The reason Nigel Farage has been starved of air time on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here has been revealed.
ITV insiders have lifted the lid on why he rarely gets seen on camera, despite commanding a significant fee to appear on the 2023 version of the show.
It was revealed ahead of this series that the former UKIPer was being paid £1.5 million to enter the jungle, a figure that has been described as “stomach-turning” by those concerned that he is being given a platform to rehabilitate his reputation.
But according to insiders quoted in the Mirror, the whole thing could have been a big waste of money.
Members of the production crew say the Brexit campaigner has been an expensive flop, with show bosses understood to be tearing their hair out trying to find footage of Farage where he doesn’t talk about politics.
A senior TV source told the Mirror: “People I know working on the show think Farage is one of the least interesting campmates ever. He is very boring and producers have struggled with fun storylines to show a different side to him. He’s good for Brexit and culture wars stuff, but outside of that, the local wildlife is more entertaining than he is.
“One example is a few of them were talking about their favourite movies and he couldn’t come up with a single one! Politics is his life and basically outside of that he’s got no personality.”
Over the weekend his two main conversations were about the House of Lords and then blaming “European greed” for overfishing of the seas.
Producers managed to find one brief scene which was not political, but this mainly consisted of the other campmates sunbathing and joking Farage had one of his nipples pierced.
Related: Bombshell Farage allegations to be dropped ahead of first I’m A Celebrity vote