Celebrity jungle antics begin

Celebrity antics in the jungle begin again on Sunday night, when ITV1 airs the first episode in the new series of I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!

15:50 21 November 2004

Celebrity antics in the jungle begin again on Sunday night, when ITV1 airs the first episode in the new series of I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!

Despite critics claims that reality TV shows are dumbing down Britain's culture, the latest series of the jungle contest is likely to prove a ratings hit.

A reported one in four British viewers are said to tune in to the programme.

Even the Queen is said to be a fan of the show, in which a group of celebrities are left in the jungle to fend for themselves, with viewers voting off a different star each week.

Viewers have witnessed celebrity spats in previous series and this year's line up of celebrities promises the potential for further rows as the publicity hungry stars try to boost their flagging careers.

Celebrities venturing into the jungle this year include former East 17 star Brian Harvey, who has confirmed his decision to take part in the programme, despite the death of his grandmother.

Mr Harvey, 30, was informed that Betty Nabb, 70, had died as he flew to join the rest of the cast in Murwillumbah near Brisbane.

"I weighed up going into the jungle or getting on a plane to fly home and I've decided that I do want to do the show," said Mr Harvey, commenting on his decision.

"My nan was really excited about me coming to do the show and I really think that both her and my grandad wouldn't have wanted me to miss out on this amazing opportunity and experience," he added.

The other contestants are singer Natalie Appleton, high-pitched comic Joe Pasquale, model Nancy Sorrell, club owner Fran Cosgrove, "Starsky and Hutch" star Antonio Fargas, Princess Diana's former Paul Burrell, ex-Three Degrees singer Sheila Ferguson, journalist Janet Street-Porter and model Sophie Anderton.

Singer Natalie Appleton is the favourite to win and has been given odds of 4-1 by bookmaker Ladbrokes.

"We take hundreds of thousands of pounds in bets on reality shows," said a Ladbrokes spokesman.

"Our culture is far more celebrity-obsessed than it was 10 years ago. There is a big appetite."