Nigel Farage is among the celebrities in the I’m A Celebrity jungle (ITV/PA)

Audience ratings dip for I’m A Celeb’s opening episode despite Farage appearance

By Rebecca McCurdy, PA
11:45 - November 22, 2023

Several social media posts claiming I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! reached a total of 9.1 million viewers for its opening show for 2023 have been widely shared.

One post on X, formerly Twitter, linked the ratings boost to the appearance of former Ukip and Brexit party leader Nigel Farage.

It claimed the first show of the returning ITV1 series delivered a peak audience of 10.3 million, with a total audience of 9.1 million – the channel’s highest rating of the year and one million viewers more than in 2022.

The claim has been viewed more than 29,000 times.

Evaluation: False

The ratings cited in the claim appear to refer to the 2022 figures – the first episode of the 2023 series on November 19 actually had two million fewer viewers than the previous year, with official overnight ratings putting the programme’s peak audience at 7.8 million.

While the figure for the peak overnight audience of 10.3 million is inaccurate, ITV confirmed the official figure – 7.8 million – was still the broadcaster’s  highest of the year to date.

But there was no ratings boost due to Mr Farage’s appearance.

The facts

In a statement to press outlets, including the PA news agency, ITV confirmed the correct ratings, stating: “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! returned to ITV last night with a peak audience of 7.8 million (average 7 million), making it ITV’s highest overnight audience of the year and the biggest entertainment launch across any channel. The audience share of 47% also ranks as the fourth highest I’m a Celebrity launch.”

The release went on to say that the show was ITV’s biggest audience in the 16 to 34 age bracket for the year so far, with 1.4 million viewers and 76% of the age groups viewers.

The figures only record overnight ratings and do not include catch-up TV or streaming.

Ratings for the first episode in 2022

The figures quoted in the social media post appear to cite the 2022 figures.

Broadcast, which publishes overnight viewer ratings online, confirmed the opening episode of the 2023 series was the lowest opener of recent times.

The 2022 edition drew in an average of 9.1 million views – with a peak of 10.3 million. The current series began with an audience considerably behind the previous low recorded in 2021, where 8 million tuned in to watch the second series based in a Welsh castle because of Covid-19 restrictions.

Links

Claim on X (archived)

Radio Times ratings report (archived)

Broadcast ratings report (archived)

ITV press statement (archived)

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