I’m A Celebrity is so ‘dull’ TV bosses are secretly suggesting conversations for contestants
I’M A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! bosses have had to secretly suggest conversation topics to the camp in a bid to improve the series’ dull scenes.
Producers for the ITV show think the chat between this year's celebrities has been too boring — and each night a different contestant is given a question to take back to camp to spark banter and arguments.
They are provided the idea in the Bush Telegraph, where a show-worker will inform them of the daily subject.
Campmates have already discussed what it is like to be recognised in the street, and their career highs — both prompted by producers.
A show source said: “They were hoping the inclusion of strong characters like Jamie Lomas, Stanley Johnson and Rebekah Vardy would spark a few lively debates.
“But that has yet to materialise at all. ITV has used the technique of scripting reality in other shows like The Only Way Is Essex and have seen amusing results.
“If viewers are wondering why conversations around the campfire feel a bit forced, it’s because they are.”
In last night’s episode cracks in the camp began to show as boxer Amir Khan, 30, and former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, 36, clashed.
The pair, who nearly came to blows a day earlier after the politician began bossing the former Olympian around, disagreed about the number of logs burning on the fire.
The spat started when Amir criticised Kezia for burning too many logs on the fire.
But she snapped: “I’m going to just do it this way if that’s ok because I’m going to boil up some water and get the water sorted out. What’s wrong with it the way it is?”
Amir accused her of wastage and said: “You are wasting logs.”
He later complained about her in the Bush Telegraph: “There were too many logs on the fire, I mean why waste logs?
“The thing about Kez is that she doesn’t like to be told when she’s done something wrong, she likes her way to be the right way all of the time.”
Amir then confided in former Hollyoaks actor Jamie Lomas, 42, that he struggles to get on with her.
The boxer said: “She’s just mad isn’t she, she’s got a s**t load of logs on there and I said no point wasting logs just keep one or two on there, I took one off and she said why did I only take one off I should have taken another one off, there’s no point arguing with her.”
The clash comes a day after we revealed how ITV bosses are fuming at Kezia’s signing after she had “next to no impact” on the show.
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Producers had geared much of the series into a political showdown, with party politics-themed trials, and even a Number 10 Downing Creek set-up.
They had also hoped she would clash with Stanley Johnson, 77, the father of foreign secretary Boris.
Meanwhile, Talk radio host Iain Lee, 44, admitted he felt pressure from the other men in camp ahead of his Bushtucker Trial. He said: “I find it quite intimidating, not in a bullying sort of way, just, you know. So if I let down the lads, it’s humiliating. It feels humiliating.”