Thousands of people have reportedly backed PETA's petition to have Ant and Dec leave I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
The popular ITV reality contest, and the bushtucker trials that its famous contestants have to take on, have been labelled 'tired, tacky and cruel' by the animal rights charity.
PETA says that 50,000 people have now signed its petition to stop animals being involved in the trials.
Celebs including Boy George, Sue Cleaver and Matt Hancock have all entered the Australian bush this week, battling it out to be crowned King or Queen of the Jungle.
The bushtucker trials they typically face involve being locked in confined spaces with thousands of bugs, crawling through rat and snake-infested tunnels, and even eating animal parts, like kangaroo testicles.
Ant and Dec. Credit: ITV
PETA has now hit out at Ant and Dec for endorsing 'animal abuse' in an open letter to the Geordie presenter duo.
They wrote: "And and Dec. The longer you associate yourselves with I’m A Celebrity, the more you send the message to viewers that you think animal abuse is not only acceptable but also entertaining…
"So please, hang up your hats and get yourselves out of there - for animals’ sake."
On the petition page, they added: "During these challenges, celebrity participants perform ghastly acts such as sticking their hands or heads into tanks filled with insects, spiders, mice, rats, or fish; crawling into small spaces on top of masses of rats or insects; and even eating animals and their body parts.
"Killing animals off camera before contestants are pressured into eating them – or using them in tired, tacky, cruel stunts – must end."
PETA continued that animals are 'not there by choice' and 'deserve better than to be used in irresponsible and inhumane stunts'.
A spokesperson for I'm A Celebrity said: "We are always fully transparent about our protocols and we have a very strict environmental plan in place on the show. As a production, we comply with all regional and national laws concerning the use of insects, animals and reptiles.
"Welfare and safety is always the primary priority on any of our programmes, and at any Bushtucker trial that features animals, we have qualified and experienced animal handlers on site at all times. We inform the RSPCA NSW of all of our activities on the show and they have an open invitation to attend the site at any time.
"We cannot stress enough that we have rigorous protocols in place to ensure that animals are handled safely at all times, before, during and after any filming has taken place, in compliance with all regional and national laws."
Featured image: ITV
TV & Showbiz
Adolescence tops Netflix charts with more than 24 million views in four days
New British series Adolescence has shot right to the top of Netflix’s most-watched TV charts after more than 24 million people tune in.
Hitting the streaming platform just last Thursday, Adolescence is a four-part limited series about a 13-year-old boy who is accused of murdering one of his classmates, with each episode remarkably being filmed in one unflinching and continuous shot.
This truly gripping story unfolds in real time as the main characters search for answers in the wake of a shocking tragedy.
Who is actually responsible? Why did it happen? And could it have been prevented?
Image: Netflix
Co-created and written by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, with Graham starring alongside an ensemble cast of accomplished actors such as Ashley Walters and Erin Doherty, as well as screen newcomer Owen Cooper as the young boy Eddie Miller, accused of murder, the show tells the story of how a family’s world is turned upside.
“We could have made a drama about gangs and knife crime, or about a kid whose mother is an alcoholic or whose father is a violent abuser,” Stephen Graham said ahead of the show‘s release.
Image: Netflix
“Instead, we wanted you to look at this family and think, ‘My God, this could be happening to us.’ And what’s happening here is an ordinary family’s worst nightmare.”
Over the course of the four intense one-shot episodes, the show shines a uncomfortable spotlight on and examines key themes such as male rage, the dangers of social media, cyberbullying, incel culture, and more.
The latest viewing figures show that Adolescence undoubtedly has been a runaway hit, with a whopping 24.3 million views amassed in its first four days of availability, making it the streaming platform’s top show for the week of 10-16 March.
Image: Netflix
As the show continues to garner universal acclaim, standing at 98% on notable critic website Rotten Tomatoes, those viewing figures are set to clock up thick and fast as the days go on.
While Adolescence and Jamie’s story isn’t based on a real person or event specifically, Graham, Thorne, and director Philip Barantini have confirmed that the idea for the series did spring from reports that co-creator Graham had heard about on the news of young boys being involved in knife crimes – particularly the shocking 2021 murder of Ava White in Liverpool.
Much of Adolescence was filmed in Pontefract in West Yorkshire, with the casting of Cooper in the role of Jamie ultimately influencing where the show was shot.
“We knew it was going to be set somewhere in the North of England, and we also knew it would be from somewhere around wherever our Jamie was from – in this case near Warrington – because it would have been unfair to make him do an accent,” explained director Philip Barantini.
All four episodes of Adolescence are now available to stream on Netflix.
Featured Image – Netflix
TV & Showbiz
First look images released of new Channel 4 drama series set in Leeds
Ownership The Hoot
The new coming-of-age drama series will air on Channel 4 later this month.
The first look images have been released for Dreamers, a coming-of-age drama series created by Lisa Holdsworth and Gem Copping.
Set and filmed in Leeds, the series is based on characters that have been workshopped and inspired by people from the city with support from the Young Audiences Content Fund (YACF), which was managed by the BFI and funded by the UK Government.
Image: Channel 4
The production was shot in and around Leeds and provided a fantastic opportunity for 10 Leeds-based people to break into the broadcast industry.
Production was tailored to people with no previous production experience, providing training, mentoring, one-to-one sessions, career planning and the chance to work on a major production.
Image: Channel 4
The series follows an eclectic group of dance students as they navigate the intense highs and lows of coming of age in today’s complex world – captured through stories which are as joyful and funny as they are raw and truthful, brought viscerally to life via irresistible dance choreography.
Image: Channel 4
Rebekah Wray-Rogers, Co-Founder of Duck Soup Films says: “We couldn’t be more thrilled that Dreamers was born and raised in our very own city. Collaborating with such a phenomenally talented and diverse group of new to the industry creatives has been an unforgettable journey, and we are buzzing to finally bring this exceptional series to the screen.”
Kevin Blacoe, Head of Partnerships & Skills at Channel 4 says: "4Skills is proud to fund the 10 full-time training placements on the production of Dreamers. It’s been a brilliant opportunity for these ten trainees with many of those who worked on the series now further developing their careers in the industry. Initiatives like these show the impact Channel 4 and 4Skills can make.”
Daisy Jackson -
8th November 2022 
