The 2024 lineup sees some familiar faces from X-Factor judge and N-Dubz star Tulisa Contostavlos to TikTok’s favourite content creator and podcaster GK Barry. The lineup also sees leading man Danny Jones from McFly, Colleen Rooney, and many more. But has the show had its time? Will we see some rising viewing figures for 2024? The doubt comes after the 2023 series saw a loss of 2 million viewers going from 9 million in 2022 to 7 million in 2023 for their first airing episodes.
But why the plummet of viewers for one of Britain's most beloved shows? Both the internet and myself have speculated the decreasing popularity may come down to a few things. First and foremost, the controversial appointment of former health secretary Matt Hancock. The former politician caused rage amongst the British population when he was caught having an affair during lockdown, a time in which we were all told to stay inside and away from our loved ones- that might have caused a little angst amongst viewers who could well have boycotted the next series which saw another controversial politician, Nigel Farage take on the challenge.
Or possibly is it a change in reality TV standards, is the public bored of watching celebrities eat spiders or stick their hand in a pit of snakes? The independent writer Emily Baker theorises that the TV show simply isn’t delivering the high standards of reality TV watchers anymore and that having shows like ‘The Traitors’ and ‘Big Brother’ casting normal people who (for the most part) aren’t sniffing for brand deals creates a more relatable and enjoyable watch.
Nonetheless, there is no doubt that the 2024 series will see millions of Brits sit down in their living rooms to watch the stomach-turning challenges. But is it time for the ITV series to call it quits, or will the decreasing viewers force the show to go down and under…