November 14th 2023.
Nigel Farage's inclusion on the show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here is proving to be as divisive as his politics. Thousands of people have written letters to the show's hosts, Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly, and to the show's broadcaster, ITV, asking for his removal.
Organisation Best for Britain, which aims to keep the UK strongly connected to Europe following Brexit, is leading this campaign. Naomi Smith, the organisation's CEO, explained the importance of opposing his involvement in the show. "The thought of Farage mingling with other creepy-crawlies may seem appropriate, but anything that normalises or amplifies his toxic views must be opposed," she began. "After a weekend that saw police injured at the hands of a far-right mob, and after years of his politics poisoning our society, we want the public to send a clear message to Ant and Dec, ITV, and the media at large that giving a divisive populist like Farage a nightly primetime platform is not good for our country."
Farage is known for his extreme and polarising views. During the EU leave campaign, he released an anti-immigrant poster that suggested that immigration was at Breaking Point. He also claimed that people who could migrate to the UK must not have HIV, and must have a skill.
Best for Britain's website stated that "ITV is building the profile of a man whose only claim to fame is from stoking divisions among our communities." In response to this, over 1,000 people wrote complaints within just a few hours of the launch of the campaign. Best for Britain encouraged people to boycott watching the series until Farage is removed.
Many celebrities have also spoken out against Farage's inclusion. Comedian London Hughes said that if she were to be included in a line-up alongside Farage, she'd quit immediately and sue ITV. Journalist Bella Mackie took to her Instagram Story to share a disturbingly long list of reprehensible comments Farage has made over the years, and encouraged people not to watch the show if he is included. Lorraine Kelly also questioned why he was involved while presenting her ITV show.
The show's spokesperson responded that I'm A Celebrity has always featured a diverse cast from all areas of public life and has a history of featuring political figures throughout its over 20 years on screen.
Last year's series saw the controversial former Health Secretary Matt Hancock compete for votes, despite resigning from Boris Johnson's cabinet in 2021 after breaching Covid social distancing rules. Could we see Farage doing similarly well?
I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 2023 kicks off on November 19 on ITV1 and ITVX. The Agency has contacted representatives for Ant and Dec for comment. Let's see if Farage is included in the lineup, and what the response will be.
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