I’m A Celebrity weekend shows cancelled after storm damage to production base

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! shows on Saturday and Sunday have been cancelled after extreme weather conditions caused production difficulties at Gwrych Castle in North Wales.

The show’s celebrity contestants are said to be safe inside the castle but the TV show’s production base suffered significant damage during Storm Arwen on Friday night.

A statement from ITV said: “Owing to technical difficulties caused by extreme weather conditions in the area, there will be no new episodes of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! this weekend (Saturday and Sunday).

“I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! will be replaced tonight and tomorrow night in the ITV schedules by compilation shows (voiced by Ant and Dec) featuring best moments from previous series.”

Friday’s episode of the ITV series was the first to be pre-recorded due to the weather conditions.

Co-hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly recorded their links early in the evening as part of “precautionary measures” put in place by ITV following severe storm warnings.

The duo posted a video from outside the castle ahead of the show, with the wind whipping and roaring in the background.

“You’ve probably heard we’ve had to record the show a bit earlier tonight because of the winds here at Storm Arwen,” said Donnelly.

“It’s bad, isn’t it, it’s really windy. You can hear it, it’s rattling the tent, it might blow this away, so we’ve got to get it done and get out of here,” said McPartlin.

Donnelly added: “It’s due to get worse later so everyone is afraid that the satellite is going to go down and all of that, so it’s a bit risky to do a live show, so we’re going to have to do it recorded tonight, which is the first time we’ve ever done that.”

It has been an eventful first week at Gwrych Castle, where the programme is being filmed for a second year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday Richard Madeley announced he was leaving the show after he was taken to hospital as a precaution when he fell ill in the early hours of the morning.

The TV star later said he felt “fit as a fiddle” and was “gutted” that Covid restrictions meant he was not able to return.

ITV also confirmed that an intruder was removed from the set after a security breach at the castle earlier in the week.