The line-up for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here 2023 has officially been announced – and this season is shaping up to be a wild one.
All the rumours that have been swirling this week – fuelled by Nigel Farage boarding a flight to Australia – have come true, with this year’s cast of campmates including Jamie-Lynn Spears, Sam Thompson and Grace Dent.
The hit ITV show will be returning to screens on Sunday 19 November, with brand new line-up of celebrities heading to the Australian bush.
Over the coming weeks the famous campmates will battle everything from food rations to the notorious Bushtucker Trials, leaving their usual luxuries far behind.
The madness will once again be overseen by Ant and Dec.
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Also on this year’s I’m A Celebrity 2023 line-up are This Morning‘s Josie Gibson, Fred Sirieix of First Dates fame (which films in Manchester), and YouTuber Nella Rose.
They’ll be joined by soap stars Danielle Harold (from Eastenders) and Nick Picard (Hollyoaks).
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The most controversial addition to the jungle so far is Nigel Farage, with viewers labelling ITV ‘a disgrace‘ for signing him up to the hit show.
The GB News presenter believes he’ll face a number of Bushtucker trials because ‘millions hate him’.
Nigel Farage will controversially join I’m A Celebrity 2023’s line-upJamie-Lynn Spears leads this year’s I’m A Celebrity castFred Sirieix joins the I’m A Celebrity 2023 line-up
Farage said: “I want to test myself. Business, politics, media, I’ve done so many different jobs and generally I have been reasonably successful. But I have never been tested in quite this way. It’s such a mental test and maybe I will discover who I really am.”
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He added: “Given millions hate me, I do expect people will vote for me to do trials! My crime was to stand against an establishment view and I was for many years the lone voice saying Europe wasn’t where we should be, so I have been a little bit demonised. I am hoping those who hate me might hate me a little bit less afterwards. But it’s a gamble.
“And the idea that somehow the things I represent – mean-spirited, small-minded, nasty, the ‘little Englander’ – all those accusations that have been flung at me over the years just aren’t true. If we can dispel some of those misconceptions, then that will be a good thing too.”
Jamie-Lynn Spears, actress, singer, and sister of Britney, is another famous face on this year’s I’m A Celebrity line-up.
She should be a fun watch, admitting she’s ‘absolutely frightened’ of all the creepy crawlies and terrifying heights involved in the show’s Bushtucker Trials.
Hollyoaks legend Nick Pickard will also join I’m A Celebrity’s 2023 line-upI’m A Celebrity 2023’s line-up includes food critic Grace DentMarvin Humes from JLS is heading into the I’m A Celebrity jungle
She said: “Everything I have seen I have been afraid of. Absolutely every one of these trials I am dreading. I haven’t looked at any of them and thought, ‘Oh cool, I could do that one’. This is going to be terrifying.”
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Former Made In Chelsea star Sam Thompson, whose girlfriend Zara McDermott just finished a stint on Strictly Come Dancing, said that he recently tried to test his camping skills but gave up and went home at 10pm… which bodes well for the jungle.
This Morning‘s Josie Gibson has warned she has a gripping fear of creepy crawlies; Channel 4 star Fred Sirieix so afraid of ‘everything’ he’s been having nightmares about the jungle; and YouTuber Nella Rose so frightened of bugs she once ‘moved out’ because a daddy long legs was in her bedroom.
The I’m A Celebrity 2023 line-up is completed by food critic Grace Dent (phobias: horrible people… her and Nigel should be a fun watch); JLS singer Marvin Humes; Eastenders’ Danielle Harold; and long-standing Hollyoaks icon Nick Pickard.
Fairfield Social Club has been voted the Best Comedy Venue in the North
Danny Jones
Let’s toast another feather in Greater Manchester’s cultural cap as local arts venue, bar and hangout, Fairfield Social Club (FSC), has been named the Best Comedy Venue in the North.
That’s according to the much-revered annual Chortle Awards, the 2026 edition of which has named Fairfield not just one of the best in our specific city or region, but currently the benchmark for any live comedy spot located in the top half of the country.
And that’s not all: they actually took home another award this year, because why just win one when you can take home two?
For starters, congratulations are in order, and we couldn’t be prouder of our grassroots Manc venues continuing to set the bar; now let’s get into exactly what they won and why…
In addition to taking home the accolade for leading their field when it comes to hosting live comics and more, having quickly built up a strong reputation in the industry beyond just the North West, FSC also claimed a second gong, thanks to ‘CroppaChoppa’s Slumber Party‘.
The resident stand-up and sleepover games format show, which has been based over at the Green Quarter complex for some time now, just won Best New Comedy Format for the second year running.
Reacting to the consecutive awards, founder Charlotte Cropper said: “We are so thrilled to have won Best Comedy Format two years in a row! Lying our sleepover bag down at Fairfield Social Club is our favourite thing to do every month.
“Who knew a sleepover show with a misogynistic teddy bear mascot would become the best night of our lives?”
This, of course, is just one of many regular comedy-centric events happening throughout the FSC calendar – and you really should going along if you haven’t before.
Speaking on an incredible year all-round, Fairfield Social Club’s GM and live bookings manager, Jessie Perillo, added: “We’ve spent the last year building a comedy programme we’re really proud of; it’s one that supports emerging talent while also attracting some of the biggest names touring right now.
“To have both the venue and the shows recognised nationally is a dream and as a comedy lover myself, I couldn’t be happier!
“We’ve got some incredible new shows lined up over the next few months that we can’t wait to announce, and launching ‘A Lovely Weekend’ is just the beginning of what’s to come.”
Congrats again and well done to all those involved in helping keep Manchester-based humour and live arts on the comedy map; we can’t wait to see what else in store for 2026. Speaking of…
Featured Images — Press shots/Em Humble (supplied via Fairfield Social Club)
TV & Showbiz
The Oldham Man and The Sea: the documentary about the Latics owner’s record-breaking Atlantic voyage
Danny Jones
It doesn’t matter if you’re not an Athletic fan or native to the borough; we think everyone should go along to watch the much-anticipated documentary about football club owner Frank Rothwell and his record-breaking journey across the Atlantic Ocean: The Oldham Man And The Sea.
One of the simplest and most satisfying names for a film we’ve heard in a long time.
For anyone who doesn’t know about the Oldham Athletic FC chairman turned OBE’s incredible story, Frank Rothwell has set multiple records with his impressive sea-faring feats in recent times.
This new doc, which just premiered at this year’s Manchester Film Festival, charts his latest trip across one of the biggest bodies of water on the planet in March 2024.
As you can see from the recent trailer, it’s almost as arduous a tale as the original Hemingway story.
This movie – produced by Journeyman Pictures and Chief Productions – made its full debut at the Odeon in Great Northern Warehouse for MFF 2026, and is set to have a number of other screenings in and around Greater Manchester in the coming weeks and months.
One of those is happening rather soon, in fact, over at Saddleworth’s Millgate Arts Centre on Saturday, 28 March, which is ideal for those local to the region; grab your tickets now.
ln fact, there’s also one happening even closer to his hometown the following month, with Oldham’s very own Queen Elizabeth Hall also hosting a special screening of Rothwell’s incredible achievement.
You can reserve your seats for that one right HERE.
Having not only become the eldest (70) Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge finisher back in 2021, but now holding the Guinness World Record for the oldest person to ever complete the crossing while rowing solo at 73 years old, he’s become nothing short of a local hero – and that’s just his stewardship of the Latics…
The film does, obviously, touch on his time at the helm of the League Two side, who finally returned to the EFL last June, but the heart and soul of this inspiring watch is the sail itself.
More importantly, it also documents not just the gruelling nature of the 64-day, seven-hour and 53-minute trek, but also how Frank has now helped raise more than £1.4 million on behalf of Alzheimer’s Research UK.
What an absolute icon.
Hopefully, this should be just about all the reason you need to watch The Oldham Man And The Sea the very next opportunity you get to do so – and, of course, all proceeds from ticket sales will also be going to charity, because just the kind of bloke he is.
And here’s hoping we get a streaming version sometime soon.
Daisy Jackson -
13th November 2023 
