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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Lizzie Edmonds

Fans call for Sam Thompson and Tony Bellew to have I’m A Celebrity spinoff show

I’m A Celebrity fans are calling for King of the Jungle Sam Thompson and runner-up Tony Bellew to be given their own television show.

Podcast and radio star Thompson, 31, won the ITV show on Sunday – with former boxer Bellew, 41, coming in second.

Nigel Farage, 59, came in third. 

Now fans have been calling for broadcasters to offer Thompson and Bellew a spinoff show of their own following their “bromance” in the jungle.

One person wrote online: “We need a Sam and Tony style road trip show.”

Another shared: “This Sam and Tony TV bromance cannot end on this show. I want Celebrity Gogglebox or whatever they can do.”

Experts have been predicting that Thompson could be in line to make millions following his stint on the show. 

Brand expert Nick Ede said Thompson and Bellew could be “lucrative” – predicting a road trip-style show akin to Gino, Fred and Gordon with Gino D’Campo, Fred Sirieix and Gordon Ramsay.  

He said: “I can see them perhaps doing a road trip old couple style show. Learning about each others lives as they are so different but a great friendship. 

“Perhaps even with Sam’s close friend Pete Wicks, similar to Gino, Fred and Gordon but with those three… this kind of show is great viewing and always very popular.”

He also said Thompson and his ex-Love Island girlfriend Zara McDermott could capitalise on their star power

Mr Ede told Mail Online: “With Zara by his side he’s now part of a power couple who I can see making millions from everything from joint podcasts [to] reality spinoff shows following them both.”

“Sam’s one of these few stars that has fans of all ages and from all walks of life. For Sam the world is his oyster and he’s now well on his way to becoming a household name. I can see him getting national treasure status in the not too distant future.”

Thompson was announced as the winner of the ITV reality show on Sunday night after securing 56.6 per cent of the vote to Bellew’s 43.4 per cent.

The finale saw an average audience of 6.6 million tune in on the night, ITV said, which is a notable drop from 10.1 million viewers who watched former England footballer Jill Scott beat Matt Hancock and Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner to become queen of the jungle last year.

Sunday’s show also attracted a peak audience of 7.6 million while the 2023 finale topped at 11.5 million viewers.

After Thompson was declared the winner, McDermott posted a video on Instagram of her and others cheering at the news.

Discussing the video on ITV’s Lorraine on Monday morning, Thompson said: “I haven’t even properly turned my phone on yet but someone showed me [the video] and it made me cry because that’s all my nearest and dearest and all my friends and colleagues all being in that room together.

“And I’ve never had that amount of people need to support me for anything and it’s just such an amazing feeling, its actually quite overwhelming.

“I’m a very, very, very lucky person to have that around me so I can’t wait. I owe a lot of people a lot of dinners.”

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