I’m A Celeb 2025 has just started, and although viewers feel like they know the jungle inside out, the show we watch today is barely recognisable from the one that first aired more than two decades ago.
The Covid pandemic forced ITV to film in a Welsh castle for two years, but even long before that temporary relocation, I’m A Celeb had already transformed massively behind the scenes.
From deodorant bans to modesty smocks, here are all the major I’m A Celeb changes over the years.
Deodorant was originally banned
via ITV
In the very first series, there was no jungle shower, no deodorant allowed, and campmates were told to wash in the creek like wilderness castaways.
But it backfired spectacularly. Celebs smelled so appalling that even the camera crew complained, forcing producers to allow deodorant from series two onward.
There wasn’t always a ‘modesty smock’
via ITV
Privacy was practically nonexistent at first. With no changing area and cameras everywhere, the original campmates complained there was nowhere to change without exposing themselves. After multiple heated appeals in the Bush Telegraph, producer Richard Cowles responded by inventing the now-iconic modesty smock, a simple sheet with a head hole.
The five-second broadcast delay
via ITV
Early evictions were broadcast live with no safety delay until John Lydon joined in series three.
Upon being voted out, Johnny delivered an expletive-filled outburst, “You f***ing c***s.” This prompted a panicked apology from Dec and forced ITV to implement a permanent five-second broadcast delay. That safety buffer is still in place today.
Jungle location change
via ITV
The first-ever series wasn’t filmed in the jungle we know now. In 2002, production built a basic camp at King Ranch near Tully, Queensland, with crew staying at the Mission Beach Hotel.
Only from series two onward did filming move to the now-permanent home in Springbrook National Park, New South Wales, where the main camp remains today.
It was originally a summer show
via ITV
Before it became synonymous with the countdown to Christmas, I’m A Celeb was a summer programme. Series one aired in August 2002, series two aired in April, and series three aired in January.
It wasn’t until 2004 that ITV locked it into the November slot, filming two seasons that year to reset the schedule.
More tasks were added because of slow days
via ITV
In the earliest seasons, celebrities had nothing to do all day, no Dingo Dollar challenges, no phone boxes, no red buses, no puzzles.
The boredom was so intense that Tony Blackburn famously became fixated on collecting logs, baffling his campmates.
Producers eventually padded out each day with:
- Dingo Dollar / Challenge events
- Games and brainteasers
- Clue hunts
- Surprise immunity battles
- Themed camp props (the bus, the box, etc.)
These additions kept both campmates and viewers more entertained.
The campmates don’t cook over a fire anymore
via ITV
From day one until 2019, every meal was cooked on an open flame. But during the catastrophic Australian bushfire season, blazes came within 30 km of the set. For safety, producers switched the cast to gas cooking, a change that remains today.
Kiosk Keith got sacked
via ITV
Kiosk Keith, the stone-faced star of the Outback Shack, became a favourite in 2013. But in 2017, he disappeared suddenly. ITV later confirmed that the actor who played him, Raymond Grand, was sacked after allegations of inappropriate behaviour toward a crew member. He was permanently removed from the show.
Then along came Kiosk Kev, who now mans the Outback Shack with the same grumpy energy we know and love. Truly, a legacy.
Eating live bugs was a thing
via ITV
For years, the show was known (and complained about) for making celebrities chomp on live critters. Remember Ferne McCann eating that live water spider? Many viewers still aren’t over it. Eventually, after years of backlash, the show banned live-eating altogether.
The new Bushtucker Trial voting rule
via ITV
For the first time, ITV introduced a major change to stop the same celebrity being repeatedly voted into trials. It’s the “two in a row, then you miss a go” rule.
If a celebrity is voted to do trials two times in a row, they are automatically excluded from the next public vote. ITV says the purpose is to prevent target voting, let quieter campmates shine, and create a more balanced screen time.
This rule is officially in the 2025 ITV voting terms.
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