If there’s one thing that gets Britain riled up, it’s a party we weren’t invited to. And the surprise public heroes that called out Boris Johnson on his cheese and wine-related scandal were the I’m A Celeb hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly.
In one link to camera earlier this month, Ant made a very pointed reference to the alleged December 2020 festive do at Number 10 as he told viewers that David Ginola’s time as camp leader was over. ‘They weren’t celebrating,’ he said of the campmates. ‘They categorically weren’t having a party.
‘They categorically deny any accusations they had a party. And this “fictional” party definitely didn’t involve cheese and wine or a Secret Santa.’ Dec then added: ‘Evening Prime Minister… for now!’ as he shot a knowing glance down the camera and the studio erupted with cheers.
This pantomime-esque, fairly harmless joke has now received 65 Ofcom complaints. While tabloids have rushed to say the regulatory authority has been ‘slammed’ with grievances, this number is actually relatively small. To put it into perspective, when Faye Winter verbally attacked Teddy Soares on Love Island this summer, there were almost 25,000 complaints.
Surely, Ant and Dec calling out the PM on I’m A Celeb isn’t something to be reprimanded. We should laugh at the idea that Johnson's staff had a Christmas party in Downing Street during lockdown, because it shows it for what it is: ridiculous.
People couldn’t attend their family’s funerals. The Queen sat alone at Prince Philip’s funeral. But in Downing Street, they were doing … nibbles. And, on a separate occasion, it was later revealed, the PM presided over a Christmas quiz.
And this laughter has caused a formal uprising, too. After Ant and Dec’s joke went viral online, the PM was forced to address the very public roast in parliament. ‘It's obvious what happened, even Ant and Dec are ahead of the Prime Minister on this,’ said leader of the opposition Kier Starmer.
Formal politics aside, mocking the PM has become part of I’m A Celeb’s blood. Ant and Dec first introduced their (now signature) ‘good evening, Prime Minister’ line in 2018 and have called out everything from Boris’ ‘dishevelled’ appearance to him giving friends ‘cushy’ jobs in the cabinet.
Viewers' complaints about the most recent quip seem to stem from their annoyance that light evening entertainment has ‘gone political’ on them. But ‘Good evening, Prime Minister’ is a passing aside, a quick sketch. It’s not like anyone’s tuned in to see Frankie Bridge drink pulverised deer testicles and instead been faced with a full episode of Newsnight.
The more apparent rule-breaking by those in power is exposed, the more likely light-hearted entertainment will be to coincide with social discourse.
Alison Hammond literally said she was going to run for Prime Minister last week. And we fully support it.
Much like the rest of the nation, Ant and Dec have had enough. And as I’m A Celeb reached its final episode, they took the opportunity to have one last laugh. ‘Before we bring the curtain down on this year's show, we're always looking ahead,’ said Dec. We'll let you into a little secret - we've already booked one contestant for the next series… Good evening, Prime Minister.’
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