I'm a Celebrity / Feizal Rahman / 21 November 2008 / Leave a comment

I'm a Celebrity Get Me out of Here 2008 is shaping up quite nicely and as Feizal Rahman explains, the early arrival of two newcomers to the camp has provided plenty for punters to contemplate.

After a one-off break to allow for an Italian to lead some Englishmen to victory in Germany, our celebrities returned to our screens with gusto last night. Thrown into the mix, however, were two blasts from the past in the form of wacky ex-children's TV presenter Timmy Mallett and one-time pop singer David Van Day, who was allegedly quite big in the 80's and looks like he's been stuck there ever since.

In possibly the lamest hostage sequence ever staged on TV, the entering pair was ensnared in a cargo net and thrown into a cage. The original group were then given the choice of paying a ransom to release the newcomers in the form of a luxury item each or leave them incarcerated. Unsurprisingly, being celebrities, there was a shortage of volunteers for this and Mallett and Van Day spent the night in hungry seclusion.

Eventually emerging the next day, Timmy was expectedly his usual bundle of joy while David - who hadn't coped well with his overnight ordeal - displayed a bitter attitude that did little to ingratiate him with the group. As a consequence, he is trading at three figures in the winner market - matched at a high of [150.0] - while in the 1st elimination market, 'Any Other' (effectively Van Day and Mallett coupled) is the shortest priced at [3.0].

Meanwhile, Robert Kilroy-Silk bagged a full house in the last two bushtucker trials, showing impressive, albeit unexpected, bravery and determination. His facile success, however, should be of no real surprise as having been immersed in the world of politics or some years, he will be well accustomed to dealing with slimy creatures and vermin. Winning over fans as a result of his efforts, Kilroy's into [21.0] from a high of [48.0].

Elsewhere, there could be the start of a beautiful relationship with Brian and Simon chumming up nicely. Having claimed to have "a couple of Blue videos on my iphone" (don't we all, Brian!), the former top cop was positively beaming when Simon offered to sing at his forthcoming wedding. Yet, in spite of the blossoming friendship, and his continuing efforts at diplomacy in the camp, Paddick is still hovering around [100.0] to win and is second favourite to be the first eliminated at [4.2].

Joe continues to hold favouritism at around [2.9], with Esther backed down a couple of points to move in just behind him at [5.8]. It's no surprise to see Timmy straight in at single figures - currently [7.6] but expect him to shorten - while George remains prominent at [9.8].