24 November 2023 , 22:14
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I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! fans were sent into blind panic on Friday night as a long standing member of the show was nowhere to be seen during a medical emergency.
The long-running ITV reality show has been on air since 2002 and has seen Ant and Dec host the show every year since it began - except for one year when Holly Willoughby filled in while 48-year-old Ant McPartlin dealt with some personal issues as he battled drink and drug addiction. But the Geordie lads are not the only familiar faces that have appeared on the celebrity popularity contest.
For twenty years, Dr Bob McCarron has been waiting in the wings to run to the rescue whenever one of the celebrities ended up in trouble. But on Friday night, fans were alarmed to see he was missing when professional food critic Grace Dent faced a medical crisis.
The 50-year-old food expert was sent to take part in a trial which saw her head encased in a giant fishbowl-like contraption which was subsequently filled with meal worms and cockroaches. She had to unscrew American footballs from a case and throw them towards her teammate Nigel Farage who then had to catch the ball and run to a touchdown in order to score points.
Medic Bob quit the show in 2022 and has now been replaced (ITV)The pair faced off against controversial YouTube star Nella Rose and former Made In Chelsea star Sam Thompson in the trial - and Grace and Nigel were victorious when Nella quit the challenge even though she was in the lead. When Grace removed the giant contraption from her head, she was distressed when she could hear something moving inside her ear and immediately panicked that a cockroach had crawled inside.
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Medics were called to the scene and Grace had her ear syringed to get any critters flushed out of her ear. But viewers were distressed when it was an unfamiliar man rushing to Grace’s aid, and not Medic Bob.
Taking to X/Twitter, many TV fans shared their distress, with one writing: "Where’s medic Bob??" While another TV fan was less restrained, typing: "Where tf is Medic Bob? This is an outrage." Another fan wrote: "It’s missing Bob the medic hours." While a further fan urged: "Bring back Dr Bob."
Bob himself quit the show in 2022 with an ITV spokesperson confirming he had opted not to return to the show. A spokesperson said: "Bob will always be a friend to the show. We wish him all the very best and thank him for his hard work."