I’M A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’s TV return could be delayed for DAYS after Storm Arwen damaged equipment and forced stars to be evacuated.
ITV were forced to cancel this weekend’s episodes of the hit reality series, and confirmed this evening that the stars had been relocated.
And insiders told HOAR of fears the show’s return to screen could be delayed further as the scale of damage done to technical equipment is still unknown.
A source said: “This is a crushing blow. No one anticipated the disaster that this storm would cause and it has completely blindsided us.
“The worst damage is to one of our three production areas — the tent where we keep the scanners, the TV editing suite, the production office and our IT equipment. From the outside, it is wrecked.
“At the moment, we still don’t know what the damage done to the equipment is, as we can’t go in until it has been declared safe.
“But we need time to get everything fixed and the break buys us some time. We are hoping against hope it will be enough and that we can return on Monday.
“To go ahead then, we also need the green light to bring more staff back on set. But at the moment, nothing is guaranteed.”
The celebrity contestants were returned to quarantine this evening as bosses made the decision to remove them from camp.
ITV confirmed in a statement: “Whilst we get the production base back up and running after suffering technical issues due to the storm, we have removed the celebrities from the castle.”
The campmates will return to the castle once the show’s entire production is safely re-established, with the quarantine conditions for the celebs the same as they were before they joined the show.
If they come into contact with anybody outside of I’m A Celeb’s secure Covid bubble, they won’t be allowed to return to camp – with Richard Madeley forced out of the show after just four days due to a hospital dash.
Read our I’m A Celeb 2021 live blog for the latest updates
It was previously reported that the show’s production area “looks like a bomb has hit it”, with “terrified” crew almost blown off their feet.
Pictures show marquees ripped to shreds, and roofs and canopies ripped from structures after gales ravaged the location.
While ITV bosses were sure to take extra precautions to keep their celebrity campmates safe, the surrounding area was devastated by the weather.
And this afternoon, bosses confirmed that they are not able to get this weekend’s episodes to air as planned.
A statement read: “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 & Dec) featuring best moments from previous series.”
The current series has only been on air for less than a week but has already suffered devastating dramas.
The latest chaos comes after a difficult couple of days that saw Richard’s medical scare get him removed from the castle for good.
