Low standards, fear, distress and harm… all in the name of entertainment

Like many people, I’ve spent plenty of evenings in front of the TV, but one programme I have avoided watching like the plague is I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here. I’ve not even had to muster the strength to avoid it - I’ll tell you why.

A painful watch

When we are watching TV, wrapped up in a blanket, cup of tea in our hands, we don’t always engage with what we are watching. For animal programmes, however, my cognitive lights are usually switched on all the way. Give me a natural history programme any day of the week… and you don’t have to be a vet to love those. But it’s truthfully the reason behind why I do what I do. Fascination and curiosity about these wonderful beings. I’m sure this stands for most veterinary professionals too. So, when I stumbled on a clip online of Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock doing a ‘trial’, I engaged with some reservation. Watching him collecting stars while pushing snakes and pigeons aside with no real care, I winced. I winced again when Ant and Dec asked him ‘to be careful around the animals’, as if the whole challenge wasn’t already a disaster affecting their welfare.

Where is the respect?

It is easy to see the thrill of the outcome, especially on TV, in the on-screen challenges, fights in the jungle, or grabbing stars furiously as the timer ticks away. We humanise the ‘celebs’ beyond their Instagram pages or the backbenches of Parliament. But I wonder where that humanity goes when it comes to the animals? Do we not see their bodies crushed under panicked hands as they are poured onto contestants, do we not see them trying to escape, fearful? Why is this usage of animals not recognised in any meaningful way? They seem to remain or be seen as bit players in a totally avoidable series of challenges. Do we really think so little of them as to use them for our cheap entertainment?

The use of animals on the show usually centres around the species that are often feared or disliked… spiders, rats, snakes and any other less favoured living beings. Programmes such as this help reinforce that narrative. However not all species get the same rep. What would we do if a contestant was pushing a tightly packed-in, unsuspecting group of fluffy rabbits or puppies out the way, squeezed into a box, making no attempt to be diligent or looking out for their welfare all in name of winning a challenge? We forget these contestants are all paid. There’s no sense of urgency, they have free rein to leave at their own will and that says a lot about how many of us view animals and animal welfare in the UK. Negotiable, disposable, their feelings secondary for our own wanton enjoyment. Ultimately it falls way below the idea of us being animal lovers.

Want to ready more? Part two of Fabian's blog is now available.