I'm A Celebrity ratings crisis as millions switch off in Farage boycott

21 November 2023 , 19:19

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I'm A Celebrity ratings crisis as millions switch off in Farage boycott

I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here bosses are facing a crisis as viewers boycott the show over Nigel Farage's participation, according to reports.

The ITV reality series premiered on Sunday evening to an audience of seven million, a fall of two million from its opening show last year. While the exact reason for these lower ratings isn't clear, the slump has likely been influenced by the public's opposition to I'm A Celeb including ex-politician Nigel Farage in its line-up.

Best known as the founder of UKIP and its spin-off Brexit Party, the 57-year-old is easily the most controversial celebrity in the jungle. Having previously turned down the opportunity to star on the show, Farage ended up agreeing to appear on this year's series after reportedly receiving an offer of £1.5million. If this estimate is correct, the GB News presenter would be the highest ever paid I'm A Celeb contestant after Noel Edmonds.

I'm A Celeb bosses are in crisis as viewers boycotting the show over Nigel Farage (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

"Nigel has been at the top of the wish-list for I’m A Celeb bosses for years," an insider told the Sun. "They’ve offered him a huge fee as they know he’ll drive up viewing figures. Ant and Dec will love this signing.

"Nigel’s the ultimate Marmite character after his time on the Brexit frontline and won’t hold back in camp discussions." Despite the suggestion that Ant and Dec would approve of Farage's participation, the hosting duo appear to have already taken a major swipe at the divisive Eurosceptic. In a hilarious moment on Sunday evening's show, Ant and Dec suggested that nobody would miss him while he was away from his hosting gig on GB News. "We'd like to take the opportunity to apologize to all of GB News viewers," Dec said, before Ant jumped in to say, "Sorry Keith, Sorry Linda."

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The I'm A Celebrity 2023 contestants have also challenged Farage, with This Morning's Josie Gibson being the first to establish her opposition to his right-wing politics.

Nigel Farage had an awkward first meeting with Josie Gibson and Nella Rose (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

"It's not going to be easy, but why not?" he said to the TV presenter upon their introduction in the outback. Josie was quick to address the Kent native's 2016 campaign to Leave the EU, responding, "Can't be worse than Brexit!" Farage appeared to roll with it, responding, "Oh, didn’t take long did it? Didn’t take long. I had a feeling we’d get a bit of that," before the 38-year-old assured him that she was "only joking."

When asked how he'll fare on I'm A Celeb, Farage insisted that his political background has equipped him for the challenges ahead. "I've dealt with snakes in the European Parliament, I can cope with this too," he said.

Farage's I'm A Celebrity participation has been met by widespread backlash due to his track record in politics and media. The broadcaster has been accused of racism on several occasions in the past, claiming in 2014 that he feels 'uncomfortable' when he heard people speaking other languages on public transport in London. He also holds a staunch anti-immigration stance and has supported the likes of Vladimir Putin, whom he said he idolized as an "operator" but not as a "human being."

He has also backed former US president Donald Trump, hailing him as "the most brilliant and brave person" he had ever met at a 2020 election rally in Arizona. As for his stance on gender equality, Farage has claimed that women who have children are "worth far less" in the workplace than their male equivalents.

"If a woman with a client base has a child and takes two or three years off work, she is worth far less to the employer when she comes back than when she goes away because her client base cannot be stuck rigidly to her," he said in 2014.

Action group Best For Britain, tackling issues we face post-Brexit, are one of the most prominent bodies calling for an I'm A Celebrity boycott. A statement on its website reads: "ITV is building the profile of a man whose only claim to fame is stoking divisions. The decision to pay Nigel Farage £1.5m is incompatible with ITV’s values. It’s time to ask Ant & Dec if they’re comfortable presenting a programme promoting this man, and to pledge not to watch until Farage is ruled out."

Mark Jefferies at the I'm A Celeb camp