Nigel Farage and I'm a Celebrity: another case of 'funwashing'?
The former Ukip leader will join celebrity campmates in the Australian jungle
Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage has been confirmed as a contestant on a new series of the long-running reality TV show, "I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here".
The show sees celebrities shipped off to the Australian jungle to complete gruelling tasks known as "bushtucker trials", which in the past, have "included eating camel testicles, chomping on crocodile anus – and being enclosed in a coffin full of snakes", said Politico.
A 'dystopian de facto rehab centre' for politicians
"Nobody has to watch Nigel Farage on 'I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!'", said Zoe Williams in The Guardian. "Thousands of you, I bet, have already made the decision not to and will have no trouble sticking to it." But the "damage has already been done", continued Williams, because Farage, "whenever [he] appears on anything, manages to fun-wash himself in some obscure way".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Not to worry, you're thinking; there are a million people at home, ready to dunk the villain in a vat of insects or engorged, lemon-sized testicles," said Williams. But the show "rarely pans out that way; the minute anyone gets even a whiff of an underdog, people start rooting for them". When Matt Hancock appeared on the show last year, it "more or less guaranteed his rehabilitation" with the disgraced former health secretary finishing in the top three. "We, as a populace, just have a predisposition for empathy and a very low tolerance for people looking sad."
As a public service broadcaster, "surely ITV has a duty not to cast disgraced politicians" on the show, argued Ellie Harrison in The Independent. Turning divisive public figures into "protagonists for primetime entertainment" only "trivialises their wrongs against society". The show has become "a dystopian de facto rehab centre", she said.
A 'launchpad for a political comeback'?
As a "critical fan" of Farage, I have to ask whether his decision to join the show is yet another demonstration of his knack of reaching audiences "less gifted politicians cannot touch" or if he is making a "major mistake", said Nigel Jones in The Spectator.
Politicians who have entered the jungle in the past, including Edwina Currie and Nadine Dorries, have "found the experience a bruising one that did little to enhance their (un)popularity with the public". And neither does the show do anything to "boost the dignity of the political class, or raise the already low level of respect that our 'rulers' enjoy", said Jones.
But Farage clearly sees value in appearing on the show "beyond the gigantic appearance fee", rumoured to be around £1.5 million, said Ed Cumming in The Telegraph. "I'm a Celebrity…" is watched by millions in the UK, "many of whom will not have paid close attention to Tory conference," he continued.
"Could 'I'm A Celebrity' be the former Ukip leader's launchpad for a political comeback? You would not bet against it."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Sorcha Bradley is a writer at The Week and a regular on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. She worked at The Week magazine for a year and a half before taking up her current role with the digital team, where she mostly covers UK current affairs and politics. Before joining The Week, Sorcha worked at slow-news start-up Tortoise Media. She has also written for Sky News, The Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard and Grazia magazine, among other publications. She has a master’s in newspaper journalism from City, University of London, where she specialised in political journalism.
-
Why Bhutan hopes tourists will put a smile back on its face
Under The Radar The 'kingdom of happiness' is facing economic problems and unprecedented emigration
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
7 beautiful towns to visit in Switzerland during the holidays
The Week Recommends Find bliss in these charming Swiss locales that blend the traditional with the modern
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Werewolf bill
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
John Prescott: was he Labour's last link to the working class?
Today's Big Quesiton 'A total one-off': tributes have poured in for the former deputy PM and trade unionist
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rahmbo, back from Japan, will be looking for a job? Really?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'It may not be surprising that creative work is used without permission'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What Mike Huckabee means for US-Israel relations
In the Spotlight Some observers are worried that the conservative evangelical minister could be a destabilizing influence on an already volatile region
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
What will Trump mean for the Middle East?
Talking Point President-elect's 'pro-Israel stance' could mask a more complex and unpredictable approach to the region
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Netanyahu's gambit: axing his own defence minster
Talking Point Sacking of Yoav Gallant demonstrated 'utter contempt' for Israeli public
By The Week UK Published
-
Should Sonia Sotomayor retire from the Supreme Court?
Talking Points Democrats worry about repeating the history of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Will Donald Trump wreck the Brexit deal?
Today's Big Question President-elect's victory could help UK's reset with the EU, but a free-trade agreement with the US to dodge his threatened tariffs could hinder it
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published