Now, for the exact date—like, the precise Sunday night—we’re in a bit of a pickle. ITV is famously tight-lipped until about two weeks before, usually when the first contestant “accidentally” gets spotted at Heathrow Airport, looking like they’re off to a hostage situation. If history is any guide, and it always is, we’re looking at the last Sunday of November or the first week of December. Mark your calendars in pencil, preferably a very smudgy one that smells of damp wood.
Why the secrecy? It’s not just to drive us mad (though it works). It’s because ITU has to negotiate with Australian customs, the weather gods, and the delicate egos of the lineup. One misstep and your entire schedule is thrown off, like a campmate trying to fold a Kmart tent in a storm.
What’s the Hold-Up? The Gruelling Pre-Game
Here’s a surprising fact that might make you feel better about your own job: The actual filming starts a full week before the first episode airs. That’s right. The contestants are already in the jungle, eating testicles and bonding over existential dread, while you’re still wondering what’s for tea. They’ve already met the producers, signed a contract in invisible ink, and had their phones confiscated by a man named Kevin with a clipboard. It’s a pre-game show that makes the Super Bowl look like a toddler’s tea party.
And let’s not forget the “Bush Telegraph” rigmarole. Once the show starts, it runs for roughly three weeks, ending with a glitzy final where someone wins a helicopter ride and a lifetime supply of nervous twitches. The finale is traditionally around mid-December, just in time to be completely forgotten about by Christmas Eve.
When does I'm A Celeb 2026 start
