I'm A Celeb hit with string of Ofcom complaints amid Nigel Farage backlash

22 November 2023 , 10:57

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I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here has been hit with a string of Ofcom complaints as fans fumed over Nigel Farage being on the show when it kicked off this Sunday (Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here has been hit with over 100 Ofcom complaints amid Nigel Farage joining the show.

Viewers have said they are boycotting the show with ITV releasing a statement amid the backlash of the politician joining the line-up this year. There were calls for hosts Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly to speak out on Farage's appearance on the show.

In a statement, ITV had said of Farage's appearance on the show amid furore about his appointment: "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 20 years on screen. As with any camp mate, viewers are invited to form their own opinions when the show begins on Sunday."

Today, it was confirmed that 42 of the complaints related to Nigel Farage appearing in the show whilst 31 complaints related to comments critical of right wing politics. A further 24 complaints related to a joke about the city of Sunderland made by Ant and Dec.

Angry viewers and organisations have fumed over Farage's stint on the show, including Naomi Smith, CEO of Best for Britain, who had said: "While the thought of Farage mingling with other creepy-crawlies may seem appropriate, anything that normalises or amplifies his toxic views must be opposed. 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."

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Farage has angered fans with his appearance on the show, with the politician insisting he was prepared for the backlash as he explained his reason for going on the show – as he wants to "test" himself – before heading into the jungle.

Ahead of his appearance on the programme, he said: "I want to test myself. Business, politics, media, I’ve done so many different jobs and generally I have been reasonably successful. But I have never been tested in quite this way.

"It’s such a mental test and maybe I will discover who I really am. I understood why Matt Hancock did it. He went in there with his reputation on the floor. The truth is after the banking issue I raised a few months ago, I was standing up for a million people who had lost their bank accounts, then winning at the TRIC awards, I am going in at a different stage of my career."

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Jasmine Allday