I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here has been sent into chaos after the show’s outdoor set was damaged by Storm Arwen on Friday.
Images taken on Saturday morning show the extreme weather’s devastating impact upon a large white tent, which protected a series of trailers and vans for production of the show, with onlookers claiming all non-essential crew have been taken off site due to the dangerous conditions.
Bosses were forced to pre-record Friday’s show amid safety concerns for contestants at Gwrych Castle in North Wales, with hosts Ant and Dec recording their segments earlier that afternoon.
Shock! I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here has been sent into chaos after the show’s outdoor set was damaged by Storm Arwen on Friday
Presenters Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly did not present Friday’s episode live for the first time in the show’s 19-year history and filmed their segments earlier in the afternoon ahead of the storm worsening.
Sections of the tent’s roof had blown away, which exposed scaffolding structures and demountable buildings beneath to strong wind and rain.
Following shots exhibited the damage done to a subsequent tent, which had collapsed into a recreational vehicle and exposed a series of metal poles.
Storm Arwen had been due to hit the local area around 9pm on Friday, which is the same time the episode airs on ITV, with producers fearing the impending weather conditions could impact the satellite link.
Oh no! It comes after bosses were forced to pre-record that evening’s show amid safety concerns for contestants at Gwrych Castle in North Wales
Worrying: Images taken on Saturday morning show the extreme weather’s devastating impact upon a large white tent, which protected a series of trailers and vans
An ITV spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Tonight’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! will be broadcast as a pre-recorded show rather than live due to the developing Storm Arwen and precautionary measures we’re putting into place on production.
‘Ant & Dec will record their links early evening and these will be played out during tonight’s show. Our celebrities will remain inside the castle which is secure and we have contingencies in place to cover all weather scenarios to ensure the safety of our cast and crew.’
Speaking in a short clip posted to their Instagram ahead of the show the duo explained about the change to the set up, with the storm and strong winds clearly audible in the background.
Dec said: ‘So you’ve probably heard we are having to record the show a bit earlier tonight because of the winds and Storm Arwen. It’s bad, it’s really windy isn’t it, you can hear the wind rattling, so we have got to get it done now and get out of here.
Tragic: Following shots exhibited the damage done to a subsequent tent, which had collapsed into a recreational vehicle and exposed a series of metal poles
Terrifying: Sections of its roof had blown away, which exposed scaffolding structures and demountable buildings beneath to strong wind and rain
‘It’s due to get worse later, so everybody is afraid that the satellite is going to go down and all of that so it’s a bit risky to do a live show. So we will have to do it recorded tonight, that’s the first time we’ve ever done that.’
He then joked: ‘It’s very very windy, and even worse for that it was lentils for lunch! So Ant is a bit windy as well!’
Stars including Frankie Bridge and Naughty Boy, who argued on Thursday’s show over rice, will face further tensions as the storm hits, forcing contestants to shelter together in the freezing castle.
Gwrych Castle has been taking a battering with gale force winds and rain bringing down tree branches and safety signs.
Eek! Presenters Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly did not present Friday’s episode live for the first time in the show’s 19-year history and filmed their segments earlier in the afternoon ahead of the storm worsening
The Met Office has warned there is worse to come for the area around the castle later tonight from a storm they have given the Welsh name of Arwen.
The first heavy blasts meant security guards who had been brought into Gwrych Castle to protect the eleven remaining celebrities had to leave their posts to retrieve and reposition fencing blown down by the extreme weather.
Road signs which had been held down with sand bags were felled and blown into the road as cars had to swerve to avoid them.
Extreme weather warnings have forced the show’s producers to take emergency measures to protect its stars who are staying in the 19th century castle.
Weather woes: The castle had been taking a weather battering with gale force winds and driving rain bringing down tree branches and safety signs
The Met Office said: ‘Storm Arwen will bring very strong northerly winds into coastal parts of Wales and parts of western England Friday night and into Saturday. ‘
Gwrych Castle is positioned high up on a hill in an open space, less than a mile from Liverpool Bay which borders the Irish sea.
The Met Office added: ‘Flying debris is likely and could lead to Injuries or danger to life; Probably damage to trees, temporary structures and buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs.
‘Some roads and bridges are likely to close; There is a good chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage.
‘Injuries and danger to life is likely from large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and properties.’
Amendments: A guard fixed some of the security fencing at Gwrych Castle ahead of the arrival of Storm Arwen
Elsewhere, red alerts – warning of a ‘danger to life’ – have been issued across the northeast of England and Scotland for the first time in three years as Britons are warned to prepare for flooding, blizzards and power cuts.
The red warning, which covers areas including Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, will be in place from 3pm Friday until 2am Saturday morning.
Public transport in the red zone will be cancelled as the Met Office warned roofs could be blown off and ‘power lines brought down.’
As temperatures on Friday plunged well below average to -4.4C in the Lake District, the Met Office warned commuters of ‘flying debris’ expected to cause chaos on roads, bridges and railway lines.
ITV said it was making preparations for the heavy winter storm and had advised its show’s stars that safety measures may have to be taken.
An I’m A Celeb spokesman told MailOnline: ‘Show bosses are monitoring Storm Arwen and we have contingencies in place to cover all weather scenarios.’
Meanwhile, local resident Diana Pritchard, a retired dental assistant who lives with husband Ian close to the castle, said: ‘We have been warned that the storm is going to last for nine hours from midnight and be absolutely terrible.
Location: The 19th century castle is positioned high up on a hill in an open space, less than a mile from Liverpool Bay which borders the Irish sea
Bad weather: Fencing and signs had been blown over in the area surrounding the derelict Welsh castle
‘I hope they take care of the celebrities up there. It’s going to be pretty cold windy and wet and who knows what the storm will do to the trees and the structure of the walls around the castle.’
Sharon Roberts, 41, a charity worker of Rhyl, added: ‘I live close to the coastline. I’m really worried about the sea and what it might do to the houses alongside as the waves are going to be pretty strong.
‘But I would hate to be up there in that castle. They’re not going to get any sleep that’s for sure.
‘I’ve been watching the show and they seem pretty grumpy with low morale. I wonder what this will do to them.
‘It isn’t going to help them in terms of spirit. But I’ll probably make good TV. The show hasn’t been as great this year because no one really knows who most of people are, but a storm hit in the castle will be very dramatic.’
Safety first: ITV said it was making preparations for the heavy winter storm and had advised its show’s stars that safety measures may have to be taken
More than 80,000 homes in the UK have been left without electricity after the country was battered by Storm Arwen overnight.
Ferocious gales of nearly 100mph were recorded in Northumberland yesterday and one man in Northern Ireland was killed when his car was struck by a falling tree.
While the Met Office’s rare red weather warning expired early today, the forecaster said that amber and yellow warnings for wind remained in place, with the expectation of gusts of 70mph in many areas today and flooding along the North East coastline.
Friday night’s rugby union Premiership game between Newcastle Falcons and Worcester Warriors was postponed due to safety concerns.
Warning: Red, amber and yellow wind and snow warnings were released for Scotland, western England and Northern Ireland on Friday, before extending to almost the entire of the UK on Saturday