I'm a Celebrity: Best moments in camp

The new series of I'm A Celebrity is set to grace our screens in the forthcoming weeks as the nation gears up for the return of one of its favourite TV programmes, complete with a fresh all-star cast.

The list of contestants never fails to spark excitement and discussion about who will form the line-up, and the rumour-mill is already in overdrive with suggestions and wild guesses about which victims may be lined up to fight off the cocktail of ants, beetles and other critters that lie in store in order to claim the prestigious title of King or Queen of the jungle.

The worlds of sport, music, politics and the monarchy have been thrust into camp over the years, and the show once again returns to its traditional Australian jungle home.

The highlight of the show is undoubtedly the bushtucker trials in which contestants must negotiate a series of obstacle courses, eat animal body parts or down disgusting drinks in a bid to win proper meals for their fellow camp mates.

However, the downtime in between trials has often proved difficult and can also create some memorable moments as the camp-mates toil against boredom, hunger and irritation with each other.

Discussions can often get heated and tempers fray, so here we take a long at some of the most memorable moments in the I'm A Celebrity camp.

What	I'm A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here
When	Starts in November
Where	Australian Jungle
How to watch	ITV1, ITV2 & ITV X

Ant and Dec - every series

The stars of the show are clearly presenters Ant and Dec, with their skits in between clips of the camp-mates often laugh out loud sketches.

They love a running theme and one that has lasted longer than most is their 'Evening, Prime Minister', gag.

And never was it more hysterical or appropriate when they were ribbing former PM Boris Johnson following his alleged antics during the Covid lockdown period.

When introducing a segment, Dec said:  "It is all changing in camp now because yesterday the celebs chose a new leader via the gift of a secret vote."

Ant added: "And that means David's reign is over.

"But they weren't celebrating. They categorically deny any suggestions that they had a party. And this fictional party definitely didn't involve cheese and wine, or a Secret Santa."

He then leaned forward and looked directly into the camera and said: "Evening Prime Minister...for now."

The pair continued to poke fun at Johnson over the course of the series as they have done pretty much since the first episode of the show in 2022. 

Joey Essex discovers a dragon

Ant and Dec often steal the limelight, but they are only as good as the material they get to deal with, and there have been plenty of contestants over the years who have provided moments of comedy gold.

And The Only Way is Essex star Joey Essex was never going to let them down when he ventured into camp in series 13.

He made a decent fist of his time in the jungle, finishing fourth and took most of the critters and bugs in his stride, but there was one creature that got the better of him while he was milling around in camp.

The 2013 contestant mistook a jungle lizard for the mystical beast whilst on his way to a bushtucker trial, exclaiming: "Woah - there's a dragon on this bridge!" and running in the opposite direction.

Gemma Collins couldn't wait to get out of there

One Towie star who didn't quite get to grips with the jungle was Gemma Collins.

From her first moment on camera Collins was complaining and it was a relief when she walked out of the jungle after just a 72-hour stay, but she did manage to provide many memorable moments despite her brief appearance.

These included announcing "I think I’ve got malaria", the dramatic tears - complete with running mascara - in the helicopter on the way to camp, and her general irritation at being slung in the jungle jail ("people who are murderers are treated better than this!").

Dean Gaffney treats himself to a spa day

Few can forget Gaffney's look of horror when Ant and Dec revealed he was taking part in live trial Jungle Spa in 2006.

"Is this a wind-up?", he asked. "I’ve genuinely thrown up about four times."

And that was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to the now legendary clip.

It’s nothing short of a miracle he didn’t vomit again live on-air, as he screamed, wretched and whimpered throughout his ‘spa’ treatments - while being egged on by a sniggering Ant and Dec.

Gillian McKeith - real or faint?

It’s hard to pick one moment from Gillian McKeith’s time on I’m A Celebrity in 2010. 

As you might remember, the poor nutritionist made the mistake of showing the British public how scared she was of Bushtucker trials and ended up being voted to take on every single one - meaning her campmates barely ate.

She never fainted on You Are What You Eat, but a stint in the jungle camp was too much for McKeith, who gave medic Bob the most air-time he’s ever had when she collapsed after being selected for the live trial.

Ant and Dec were very amused.