‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’ bosses nearly missed out on Gwrych Castle.
The ITV reality show is moving to North Wales later this year after the coronavirus pandemic scuppered plans to return to its usual jungle base in Australia, and it turns out even their backup plan nearly fell through.
Mark Baker – who is head of the castle’s preservation trust – told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I had an email come through… but I ignored it at first. I thought it was spam.
"After double-checking, I got in touch with the location guy at ITV and he said it was a reality TV show they wanted to make in the UK, but he couldn’t reveal what it was.
"When I found out what the show was, I thought, ‘That’s pretty immense’. We hope it will open up North Wales to the whole of Britain and further afield."
Last week, ITV confirmed ‘I’m A Celebrity’ would be taking place in a "haunted castle".
The winning celebrity will be crowned as king or queen of the castle as Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly return to host the 20th series of the hit show.
Series bosses have promised "gruelling trials" which will embrace the medieval theme with jousting, dungeons and fake gallows.
Richard Cowles, director of entertainment at ITV Studios, said: "The Australian jungle is such an integral part of the show and it was a big challenge to find a UK location where we could continue to deliver what viewers love about ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’
"But Gwrych will definitely do that; the Castle sits in an amazing and atmospheric setting on a hillside overlooking the Irish Sea.
"While there will be plenty of changes required as we move from New South Wales in Australia to North Wales in the UK, we are really excited to see how we can adapt the format and make the Castle our new home for a very special 20th series of ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ this Autumn."
Gwrych Castle is reportedly haunted by its previous owner, the Countess of Dundonald, who is said to be angry that her husband stripped the castle of valuables.