Ant and Dec face enormous backlash as I’m a Celebrity is slapped with Ofcom complaints

I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! has sparked controversy just a week into its latest season, with 70 complaints filed with Ofcom after hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly made jokes referencing the Bible and Christianity.

The backlash began after Reverend Richard Coles, former Strictly Come Dancing contestant and prominent Church of England figure, entered the jungle alongside Love Island star Maura Higgins. 

During an eating challenge featuring Coles, 62, and Higgins, 34, Dec quipped: ‘More tea, vicar?’ in a nod to Coles’ clerical role. 

Later, Dec, 49, described the trial as ‘unholy,’ to which Ant jokingly added, ‘Bum-holey.’

The humour escalated during Tuesday night’s episode when Ant, 49, delivered a mock sermon about Coles waking up in camp. 

As Dec narrated, ‘It’s the start of a new day now, and the first to wake up was Reverend Richard,’ Ant interrupted, saying: ‘Though the night before there had been darkness and a plague of insects… he did rise again.’ 

While the skit amused some viewers, others found it disrespectful, leading to formal complaints to Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator. 

Neither Ant and Dec nor ITV have issued a public response.

An Ofcom spokesperson said: ‘We are assessing the complaints, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate.’

MailOnline has approached ITV for comment. 

However, Coles himself has also surprised viewers with candid moments. 

In a conversation with influencer GK Barry (real name Grace Keeling), she asked about the challenges of being both religious and gay. 

Coles responded confidently: ‘No, not at all. I’ve never given it a moment’s twinge of anxiety over whether God thought it was alright or not. 

‘Whether other people thought it was alright or not, well, I’m happy to have that argument.’

He added: ‘I was not the first. Sometimes I look at documents from the early church or the church of the middle ages, and I just think—so gay.’ 

GK later admitted in the Bush Telegraph: ‘Never in a million years would I have thought I’d get on best with a reverend.’

Coles continued to make waves when GK asked if he had ever met a member of the royal family. 

Richard cheekily replied: ‘Great in bed…’ before bursting into laughter, leaving campmates stunned. 

Fans on social media were quick to react, with one user on X asking: ‘Who has Richard bedded from the royal family? Have I missed something?!’ 

Another posted: ‘Reverend Richard said a royal was good in bed,’ while a third declared, ‘I need to know which royal he was talking about.’

In a lighter moment, Dec summarised Richard’s jungle experience: ‘So, basically, you’re saying Richard had a fright, got some crisps, then had a sleep and got out of bed?’ 

Ant, adopting a mock religious tone, replied: ‘Yes, my child.’

Richard’s path from pop star to priesthood has fascinated fans. 

After The Communards, his synth-pop duo with Jimmy Somerville, disbanded in 1988, he converted to Roman Catholicism in 1991 before returning to the Church of England in 2001. 

He was ordained in 2005, earning a reputation as one of the UK’s most unconventional religious figures.