The Joy of Jungle Jan

Thank goodness for Jan Leeming because without her this show would be rather like watching a rather dull dinner party. I had such high hopes that the likes of Lauren and David would create the tension that makes for a good show but they seem to be on their best behaviour.

Most of this year’s cast are very likable but not what you could call interesting, so without the former newsreader rubbing them up the wrong way, it would be an uninspiring show indeed.

The arrival of Dean Gaffney was one of the talking points not just of this series but of the television year. It was undoubtedly one of the funniest and bravest Bushtucker trials ever, with the thought that he may hurl at any moment making things as tense for us at home as they were for him in the bushtucker clearing.

He seemed so overwhelmed by the experience that producers must have been desperately worried as to what could go wrong, one of the joys of live television of course.

Dean comes across as a really nice guy though, when what we really needed was someone to stir things up. It’s a shame they didn’t persuade Kelly Osbourne to go in because she’d be far better value in the camp than she has proved to be as a presenter.

The attempt to turn the ITV2 show into some sort of Big Brother’s Big Mouth clone has failed in spectacular fashion, and bringing back Mark Durden Smith seemed like an act of desperation.

I’m actually missing TPT so things must be serious.

Since my last column I’ve come to more of a conclusion about Prina and Scott. Prina’s attempts to appear hard-faced are remarkably hollow though they’d probably get right on my nerves if I were one of here fellow hungry campers. Scott on the other hand seems to want to project a bitchy image but once more it seems his heart isn’t really in it and he’s coming across as a much nicer person than was possibly his intention.

Mind you, anyone would look bad next to Saint Jason Donovan who seems to have emerged as a natural leader attracting a growing band of disciples. Under his guiding and calming influence jittery Jan managed to get ten stars in a Bushtucker trial. Of such stuff are legends of miracle workers made.

The sight that is likely to remain etched on all our memories for years to come will be that of Jan, in her bright yellow Bushtucker trial body suit, performing possibly the world’s most embarrassing ever televised striptease to Toby Anstis. Bizarre really doesn’t cover and they’ll certainly have to revise all those top 100 clip shows before they are reshown to include this almost unbelievably and seemingly unprompted piece of jungle action.

Any vestiges of dignity she may have had left quickly vanished after that.

I might be disappointed that everyone is getting on so well but better that than they do a Love Island and send Danan in, but I don’t think there was a need to press the panic button and that’s what the decision to split the camp into smacks of.

This is a fundamental shift in the format and could prove to be something of gamble. Of the celebs I’d expect Jan to suffer most because she really doesn’t seem to have formed close bonds with the other women and without the calming influence of Jason and Toby, things could really kick off.

The other person I’d expect to enjoy the split least would be Scott because his little bitch clique will be denied him and it's difficult to see many of any of the other boys providing him with the sort of sounding board he needs to get those frustrations out.

At least it may give Dean and Malandra a better chance to shine.