Will you be watching I’m a Celebrity this year?

The TV series set in the Australian jungle has kicked off with strong ratings

Holly Willoughby has proven to be a lucky charm for I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! with the show enjoying its most-watched launch since 2013.

Some 11 million people tuned in for the first episode – up 700,000 on last year, according to overnight ratings.

It was the biggest overnight audience for any channel so far this year, excluding the World Cup, according to ITV.

It was also the fourth-largest audience for the launch of I’m A Celebrity in the show’s history.

This year’s opening episode saw the 10-strong crop of celebrities tackle skydiving, jungle creatures and a 100m (328ft) high challenge called The Edge – the highest the show has had so far, host Declan Donnelly told contestants.

The programme – which includes football boss Harry Redknapp, DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles and ex-EastEnders star Rita Simons in the line-up – opened with Donnelly jokingly introducing Willoughby, who is standing in for his long-time co-host Ant McPartlin as he takes a continued break from his TV commitments.

The first four contestants seen in the show were entertainer and actor John Barrowman, Simons, The Vamps star James McVey and Coronation Street actress Sair Khan, who were met by the presenters on a yacht.

They were split into two teams – Barrowman and Khan in the red team, and Simons and McVey in the yellow team – before being whisked off in a helicopter to face the first challenge of the series.

Are you an I’m a Celebrity fan? Have you watched any previous series? Will you be watching this year?