I’m a Celebrity opens to highest TV ratings of 2020 so far

Filming in a ‘haunted’ castle in Wales led to show’s highest ratings in years

I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! opened to its highest viewing figures in seven years, despite coronavirus shaking up the show’s traditional format.

The first episode of the new series drew an average of 10.9 million viewers, with the show peaking at one point with a total of 12 million.

It also had the biggest overnight audience of any British TV channel since the Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special last December.

Shane Richie, Victoria Derbyshire, AJ Pritchard and Mo Farah are among the stars participating in the series, which is being filmed this year in an allegedly “haunted” castle in Wales.

I’m a Celebrity is typically shot in the Australian jungle, but filming had to be moved to the UK due to travel restrictions put in place because of Covid-19.

The ratings upswing comes on the heels of seven years of declining viewing figures, with the show losing millions of fans over the course of its last two series. It was also the fifth biggest launch episode in the show’s history.

ITV may be reluctant to celebrate the turnaround, however, as I’m a Celebrity ratings always tend to drop off as each season progresses.

The 2019 series opened with more than 10 million viewers, which was halved by the midpoint of the season two weeks later.

Jordan North, AJ Pritchard, Victoria Derbyshire and Vernon Kay on I’m a Celebrity (ITV)

That was despite the return of co-presenter Ant McPartlin, who had been replaced by Holly Willoughby in 2018 after he stepped down from the show due to personal matters.

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! airs nightly at 9pm on ITV.