In the age old battle of Strictly Come Dancing versus I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! it would appear ITV had blinked in the face of ratings defeat.
The long running reality celebrity camping show has moved its live final to avoid a clash with BBC dancing juggernaut Strictly later this year.
ITV are said to be taking every precaution necessary to ensure the upcoming 20th season of the long-running I’m A Celeb show is a success.
The series will already look wildly different to all previous seasons as the show has been forced to relocate from the Australian jungle to the Welsh countryside due to the coronavirus pandemic.
And now the show is said to be concerned the BBC could steal its thunder as they gear up for series 18 of celebrity dance contest Strictly.
The Sun on Sunday reports: “The autumn TV schedule is packed with content as people spend cold evenings on the sofa in front of the box.
“So I’m A Celeb bosses have pushed for the final to be on a Friday night for the first time so they don’t have to share audiences with Strictly and can dominate the viewers.
“ITV has ploughed close to £1million into the series and want to make it a success. So they aren’t taking any chances.”
Mirror Online have contacted ITV for comment.
The line-up for I’m A Celeb 2020 is yet to be revealed – but TV host Eamonn Holmes, Boyzone singer Keith Duffy and Katie Price ’s ex-husband Kieran Hayler are rumoured to be in the running.
Meanwhile, the Strictly 2020 cast have been confirmed to include BBC Radio 1 host Clara Amfo, The Wanter singer Max George, and Good Morning Britain host Ranvir Singh, among others.
The new season of Strictly is due to kick off on BBC One in October.
While the upcoming 20th series of I'm A Celeb is due to begin airing on ITV1 around the same time.
