ITV I’m A Celebrity hit with Ofcom complaints as Ant and Dec’s Richard Coles joke riles viewers
I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! viewers were unimpressed with jokes made by hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly and so complained to Ofcom
I’m A Celebrity has been hit with Ofcom complaints already as viewers were unimpressed with Ant and Dec’s jokes.
The hit ITV show returned to screens just over a week ago and has racked up 70 complaints from viewers. Some fans of the show were left unimpressed by a series of jokes from hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly as they referenced the Bible and the Christian faith. Their jokes came after Reverend Richard Coles entered the Australian jungle alongside Love Island’s Maura Higgins.
Ant and Dec have been seen making prayer hands as orchestral music plays in the background while talking about Richard during the live shows. During Maura and Richard’s eating trial, Dec was heard asking him “More tea vicar?” Then in the studio following the trial, Dec described the trial as ‘unholy’ with Ant adding ‘Bum-holey’.
I’m A Celebrity campmate Richard is a Church of England priest (
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On Tuesday night’s episode, Ant gave a mock sermon during the live episode. Dec kicked off the joke: “It’s the start of a new day now and the first to wake up was Reverend Richard…” Music started playing as Ant butted in with a mock voice: “And though the night before there had been darkness and a plague of insects had been visited upon him. But he had receiveth a small bounty that did taste of cheese. And now, praise be, he did rise again.”
Dec said: “So basically you are saying Richard had a fright, got some crisps, then had a sleep and got out of bed?” Ant replied in the accent: “Yes my child.” Richard was ordained in 2005, eight years after he and Jimmy split up their band – synth pop duo The Communards up. In 1991, he became a Roman Catholic before returning to the Church of England in 2001.
Ahead of his jungle entrance, Ant made a savage five-word comment about Richard while appearing on spin-off show, I’m A Celebrity…Unpacked. The presenter said he thought Maura would bring fun and energy into camp, while Richard would act as a stable and calm figure. Ant added: “”More people might know her,” in reference to Maura and how the public will receive her entrance.
Ant performed a mock sermon on Tuesday’s episode
Richard has been shocking viewers himself since joining the camp as he made a cheeky comment about bedding a royal earlier this week. GK Barry – real name Grace Keeling – asked Richard: “Who’s the most interesting person you’ve ever met?” When he told her he thinks all people are interesting, she narrowed it down and asked whether he ever met a member of the royal family.
He said he has and when she asked what they were like, he quickly quipped: “Great in bed…” before bursting out laughing. Fans were lost for words and rushed to the comment section to question what happened. One user wrote on X: “Who has Richard bedded from the royal family? Have I missed something?!” Another wrote: “Reverend Richard said a Royal was good in bed.” “I love Richard so much and I need to know which royal he was talking about,” another posted.
GK had also questioned Richard about being gay while being religious. She asked: “Did you find it quite difficult being gay and doing that job?” The Reverend confessed: “No, not at all. I’ve never given it a moment’s twinge of anxiety over whether God thought it was alright or not. Whether other people thought it was alright or not, well I’m happy to have that argument…”
He added of his sexuality: “Also, I was not the first. Sometimes I look at documents from the early church, or the church of the middle ages and I just think – so gay.” GK admitted in the Bush Telegraph: “I came into this jungle, maybe not knowing who I would gel with or who I would be close with in here and never in a million years if you told me that I would be getting on best with a reverend would I have believed you.”
