TOWIE’s extremely glam cast trip revealed ahead of 35th series filming – and it’s the most luxurious one yet
THE NEXT trip abroad for the cast of The Only Way Is Essex has been revealed and it promises another luxury trip ahead of the new series.
The Only Way Is Essex will film its 35th series with a glamorous trip whisking the cast abroad, but this time it will be a place they've visited before.
The cast trip will be to Bali, where they have previously filmed, but still promises drama, tension and some romance like before.
The previous trip to Bali saw Dan Edgar and Ella Rae Wise start their romance, with their rollercoaster relationship shaking up things back in Brentwood.
An insider speaking exclusively to The Sun revealed: "Everyone involved with Towie loved shooting the last cast trip in Bali - so much so they have decided to go back to kick off the next series.
"It looks gorgeous and exotic on camera, and there is always loads of drama that plays out against the glamorous backdrop.
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"Who could forget Dan and Ella hooking up in Bali last series - it fuelled the storylines for the rest of the run."
The current series of TOWIE has already been streamed 8.5 million times on ITVX, with similar numbers expected for the new series.
However not everyone is a fan of the new series, as one iconic star from the show has called for it to come off air.
Bobby Norris spent nine years on the show between 2012 and 2021 - pulling in 30 times more viewers than the current series.
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New figures show just 48,000 people tuned into the series final for series 34, compared to 1.5 million at its peak.
It's raised questions whether it should be rested or retired altogether after 34 series.
Speaking to his Access All Areas co-host Ellen Coughlan on Fubar Radio, he said: “I was a little bit sad, because in my day we used to get between 1.5 million and 2 million views an episode.
"So when I saw 48,000 viewers, even though I'm not there, it's sad. I think the legacy is kind of going so downhill now.
"Since the day I left, I've never watched the show, but if you can't even pull in 50,000 viewers, I think, do you know what? Give the show the respect it deserves.
"It’s like having a dog in the corner of the kitchen that's dragging a broken leg, like you would be kind, and you’d take him to the vet and let him go to sleep.”
However an ITV spokesperson however insisted that the overnight ratings were far from the full picture as the episodes are uploaded on ITVX before airing on ITVBe.
The rep also claims most fans watch the show on streaming rather than its live broadcast.
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They said: "The Only Way Is Essex is one of our most successful reality franchises across ITVX, and the show's performance and popularity is evident in the 8.5 million streams the show has generated across the current series.
"To base the show's success on overnight figures, which account for less than a quarter of the show's total audience, is misleading."
