This year’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! contestants will be needing wetsuits not bikinis, according to a resident in the Welsh town where the show’s new filming location is situated.
The quip follows confirmation that this year’s series of the popular ITV show will be filmed at Gwrych Castle in Abergele, North Wales.
It was confirmed earlier this month that the show would be filmed in the UK instead of Australia, and broadcast live every night from the 19th-century building in the countryside.
Local resident Awen Williams, 47, who owns Caffi Crempog in the town, said she had mentioned the castle as a possible location previously, and told PA news agency: “It’s going to put Abergele on the map, it will be great. It’s just the weather that’s going to be the issue, they’ll be in wetsuits not bikinis!”
Returning duo Ant and Dec will host an adapted version of the gruelling competition show in which celebrities face tough trials and challenges to win food and treats in the lead-up to one of them being crowned king or queen of the castle, rather than the jungle.
The sprawling castle, complete with turrets, is nestled on a tree-lined hillside overlooking the Irish Sea and is spread across 250 acres of gardens and grounds.
According to the castle’s official website, the towering structure was built between 1812 and 1822 by Lloyd Hesketh Bamford-Hesketh. They say the building was a memorial to his mother’s ancestors, the Lloyds of Gwrych.
Wales has over 600 castles, some of which have been returned back to nature, but Gwrych has to be a favourite 🏰
📸 by elizabeth_northwales pic.twitter.com/bVJKcOkErF
— Visit North Wales (@VisitNorthWales) August 15, 2020
The castle has had various owners through its long lifespan, and was at one point used as a medieval entertainment centre, its website says.
Richard Cowles, director of entertainment at ITV Studios, said: “The Australian jungle is such an integral part of the show, it was a big challenge to find a UK location where we could continue to deliver what viewers love about I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!
“But Gwrych will definitely do that – the castle sits in an amazing and atmospheric setting on a hillside overlooking the Irish Sea.
“While there will be plenty of changes required as we move from New South Wales in Australia to North Wales in the UK, we are really excited to see how we can adapt the format and make the castle our new home for a very special 20th series of I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! this autumn.”
I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! moves to UK for 2020
Hosted by Ant and Dec, the show will be broadcast live every night from a ruined castle in the countryside. More – https://t.co/okIQE1iSX9 pic.twitter.com/pI1HEOtHBj
— ITV Press Centre (@itvpresscentre) August 7, 2020
Dr Mark Baker, chairman of the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that I’m A Celebrity has chosen Gwrych Castle to be its UK location for the 2020 series.
“Gwrych Castle is a beautiful grade I listed 19th century house and a must-see destination for tourists visiting Wales.
“I’m A Celebrity being here will really help support Gwrych Castle and its ongoing restoration as well as giving the region a much-needed economic boost.”