Jungle fever (From The Northern Echo)

Jungle fever

10:20am Friday 4th December 2009

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I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! The Final (ITV1, 8.30pm); Russell Watson – Return of the Voice: Tonight (ITV1, 8pm); Comedy Showcase: The Amazing Dermot (C4, 10.35pm).

FOR some, watching I’m A Celebrity… is as much of an ordeal as any bushtucker trial inflicted on the Z-list celebrities undergoing public torture and humiliation. But I own up to watching this latest series, which ends with a twohour marathon tonight, and rather enjoying it.

There was a time when the arrival of Katie Price, Jordan or whatever she’s calling herself this week threatened to upset things. Not so much her clashing with other jungle dwellers, but the fact that we’re all sick to death of seeing her face on TV, and in magazines and newspapers.

But it did mean viewers were, like the celebrities, split into two camps. Those in Camp Katie couldn’t get enough of her antics to win publicity and those in Camp Peter, who side with ex-husband Peter Andre, took pleasure in seeing her suffer in the stomach-turning trials.

Katie/Jordan seemed surprised that viewers voted for her to do the bushtucker trials and finally flipped – stomping out of camp, refusing to do any more. She took the opportunity in her exit interview to dump her new boyfriend, ensuring yet more column inches were written about her.

Still, I enjoyed Kim Woodburn putting her in her place. The How Clean Is Your House presenter has been endlessly amusing with her gossiping, bitching and generally upfront behaviour.

Everyone loved George Hamilton, not least because this tanned actor seems to have slept with most of Hollywood’s glamorous women and has plenty of stories to tell.

Above all, the show has been fun. The celebrities even seemed to be enjoying themselves whether being dunked in vats of fish guts or being suspended precariously from great heights.

And there’s always been the terribly entertaining twosome Ant and Dec presiding over the trials and proving a great comedy double act between jungle antics.

The series has also done its bit for charity, with 15p from each 50p phone vote being donated to Malaria No More UK.

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