ITV has confirmed that I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! will launch on Monday, November 16, 2026, at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX, breaking with the show's traditional Sunday premiere. The 24-hour delay, first reported by the Liverpool Echo, comes because ITV1 is broadcasting England's football match against Spain live from Madrid on Sunday evening, kicking off at 7.45pm.
The schedule change is small in itself, but it opens a window onto how a broadcasting giant like ITV manages its calendar around sport, spectacle, and the advertising revenue that follows both. For a programme that has run since 2002 and marks the countdown to the festive season in millions of UK households, even a one-day shift tells us something about the priorities of commercial television.
Who is entering the jungle this year?
The 2026 line-up was officially confirmed by ITV and includes two Scousers among the contestants. Wayne Rooney, the former Premier League striker, has already landed in Australia, following in the footsteps of his wife Coleen, who finished as runner-up in 2024.
Rooney admitted to nerves about the challenges ahead. He said:
Jumping out of a helicopter is a big fear. But I hope I do that, because then I will have conquered that fear.He added:
Snakes? I don't like them, if I'm honest, and I think I am OK with spiders, but they are a lot bigger and scarier there. I will try everything if there is an eating trial. It's about embracing everything.
The full line-up also includes Gavin and Stacey star Joanna Page, Big Brother presenter AJ Odudu, Paralympian and TV presenter Ade Adepitan, singer Ricky Wilson, YouTuber Sharky, reality star Chloe Burrows, Loose Women star Mariella Frostrup, model Leomie Anderson, and comedian Jack Skipper. The cast will hope to follow last year's winner, the content creator known as Angry Ginge, who was crowned ahead of runner-up Tom Read Wilson and third-placed Shona McGarty.
Why the launch date changed
The first episode of I'm A Celebrity traditionally airs on a Sunday, but this year England's international fixture against Spain takes that slot. Heart FM reported that ITV has officially confirmed the series will start on Monday, November 16, a 24-hour delay on the usual date. Grazia Daily also noted that the launch show will land on a Monday rather than its customary Sunday slot.
Football wins. That is the quiet lesson here. When two of the broadcaster's marquee properties collide, the entertainment format moves aside for the national team, and the audience simply waits another day. It is a reminder that even the most beloved traditions of light entertainment sit downstream of bigger commercial and institutional forces.
What the schedule shift reveals about ITV's priorities
It would be easy to shrug at a one-day move. But consider what it illustrates about how public attention is allocated. ITV's autumn schedule is a machine built to hold millions of viewers in place across the evenings, from football to jungle trials to the festive programming beyond. The machine runs on ratings, and ratings run on advertising.
According to Express.co.uk, the production has also confirmed changes for Kiosk Kev ahead of the new series, which kicks off on Monday, November 16. The programme continues to evolve its format to keep audiences engaged across its three-week run, ending at 10.35pm on launch night.
There is also a question of representation worth taking seriously. The inclusion of Ade Adepitan, a Black disabled Paralympian and presenter, on a flagship prime-time show matters in a media landscape where disabled people remain badly underrepresented on screen. Visibility is not the same as structural change, but it is not nothing either, and how the edit treats disabled contestants over three weeks of trials is something viewers and disability advocates will watch closely.
Three weeks of trials, and what comes next
The celebrities have landed in Australia ready for three weeks of bushtucker trials and entertainment, with the launch episode running from 9pm to 10.35pm on ITV1 and ITVX. Since it first aired in 2002, the programme has become a staple in millions of households across the UK, and its arrival is widely read as the unofficial start of the countdown to Christmas.
Rooney said Coleen and friends who have previously appeared on the programme have given him tips, but he wants to enjoy his own experience and not let the experiences of others influence him too much.
I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! starts Monday, November 16, at 9pm on ITV1, STV, ITVX, and STV Player.
Frequently asked questions
When does I'm A Celebrity 2026 start?
The new series starts on Monday, November 16, 2026, at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with the launch episode running until 10.35pm.
Why is the launch not on a Sunday this year?
ITV1 is broadcasting England's football match against Spain on Sunday, November 15, kicking off at 7.45pm live from Madrid, so the jungle launch was pushed back by one day.
Who is in the I'm A Celebrity 2026 line-up?
The confirmed cast includes Wayne Rooney, Joanna Page, AJ Odudu, Ade Adepitan, Ricky Wilson, Sharky, Chloe Burrows, Mariella Frostrup, Leomie Anderson, and Jack Skipper.