So, how did the reality favourite do without Ant?
Everyone has been wondering how I'm A Celebrity will cope without Ant & Dec’s cheeky banter – now we have the answer, very well!
Holly Willougby stepped into Ant’s presenting shoes for the opening episode of the reality favourite last night and the audience figures were amazing.
According to the overnight figures which have just been released, I'm A Celebrity is the most watched show of 2018 so far outside of the World Cup football matches.
A whopping 11 million viewers tuned in to watch the new campmates, including Torchwood actor John Barrowman and The Chase’s Anne Hegerty, in action. ITV says this is 750,000 more than last year - so Dec & Holly did better than Ant & Dec!
The audience peaked at an amazing 11.9 million! This is all means that more people watched the first episode of I'm A Celebrity than the opening of Bodyguard, which has been easily the biggest drama of the year.
Once catch-up figures were included, the first episode of Bodyguard, starring Keeley Hawes and Richard Madden, attracted 10.4 million viewers.
Almost 18 million people tuned in to see Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get hitched earlier this year, but that figure was spread over more than one channel.
Many wondered how I’m A Celebrity will cope without Ant, but the early signs are certainly encouraging for ITV.
Holly even seems to have her own catchphrase about Dec, saying: “He’s loads of fun and he’s five foot one…”.
Dec joined in the fun, welcoming Holly with the lines: “The more eagle-eyed viewers among you will notice a big change to this year’s show.
“One of the most gorgeous presenters on British television… has been joined by Holly Willoughby!”
It’s of course the first time in 16 years that Dec hasn’t been joined by Ant.
I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! continues tonight with day two of the reality show at 9pm on ITV.
Drop in picture of Dec and Holly: James Gourley/ITV/REX/Shutterstock
