam, who is back in Australia to film an ITV2 spin-off show, was impressed by the new facilities, saying: "We never had this! This is going to be the most amazing sleep that they've ever had. What I think is quite interesting is, we're bringing this in at the start, and I think it's going to be great because you're going to get people seeing how the other half live in the camp."

He added: "For this year, it's going to be really interesting how people cope, because there's a lot of strong characters in this year. I'm kind of going against myself here... I think this is one of the best years, in terms of lineups, that we've ever had."

The camp has undergone some other changes, including a new water-pumping system that requires two people to work together to get a hot bath.

A red Leaders chair has also been added by the fire, while the other campmates will have to make do with log seats. Filming for the new series is set to begin on Thursday, with the lineup including former Strictly Come Dancing pro Oti Mabuse and podcaster GK Barry.

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! returns to ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday, November 17. Last year's ITV king Sam, 32, is joining forces with comedian Joel Dommett and radio presenter Kemi Rodgers to co-host the brand-new ITV2 spin-off show 'I'm A Celebrity...Unpacked'.

Talking about the potential winners on the show, Sam speculated: "Who's gonna win? You can't ask me that! I have a top three who I think are going to win it, not who I want to win it. I will say this: I think this year there are a lot of strong women, really strong personalities which I think is going to be fascinating to watch. I think it will be a queen."

When asked for advice on how to succeed in the jungle, he stressed the importance of authenticity: "Everyone has up days, everyone has down days. Happy or sad it is about being yourself... It's such a boring answer, but there are people who will come in here who are like, 'ooh, if I do this, if I do that, maybe if I get a trial I can do this, and airtime'.

"It goes straight out the window. You get found out immediately if you have a game plan. You cannot be in a place like this and not be yourself. You just can't."

He added that those who truly embrace the experience tend to go far: "I would say to anyone who's going to go far, it will be the person who just lives the experience. The best part about the jungle is the sounds, the routine of traipsing up and down there to get water, going out there and going into the Bush Telegraph, making friends."

Sam has confessed that he's secretly hoping the recent storms around the Gold Coast will persist, making life in the new camp a bit less pleasant. He revealed: "The best part about the jungle is the sounds, the routine of traipsing up and down there to get water, going out there and going into the Bush Telegraph, making friends.

"The worst part... when it rains, it sucks a little bit. So I kind of hope it rains a bit, because now I'm working as a viewer, I kind of want to see people struggling a little bit."

'I tried despicable I'm A Celebrity 2024 eating trial and made one grave error'.

This year's camp will feature celebrities such as Coleen Rooney, GK Barry and Barry McGuigan facing the trials. Rumours had circulated that former WAG Coleen, wife of ex-Manchester United manager Wayne Rooney, would be exempt from several tasks in camp.

However, she firmly denied this and expressed her readiness to fully immerse herself in the experience.

In a recent video posted on social media, she said: "I'm looking forward to doing the trials. There's been a lot of news saying that I can't do trials because of certain illnesses and that, but I can confirm I can do every trial. So I am not excluded from any that was just a load of rubbish, and I am, yeah, I'm looking forward to it."