The latest campaign from ITV starts the timer for the iconic show’s return.
I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! is returning to UK screens, and ITV has started the countdown with its teaser campaign.
The iconic show is rumoured to start on Saturday, 15 November 2026 – although no official date for season 26 has been announced yet.
To kick off the show, ITV has released an campaign based around the Twelve Days of Christmas carol, featuring all of I’m a Celeb’s most gruesome punishments.
The minute-long teaser features long-standing presenting duo Ant and Dec directing a choir of misfortunate singers, who get covered with “12 tubs of offal”, “eight vomit smoothies” and “two tonnes of mud”.
The stunts were performed live, capturing the authentic reactions to the choir’s trials, as they were kept completely in the dark about what would hit them and when.
The promo will run across ITV’s owned inventory including TV, video-on-demand (VOD) and social media. A behind-the-scenes video will also be shown on ITV’s organic channels in the days following.
The final line promises viewers a “new camp of celebrities”, but drops no hints about its potential celebrity cast.
Mat Rees, creative director of ITV Creative said: “Tis The Most Wonderful Time of year and I’m a Celeb is back to kickstart Christmas. We took a risk with a series of live stunts that brought the full I’m A Celeb campmate experience to our courageous group of choir members, colliding the joy of Christmas with a crescendo of all things I’m A Celeb – cyclones, critters, gunge and chaos. I think the team hit a high note.”
While the lineup hasn’t been announced, current rumours circulating suggest the following celebrities might entering the jungle this year: former England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney; Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson; and Gavin & Stacey star Joanna Page.
Leaders take
This campaign is playful and a little cringey, but captures the spirit of the show quite well. For many people, the start of I’m a Celebrity does signal the start of the Christmas season, so the ad hits the right notes.
It garners excitement for the challenges the show brings, but doesn’t give away the celebrity names, creating even more conversation around the potential cast.
The teaser as runs across social, VOD and TV – so far we’ve just seen the one version. It will be interesting to see if ITV goes a step further with other assets on social in the lead up to the start of the show to drum up and engage younger audiences.
