John Barrowman has said he would like his title to be gender fluid if he wins I’m A Celebrity.
The Torchwood and Doctor Who actor is one of the contestants going Down Under for the upcoming series of the ITV show, which crowns a King or Queen of the Jungle at the end.
“I would be over the moon if I won,” he said. “I would be the King or Queen of the Jungle.”
Barrowman, who married his husband in 2013, said he was ready to embrace the gruelling trials on the show.
But he confessed he was dreading any coffin-style challenges.
“If they put me in a box like a coffin, I know I am going to have a problem,” said the 51-year-old.
“I will have to really figure that one out when it happens as I know filming Torchwood, there was a scene where we filmed in a coffin. They put me in a coffin in a drawer and I couldn’t do it.
“It was see-through and so I could see space but I couldn’t do it. I had a panic.
“That might be the challenge that is most fearful for me. But realistically, you know they are not going to do anything that hurts you.”
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! starts on Sunday November 18 on ITV.
- Press Association
That Lazarus Pit sure is handy. Malcolm Merlyn, the deceased “Dark Archer” and former leader of the League of Assassins, will return later this season on The CW’s Arrow in a capacity yet to be revealed.
During the Torchwood panel held at the Supanova Comic Con & Gaming Expo in Brisbane, Australia, actor John Barrowman (who starred in Doctor Who and Torchwood as the immortal Captain Jack Harkness) told the Australian crowd that he will return for an episode of Arrow later this season.
It is unknown how long and in what capacity Barrowman’s return to the series will look like. So it’s anyone’s guess if Malcolm Merlyn is actually still alive, will undergo some sort of resurrection, or, as Arrow has done multiple times, simply feature the character in flashbacks, hallucinations, and even doppelgängers with characters (namely the Human Target) pretending to play old, familiar faces.
While the Arrowverse has an exhausting history of characters returning for varying stints after being killed off, the return of Barrowman’s Malcolm Merlyn is especially interesting. In the show’s sixth season finale, Malcolm died in an act of sacrifice to save his daughter, Thea (Willa Holland) on Lian Yu, the island where Ollie (Stephen Amell) became the Green Arrow.
John Barrowman as "Malcolm Merlyn" in his final (?) appearance in 'Arrow' Season 6.
Unlike other characters, Malcolm Merlyn once had the Lazarus Pit under his control. In both the comics and in Arrow, the Lazarus Pit is a mystical pool of enchanted water capable of healing and even resurrecting people from the dead. The Lazarus Pit was destroyed in Season 4, but nothing in Arrow is powerful enough to stop a television writer’s room.
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Arrow airs Mondays at 8 p.m. Eastern on The CW.
Harry Redknapp will head into the jungle for the new series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! despite never having seen the programme before.
The football manager, 71, is among the 10 stars confirmed for the ITV series, which will this year be hosted by Declan Donnelly and Holly Willoughby.
He will join DIY SOS host Nick Knowles, actor and entertainer John Barrowman, pop stars James McVey of The Vamps and Fleur East, former EastEnders star Rita Simons, Coronation Street actress Sair Khan, The Chase’s Anne Hegerty, Inbetweeners actress Emily Atack and Hollyoaks actor Malique Thompson-Dwyer in the new series.
Redknapp said he does not think the programme will be more challenging than being a football manager, although he is admittedly none the wiser.
Speaking ahead of venturing into the Australian jungle, he said: “There’s nothing tougher than being a manager of a football team when things aren’t going well.
“When the results are bad, believe you me, being a manager is a very tough, lonely occupation.
“You feel responsible, however many people support your team every week. The buck stops with you. You haven’t got many friends when it’s not going well as a football manager.
“So no, I don’t think doing this will be tougher.”
Fleur East (Ian West/PA)
He added: “But to be honest, I have not actually watched the programme. I watch sport all day and all night when I’m at home and we are out three to four nights a week.”
Redknapp does appear to know the troubles that await him in terms of I’m A Celebrity’s often meagre diet, but he is not too fussed about it as he regularly skips breakfast and lunch.
He said: “I have got bad eating habits. I can go all day without eating until the evening. Eating won’t be a problem for me.”
The former Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham manager, and father of retired footballer Jamie Redknapp, also said that his sporting colleagues will be surprised to know he has signed up to the show.
“My wife thinks I am mad. She has seen the show and she has told me I should watch it before I do it,” he said.
“My son, Jamie, thinks I am definitely not the full shilling.”
James McVey of The Vamps (Dave Howarth/PA)
However, he said his grandchildren were “really excited” and that he was looking forward to being able to “exaggerate” his stories when he finally emerges from the jungle.
He said he would struggle the most at being separated from his wife, Sandra.
“We do everything together,” he said.
“I have been with Sandra for 54 years and I hate being away from her.”
You’ve got a hot date… with some creepy crawlies 🐛🐜🐍🕷🦂#ImACeleb is back. Starts Sunday 18th November live on @ITV @ImACelebrity pic.twitter.com/nB2vwWN1qu — ITV (@ITV) November 5, 2018
Now in its 18th series, the programme will see long-term presenter Ant McPartlin absent for the first time.
He and his presenting partner Donnelly have hosted the show since it began in 2002, but he is taking a break from his TV jobs following his arrest for drink-driving earlier this year.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! starts on Sunday November 18 on ITV.
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