I’m A Celebrity programme makers ‘illegally’ brought invasive species to Wales for 2020 series

Use of live Turkish crayfish ‘extremely irresponsible’, says naturalist Iolo Williams

Gwrych Castle in Wales, where the 2020 edition of ‘I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!’ was filmed (Getty)

The makers of ITV’s I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! “illegally” brought invasive species of animals to Wales when the programme was relocated last year because of coronavirus restrictions, a new investigation by a charity alleges.

The UK entering lockdown meant celebrities originally bound for the jungles of Western Australia were instead held in a castle in North Wales.

But as the usual exotic animals and insects that have become a mainstay of the show were in short supply in the British Isles, the programme makers instead brought in the creepy crawlies required to make the cohort of celebrities squirm and squeal for viewers.

These included varieties of spiders, maggots, crayfish and cockroaches, none of which were native to the area.

The use of these live creatures in the so-called “bushtucker trials” resulted in numerous complaints and a police investigation, after which the police issued “suitable advice” on the potential release of non-native species, which is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

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However, a new investigation by the Buglife charity alleges the programme makers brought in a species of crayfish “so invasive that even keeping them requires a licence” – with the charity alleging no such licence was held.

In November a spokesman for the programme said: “All of the insects used on I’m A Celebrity are non-invasive species”.

But Buglife said their review had found that the programme makers had brought in the Turkish (also called narrow-clawed) crayfish – an invasive species that damages aquatic ecosystems.

The charity noted that it was not an insect, as the programme makers had suggested.

Buglife noted the species is strictly controlled and is listed as an invasive non-native species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Keeping it is outlawed by the Prohibition of Keeping of Live Fish (Crayfish) Order 1996.

BBC Springwatch presenter and naturalist Iolo Williams, who is Welsh, told The Independent the alleged bringing in of the species for the programme was “extremely irresponsible”.

He said: “We’ve seen in the past the effects which invasive species are having in this country – we only need to look at things like Japanese knotweed and rhododendrons, American mink – there’s a long list of them. It’s costing the country hundreds of millions of pounds every year. So potentially adding to that is irresponsible.”

“The other side of this argument is that they really shouldn’t be using live animals in the first place. I’m not anti- I’m a Celebrity at all. It’s an entertaining show, but why use live animals, why not use fish guts if you like, but not live animals, you’d still get the same effect.”

He added: “I can’t believe that this goes on in the 21st century.”

The investigation by Buglife found that no licence was applied for by the show, either in Wales or in the UK.

The Welsh government told the charity it was “unable to find any evidence that a licence application was made in this instance”, while the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed that “no licence was applied for in this case, and Cefas [the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science] would not have issued one for the purpose for which [the creatures] were used”.

Matt Shardlow, the chief executive of Buglife, said: “In light of these shocking revelations it is imperative that the police reopen their investigation into potential wildlife crimes committed in North Wales by the makers of I’m a Celebrity.

“Invasive species cause billions of pounds worth of damage every year, so preventing that ecosystem destruction is a high priority.

“If the police conclude that the programme makers were using invasive species for frivolous entertainment without holding the relevant licences, considering their track record and previous misleading statement, a prosecution would appear to be the appropriate resolution.”

A spokesperson for ITV told The Independent: “ITV did not release any crayfish into the wild. We have systems in place within the controlled environment they were used in that ensured they were counted before, during and after use. When crayfish were used on I’m A Celebrity they were sourced and hired through a specialist supplier and all returned after use.”