Hit Stories: The circus behind the scenes of I’m A Celebrity

The show, which sees celebrities pitched into the hostile landscape of a basic camp in Australia, is as well-known for the humour brought by its regular hosts Ant and Dec as it is for the arduous and frequently terrifying tasks its celebrity competitors undertake. The blend of fun and fraught activities has proven to be a huge draw for audiences and participants alike, with football manager Harry Redknapp, actress Emily Atack, and actor John Barrowman among those queuing up to take part in the 2018 series.

While audiences see a very polished final product on screen (bar the odd snake or spider bite) the effort behind the scenes is gargantuan, with up to 900 people working across production and 28 edit suites to turn the show around on a daily basis.

In this latest episode of Hit Stories, the Thinkbox-produced series looking at some of the biggest shows on TV, John Plunkett interviews creative director at ITV Studios Richard Cowles and the show’s creative mastermind and production executive Helen Kruger-Bratt about everything from the show’s undeniable longevity, to why the celebrities all wear red socks.

Hit Stories has previously featured episodes on Tin Star, The Great British Bake Off, and Taskmaster. In addition to unearthing some behind-the-scenes trivia, each Hit Story also demonstrates how high-quality, well-produced shows can engage audiences in a manner that is wholly unique to TV.

You can find out more about the work of Thinkbox here.