It’s finally happened – Matt Hancock has entered the I’m A Celebrity jungle and the reactions from his fellow famous campmates were predictably mad.
The politician is arguably the most controversial contestant to ever appear on the ITV reality show, and has even been suspended from his day job as an MP over it.
He entered the camp last night alongside Seann Walsh.
Seann, who is also quite a controversial character after that Strictly kiss scandal, managed to fly under the radar as all disbelieving eyes turned to the former Health Secretary.
A thousand memes were born out of last night’s episode, which saw Hancock singing Ed Sheeran, crawling through bugs, and undergoing secret ‘mole’ missions.
But the thing everyone tuned in to watch was how the other celebs would react to their new campmates, which ranged from complete fits of the giggles to shock to genuine upset.
Safe to say, Matt was quickly challenged by the contestants, who questioned what on earth he was doing there and whether he should really have stepped away from his political duties.
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One particularly noteworthy reaction came from Boy George, who explained that his family were effected by the Covid restrictions brought in during Hancock’s time as Health Secretary.
The legendary pop star, visibly upset, said: “Beginning of the pandemic my mum was in hospital. I wasn’t allowed to see her. I thought she was going to die.”
He continued: “I feel like, I don’t want to be sitting here like I’m having fun with him. It’s difficult for me because, you know, had something happened, if my mum had gone, I wouldn’t be here now. I would have gone when he walked in.”
— I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! (@imacelebrity) November 9, 2022
He was later comforted by Corrie star Sue Cleaver, who said: “I think just sleep on it for tonight. Look, why he came in and what he’s doing here, it’s not our responsibility and it’s not for us to take on.”
Sue, who barely made eye contact with Matt when he entered the camp, told the diary room: “I think if I’m honest that most of us are feeling it’s a very strange situation to be in.”
Comedia Babatunde echoed Boy George’s valid concerns, saying: “It’s hard to kind of push your views aside, because of the many people whose lives have been affected.”
On a lighter note, Seann Walsh’s knee-jerk response to Matt’s arrival was hilarious and quickly went viral – the comedian doubled over laughing in Matt’s face.
— I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! (@imacelebrity) November 9, 2022
When he tried to explain his feelings to the diary room later, he couldn’t even finish Matt Hancock’s name without bursting out laughing, leading to a lovely ‘Matt Hahahahahahancock’ moment.
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Chris Moyles, meanwhile, told the cameras: “Oh my god. Two new people have arrived. One of them is Seann Walsh, and the other… I’ve gotta go back and double-check.”
He later said: “I can’t help but think ‘he should be at work’.”
Journalist Charlene White, who directly quizzed Matt on his decision to join the show, said privately: “Oh my god this is going to make things so difficult for me. I can only imagine how this has gone down at home. I can imagine that this hasn’t gone down well.”
And Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner? He didn’t have a clue who Matt Hancock was. So that’s that.
James Acaster reveals eerie song all Traitors contestants are forced to listen to before every roundtable
Emily Sergeant
James Acaster has revealed the eerie (and pretty surprising) song that all Traitors contestants are forced to listen to before every roundtable.
In case you’ve been living comfortably under a rock, you’ll probably be aware that comedian James Acaster is currently a contestant on this current season of BBC‘s smash-hit reality TV competition show, The Celebrity Traitors – a show that viewers in their millions are tuning into each week, with some big names on the cast.
Acaster is currently (spoiler alert… but it shouldn’t be at this point, we are several weeks in after all) one of three Traitors competing on the show, and he’s doing a pretty good job at it.
But we wonder how much of his success can be put down to the producers’ love of a certain song they like to play before every roundtable? Probably next to none, but it’s surprising to find out how much of an integral role the tune plays though.
The song we’re referring to here, it has been revealed, is ‘The Hanging Tree’ – a folk ballad made popular by The Hunger Games.
‘The Hanging Tree’, composed by James Newton Howard and Suzanne Collins, was famously sung by Jennifer Lawrence’s character Katniss Everdeen in the third instalment of the film franchise, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.
The lyrics are as follows:
Are you, are you Coming to the tree Where they strung up a man They say who murdered three? Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met at midnight In the hanging tree
So, as you can see, the song does make reference to ‘murder’, which is a key part of The Traitors game (not real murder, of course), but even with that context, we’re still not sure why the producers are keen to play it out before every roundtable.
During a viral TikTok clip from an on-stage Q&A this week, Acaster revealed the song’s usage to the audience: “You all walk in silence down the corridor, and you all sit down, and they don’t announce it’s gonna happen.
“The first time this will completely blindside you, but they do it every single roundtable. They play that song from The Hunger Games, that ‘coming to the tree’ song. Like acapella, Jennifer Lawrence.”
He continued: “It was every f***ing time, it was the only song we heard the whole time we were in there, and all day I would have it in my head constantly, everyone would, I’d go ‘have you got coming to the tree in your head?’ and they’d go ‘yes, it’s in my head, again’.”
Viewers who watch the show may have spotted the song being played in the background or transition between certain scenes, but now it’s been revealed that the contestants hear it too.
Who would’ve thought?
Featured Image – Euan Cherry / BBC / Studio Lambert
TV & Showbiz
One Born Every Minute is returning to TV – and this time, it’s filmed in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
The BAFTA-award winning documentary series One Born Every Minute is returning to our screens this week – and this time, it’s been filmed in Manchester.
The hit series ran for 11 seasons between 2010 and 2018, before taking a break.
But Channel 4’s acclaimed series will return from 25 October, following a whole new set of parents as they welcome new arrivals in one of the UK’s busiest maternity wards – Manchester’s St Mary’s Hospital.
Viewers will be taken back onto the wards for a new series of the observational documentary series, following the intimate, emotional journey of childbirth in 12 new episodes.
They’re promising that this latest season of One Born Every Minute will capture modern Britain, highlighting evolving family dynamics, advances in maternity care, and the real-life challenges faced by NHS staff in 2026.
Vivienne Molokwu, Senior Commissioning Editor, Reality & Entertainment and Commissioning Lead for E4 said: “Nearly 10 years on, we feel very privileged to once again follow the journey that parents embark on as they welcome their babies to the world.
“We know the roller coaster of emotions that this period brings is something that will really resonate with the E4 audience, and we cannot wait for our viewers to see how the digital age has reshaped how families navigate this stage of life.”
Will Rowson, Co-Creative Director at Dragonfly TV added: “There’s such affection for One Born Every Minute, and we’re thrilled to return to it. In the years it’s been away so much around pregnancy and maternity care has changed, making this an exciting moment to reimagine the show for an E4 audience.”
One Born Every Minute will return to E4 on Sunday 25 October at 9pm.
Daisy Jackson -
10th November 2022 
