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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.”
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
All-girl K-pop powerhouse aespa book MASSIVE Manchester arena show
Danny Jones
All-girl K-pop group, ‘aespa’, are coming to Manchester for some of their largest performances to date as part of a new global tour.
If you know anything about the K-pop scene, you’ll know that most acts are even bigger than you could ever imagine.
Manchester has gained a steady supply of gigs from artists within the genre over the past year or so, and now aespa are the latest to book the AO Arena for a headline show.
Rest assured, these tickets will fly…
aespa SYNK : COMPLæXITY
Catch the LIVE TOUR in Manchester at @AOArena on Thu 14th January 2027!
Register by [Wed 29 Apr at 6AM PT / 8PM CT / 9AM ET] for access to the artist presale: https://t.co/JuWFFMCE8Q
Dubbed the ‘SYNK : Complæxity World Tour’, this follows on from their last live iteration, ‘æXIS LINE’ shows, which began back in August 2025 and, technically, have only just ended this April.
As per an official press release, “Produced by Live Nation, the tour will bring aespa’s acclaimed live production and immersive performance experience to arenas across Asia, North America, Latin America, the UK, and Europe.”
There are actually just two shows in the entirety of Britain (the other being down in the capital), and Manchester has the good fortune of kicking off not only being the first of both, but the inaugural date of the entire European leg.
Consider us honoured.
Made up of a talented quartet – Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning, the rising South Korean stars – this female-led phenomenon is arguably one of the fastest rising acts in the world of K-pop.
Having now been to a couple of these shows for ourselves, we’re starting to understand that these artists might have some of the most passionate followings on the planet.
Kicking off the latest run of performances back in their home country’s capital of Seoul, they’ll hit multiple continents before wrapping things up in Paris.
aespa EU tour dates 2027
14 January – AO Arena, Manchester
16 Jan – London
19 Jan – Amsterdam
22 Jan – Stockholm
24 Jan – Copenhagen
26 Jan – Berlin
29 Jan – Milan
31 Jan – Barcelona
2 February – Paris
If you’re a fan or are interested in throwing your hat in the ring for a first K-pop gig experience, you can register by signing up for their exclusive pre-sale window.
As for general admission, tickets to see aespa at the AO Arena in Manchester will go live at 3pm on Wednesday, 6 May; you can get ready to grab yours HERE.
BBC’s Football Focus to end after more than half a century
Danny Jones
In a fairly shocking bit of broadcasting news, Football Focus is ending after more than half a century on our screens.
Announced on Thursday, 23 April, the once flagship show and weekly TV guide staple for countless British households is set to be cancelled after 52 seasons’ worth of coverage.
With BBC Sport confirming the tough decision in a lengthy statement, the long-running show will be taken off the air at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
Most programmes like these have seen declining audiences across the board in the era of streaming and digital packages across various platforms, but this is truly the end of an era.
An incredible 52-year journey comes to an end.
Following extensive consideration, BBC Sport has made the difficult decision to say goodbye to Football Focus at the end of this season.
First broadcast in 1974, Football Focus is a testament to the brilliant team who have… pic.twitter.com/bmHQqQdf6J
An official social media post reads: “An incredible 52-year journey comes to an end. Following extensive consideration, BBC Sport has made the difficult decision to say goodbye to Football Focus at the end of this season. “First broadcast in 1974, Football Focus is a testament to the brilliant team who have worked on it over the years and, of course, the audience. The programme has been a staple of the BBC’s football coverage for decades, providing fans with interviews, analysis and stories from across the game ahead of the weekend’s fixtures.
“But changing audience behaviours mean fans are now increasingly consuming football content in different ways, and we need to respond appropriately as we face difficult decisions around how the licence fee is spent.”
Second only really to Match of the Day (MotD), which first began a whole decade prior to its once equally popular spin-off, Gary Lineker, Manish Bhasin, Alex Scott and others have all enjoyed varying periods hosting the regular weekend watch.
While even MotD has seen steadily dipping viewing figures, not just following the Lineker departure/saga, but ever since YouTube highlights and the social media era.
The statement goes on to say: “Fans are accessing discussion, highlights, analysis and news through digital platforms and on-demand viewing, and as viewing habits continue to evolve, it is right that BBC Sport adapts how it brings football coverage to the widest audiences across television, radio, online and to its extensive social platforms. BBC Sport boasts a strong football rights portfolio and is set to significantly expand its digital output this year, growing content across BBC platforms, as well as a bold new slate of exclusive shows on YouTube.
“Featuring fresh formats, big personalities and more frequent, always-on content tailored for digital audiences, the expansion will bring fans closer to the game than ever before, delivering more high-quality, accessible and engaging football coverage at scale. We will release further details on these plans in the coming months.”
Will you miss it? Perhaps more to the point, do you still watch Match of the Day, Soccer Saturday and the like on terrestrial telly?
Daisy Jackson -
1st November 2022 
