ITV has confirmed a raft of famous faces who’ll be joining the I’m A Celebrity 2022 line-up, as the hit series heads back to Australia.
Among the celebrities heading into the jungle this year are Boy George, Chris Moyles, Lioness legend Jill Scott and Corrie star Sue Cleaver.
Rumours have also been swirling today that former Health Secretary Matt Hancock has been suspended as a Tory MP for agreeing to appear on the show.
After two years in a Welsh castle, this year’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! contestants will be heading back Down Under.
ITV has confirmed that the campmates will spend their first night of the series on an island, where they’ll face their first trial.
Jill Scott MBE is joining I’m A Celeb 2022 line-up. Credit: ITVBoy George will head into the I’m A Celeb jungle. Credit: ITVSue Cleaver will also be on I’m A Celebrity 2022. Credit: ITV
Ant and Dec will be back as hosts as the celebs battle it out to be crowned king or queen of the jungle.
Former Manchester City midfielder Jill Scott MBE is one of the celebrities announced on the line-up this week.
Jill said her biggest fears are rats and being underground, and is gutted that she’ll miss the men’s World Cup while she’s isolated in the outback.
She said: “I think my England teammates will be shocked when they find out. But I think they will say if there is a show for Jill to go on, because of the team side, then this is the one to do.
“People know me for my football and they see stupid videos of us, so this will be nice for people to get to know a bit more about my personality.”
Corrie queen Sue Cleaver is another local face who’s joining the I’m A Celebrity line-up, known to millions as Eileen Grimshaw after 22 years on the cobbles.
Sue said: “I am a very private person and I am putting myself out there, which is what I am most nervous about.
Ant and Dec I’m a Celeb. Credit: ITV
“I do keep my life private and I am very happy with my home life. Viewers are going to see a different person to the person they think I am!
“I am very different. That can be worrying. They might decide they don’t like me as much as Eileen!”
Boy George, arguably the most famous face heading into the I’m A Celebrity jungle this year, said: “I am bored of being iconic in the corner and if you want to compete in the world then being part of telly is part of that” – which is a pretty iconic statement.
He added: “This is the biggest show on TV and that is why I am doing it. And now I have made the decision, I don’t want to focus too much on what the experience might be like, but my intention is it is going to be amazing.
“It’s three weeks without make-up and three weeks is nothing. I have just done seven weeks on tour.”
Other I’m A Celebrity 2022 contestants will be Manchester-based TV personality and former Love Island star Olivia Attwood, Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner, ex-England rugby player Mike Tindall MBE, and comedian Babatúndé Aléshé.
Completing this year’s line-up are presenter and property expert Scarlette Douglas, presenter and journalist Charlene White, and radio legend Chris Moyles.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here 2022 will return to ITV on Sunday 6 November at 9pm.
The brilliant Persian cafe in disguise as a greasy spoon that’s just had a star turn on TV
Daisy Jackson
A family-run, often-overlooked restaurant in Chorlton had a star turn on TV last night, when The Hotel Inspector paid a visit to the Chorlton Metro Cafe.
From the outside, this place looks very much like your run-of-the-mill greasy spoon, and it sort of is, with fry-ups and breakfast sandwiches up for grabs.
But beyond that, this is the spot to come for an authentic, hearty, home-cooked Persian food.
And it’s this strange dual identity that has caught the attention of Channel 5 this year, and given the business a full episode of The Hotel Inspector.
Alex Polizzi and her crew headed to Chorlton earlier this year to assist husband and wife Majid and Zahra in a rebrand to become The Persian Stop (the sign still hasn’t changed, but bear with them here).
During the episode, The Hotel Inspector tackled everything from a menu overhaul to a spruce-up of the restaurant’s frontage, and ran a cost evaluation, hoping to help Majid and Zahra to increase custom.
A full spread of the new Persian dishesMajid at Chorlton Metro Cafe with his new pancake dishFantastic pancakes at Chorlton Metro Cafe
And there were other familiar faces involved too – Channel 5 called on social media experts The Manc (oh wait, that’s us!) to help Majid understand the power of social media.
The couple moved to the UK from Iran more than 20 years ago, and Majid ran a successful construction business – until the financial crisis of 2008.
The pair then poured their life savings into the Metro Cafe, a greasy spoon just across the road from Chorlton tram stop.
Behind the scenes of The Hotel Inspector
They kept the full builder’s breakfasts and mugs of tea, but added a new string of Persian stews and fragrant rice dishes to the menu.
Now, with the help of The Hotel Inspector, the menu puts these ancient dishes front and centre.
Expect slices of syrupy baklava for only £2.80, and traditional stews like khoresh bademjan (slow-cooked aubergines with split peas and lamb) and khoresh fesenjan (saffron, ground walnut and pomegranate chicken).
This is a small business, run by a fantastic local couple, and one of those hidden gems that deserves to be a little less hidden.
Manchester’s very own Jamie Hutchinson announces new stand-up tour dates
Danny Jones
Manchester comedian Jamie Hutchinson has just announced arguably his biggest domestic tour yet, and despite plenty of gigs around the North, he’s playing just one hometown headline slot.
So you’d best be quick about grabbing tickets.
The local stand-up has seen a huge rise in popularity over the last few years, not only thanks to his regular gigging on the live circuit, but numerous standout podcast performances and, in short, by being one of the most amusing comic storytellers around – at least as far as we’re concerned.
Now set to embark on an extensive run of UK shows early next year, Jamie Hutchinson is getting back on the road with his latest material very soon.
Taking his new hour, Can My Mate Come, He’s Sound (see, even his titles are low-key genuinely funny) on tour, the crown prince of Gorton, a.k.a. ‘Mash’ himself, is playing venues up and down the country, including plenty here in the North West.
After all, he can’t drive, so best keep the long train journeys to a minimum, eh?
To quote Broadway Baby, who shared their positive words only recently, their newest project promises a “brand-new hour of unfiltered mayhem, questionable logic and emotional chaos held together by takeaway boxes and blind optimism.”
If that isn’t a glowing review, then we don’t know what is..
The Hot Water’s Green Room host and regular Have A Word podcast favourite delighted his crowds and newcomers alike with his record-breaking Waterslide tour, which ran from 2023 all the way into last year, and now he’s looking to repeat that same success. As it happens, multiple dates have sold out already.
With more than 700 tickets sold within the first hour of presale alone, it’s no surprise that the likes of Chorley, Chester (already gone) and soon both of his Liverpool shows are soon to be sold out.
As for his Academy One show on Sunday, 24 May 2026 – which is just about the biggest Manc venue he’s played to date – we expect it won’t be long before that one books up too.
We can always hope he tacks on extra dates on the UK tour, but if you’re a Jamie Hutchinson fan, you’re still best just making sure you secure your seat while you can. Grab yours HERE.
Let’s just pray he makes it home in time for his appointment with ‘Dr Catford’…
He’s yet to record a live taping of a special, but this is the kind of charming nonsense you can expect.
Daisy Jackson -
1st November 2022 
