Highlights so far of the new I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!

Stanley Johnson’s character

The most promising reality TV booking since Ed Balls on Strictly has already delivered beyond the highest expectations of viewers and satirists. Whether claiming not to know who Ant & Dec were, complimenting the appearance of young women in a manner that may be high-risk these days (“Wow! Wow! Wow!”), or in a spat with the comedian Iain Lee, he has come across as a more charming and more politically serious version of his foreign secretary son, Boris.

Anthony McPartlin’s recovery

Over 16 series, Ant & Dec have become the taken-for-granted part of the show, but there had been considerable doubt at ITV over whether the first half of the double act would recover from his heavily publicised problems with addiction and injury in time to take his place on the left-hand side of the screen. So his appearance on Monday provided a moment of genuine warmth in an often cruel format, with viewers just about able to forgive some rather arch scripted banter with Dec about Ant’s having been “busy” with “stuff” in the summer.

Where is Jack Maynard?

Ant could probably have done without having to announce the sudden departure of a contestant due to revelations in the Sun, the paper that broke the story of his own problems. Maynard, a vlogger, at least has the advantage of his own 1.2-million-viewer channel on which to attempt his fightback against the revelation of offensive tweets in the past.

Kezia Dugdale’s arrival/first bushtucker trial

Maynard’s controversial exit was soon matched in impact by the contentious entrance of the former Scottish Labour leader. But, along with the booking of Johnson, Dugdale’s inclusion indicates ITV’s publicity canniness, although, from early evidence, Stanley seems likely to be more popular with the television electorate.