I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! has returned with a South Africa series which sees previous contestants of the show taking part to be crowned an I'm a Celeb legend.

An initial contestant list of eight has already been expanded by four, with Gillian McKeith arriving at the end of the first episode and Georgia Toffolo, Andy Whyment and Myleene Klass set to arrive during Wednesday night's episode (April 26).

Whilst the setting of the show has changed from Australia to South Africa, there has also been another big change that viewers have noticed.

Unlike the usual versions of I'm A Celebrity, the new spin-off is actually pre-recorded.

Here's the information on why that decision was made.

Why isn't I'm A Celebrity South Africa being filmed live?

It was reported in The Mirror last April that plans were scheduled to film a series in South Africa featuring contestants who had participated in earlier series.

This was reportedly done as a backup plan by ITV in case they had not been able to return to Australia for the regular series due to Covid restrictions.

Despite the previous two series having been filmed in Wales to counteract this, there was not any desire to use it again.

An insider told the news site at the time: "This is a brilliant reserve plan in case Covid restrictions come round again in the Autumn and the cast and crew can’t get Down Under, as has happened for the past two years.

“There is no appetite to go back to Wales. It was great while it lasted but it’s just too dark and damp. Everyone’s had enough, including the viewers."

Producers planned to show the series in early 2023 if they were able to return to filming I’m a Celeb in Australia, as indeed they were.

Filming for the South Africa series took place in July 2022 

I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! South Africa is on ITV1 from 9pm every weekday.