ALL good things come to an end.

And so it came to pass, in the Australian jungle on Wednesday, that one of the greatest ever campmates, Lady Colin Campbell, walked.

An event that, had it occurred a fortnight earlier, could have had dire consequences for this year’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

That’s one line of argument, anyway — that Lady C, no matter what you think of the vile, obnoxious old trout, single-handedly made the show amid a dour cast desperate for peace and calm.

Personally it’s not one I buy.

Agreed, she delivered extraordinary telly, the best series since at least 2010.

But even without her, it’s my sneaking suspicion that we wouldn’t have been disappointed.

The evidence for which is the start of her final episode, tellingly when the producers knew they’d have to fill most of the 90 minutes with scenes not featuring Lady C.

It was “vain old goat” Duncan Bannatyne waking up the camp’s appointed washer-upper Ferne McCann by brandishing a dirty pot she’d failed to clean properly the night before.

Ferne bit back: “I feel like everything I do you pick, pick, pick, pick, pick. I’ve just got up. I’m doing the best I can.”

A surefire sign, if you ask me, we’d have been raving about I’m A Celeb 15 regardless.

It’s entirely likely Duncan would have assumed camp tyrant status, and that the only reason he hadn’t was the presence of an even bigger one.

It seems the material, such as the friction over a dirty pot, was there throughout the series but it couldn’t muscle its way into the final edit when other events were more explosive.

Indeed, Lady C was a unifying force who galvanised most of the line-up onto the same side against her.

Her departure is finally allowing us to see the show’s underbelly for the last few days.

I also don’t buy the argument that the support cast has been weak.

Footballer Kieron Dyer leaping to her ladyship’s defence in week two was genuinely touching.

Vicky Pattison has been a revelation.

Chris Eubank was tremendous value for money, quoting Rudyard Kipling at Lady C in a vain bid to get her to be nice, wearing that ridiculous seashell monocle and showcasing his backwards walking that’s given Ant & Dec, as phenomenal as ever, a great running gag to go alongside the Tony Hadley/MasterChef one.

Even the two diarrhetic baby emus have had a starring role.

Crucially, whereas Celebrity Big Brother is manipulated to create conflict (to the point the last two runs have been unwatchable), I’m A Celeb has largely let events unfold, the sign of a confident reality show.

The producers, though, need to be even more hands-off. They stupidly split the camp at its most entertaining by reintroducing Snake Rock.

But the final word must go to Lady C, to Tony Hadley, during the Beetle-gate bust-up: “You are a hypocritical, pretentious piffler. You’re a chippy oik with the brains of a pea and the mouth of diarrhoea. You’re the lowest of the low.”

Come on, Lady C. Get off the fence. Tell us what you really think of him.

Spudulikes…

C4’s absorbing The Murder Detectives.

Scott dramatically quitting The Apprentice.

TLC’s My Strange Addiction with “the woman who drinks 20 cans of air freshener a week”.

X Factor’s Rita Ora after Che Chesterman hummed his way through Adele’s Hello having forgotten all the words: “You made that song your own.”

Rylan’s I’m A Celeb update on This Morning: “The boys in camp have been warned to cover their privates to protect them from jungle trouser snakes.”

And Piers Morgan watching himself and the GMB gang re-enact Wham’s Last Christmas video: “This time last year I was interviewing the president of Iran for CNN.” (Cue the music) This year, to save me from tears, he’ll film a Text Santa special.

Spuduhates…

Text Santa’s Phillip Schofield browsing in Emmerdale’s village shop, yet nobody declaring: “Blimey, it’s the silver fox.”

Cheryl bounding on stage to dance with Reggie ‘N’ Bollie, like a hen-party reveller, soaring to the top of X Factor’s cringiest moments.

EastEnders breaking its own record last night with four people asking someone to “mind the stall” in the space of 13 minutes.

And Kirstie Allsopp having way too much time on her hands on Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas: “What’s brilliant about making your own stocking is you can make it as luxuriant as you want. But first you’ve got to sew it together.” No, first you’ve got to ask yourself: “Why would you?”