I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Australia tipped to film in November and December

Filming for the Australian version of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! usually takes place early January in South Africa, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has all changed.

It now appears that the hit reality series will be filmed in November and December in northern NSW.

According to TV Tonight, the usually live series will now be prerecorded with a live finale filmed in January to ensure that viewers can still pick the winner.  

The publication reports that the changes will keep cast and crew safe, and ensure that there are episodes ready to go should filming be impacted by the virus.

Producing the show in Australia will also pose a problem with filming it live due to the change in time zones, meaning that it will need to be pre-recorded. 

Channel 10’s Head of Entertainment Stephen Tate told MediaWeek: ‘The fact that we won’t have a time difference that Africa gave us will mean the show will need to be prerecorded.’ 

The past seasons of I’m a Celebrity have all been filmed in the South African jungle, however with production unable to travel overseas due to coronavirus travel restrictions, the 2021 series will be filmed in Australia.

According to TV Tonight, the campsite is less than an hour from the Gold Coast, off Dungay Creek Road, north of Murwillumbah. 

The UK version of the show, which has been filmed in Australia for almost two decades, has also been forced to reconsider its location due to the pandemic. 

Back in May, ViacomCBS executive Beverley McGarvey confirmed the show would ‘definitely be back next year’ and that a potential change of format was on the cards. 

At the time, Ms McGarvey explained I’m A Celebrity… could ‘absolutely’ be filmed Down Under.

‘The jungle is kind of a character in the show, but we just don’t know if that’s possible or realistic, so we’re just looking at a range of options,’ she told news.com.au