Chris Packham thinks ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ is "nothing more than a shabby circus."
The 56-year-old presenter doesn’t think bosses of the creepy-crawly show, which sees celebrities eat insects, would have the audacity to approach him for the next series because he’d turn down the offer straight away as he believes the set up is "disgusting" for using animals for human entertainment.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, he said: "I’d 100 per cent turn down ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ or ‘Bear Grylls’ because those animals are being used for nothing but entertainment. It’s nothing more than a shabby circus, it’s frankly disgusting. If Bear Grylls went to the Chinese Highlands, they wouldn’t be killing and eating a panda, would they? So, again, they’re reinforcing stereotypes about important species of animals that play important roles in our eco-systems. I’m afraid to say I find them [those shows] absolutely abhorrent. They reproduce all that I stand against."
However, although he’s not willing to take part in any shows that manipulate animals, the environmentalist would love to reunite with his ‘The Really Wild Show’ for a one-off special.
He explained: "Michaela and I get on extremely well. We’ve talked about bringing back the ‘Really Wild Show’, we’ve talked about doing a highlights of… a sort of a ‘Nostalgic Evening with Chris and Michaela’ looking back at the highlights. I’ve got a meeting with the BBC so I’m going to raise it. It wouldn’t cost a lot as long as they’ve got all the archive footage and we could get other guests on. It’s got to have a reason for doing it and we could talk about some of the species that have declined over the years so we’re giving the programme a purpose.
Chris Packham slams I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
