FANS of the popular ITV show that pits celebrity contestants against one another may have noticed that it will not be on tonight (Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30).

Many will be wondering why this is the case as the programme returns with a slightly different format.

With that said, here is why the show will not be on tonight.

How is I'm a Celeb... South Africa different from the original ITV show?

The South African edition of the show differs from the original programme because this series includes an all-star cast, bringing back popular faces from previous seasons.

This series saw past contestants like Happy Monday's Shaun Ryder enter the camp to go through the reality show experience all over again.

The new series is also not live as was the case with previous installations, meaning there will be no public vote and that the winner has already been decided.

Instead of being crowned king or queen of the jungle, the winner will become the first ever show 'legend'.

Why isn't I'm a Celeb... South Africa live?

According to reports from The Mirror, the South Africa special was filmed as a backup if covid restrictions meant the show couldn't return to Australia as intended.

“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,” said an insider.

“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.”

Filming for the ITV reality show took place in July 2022.

Why isn't I'm a Celeb... South Africa on tonight?

I'm a Celeb doesn't air on weekends so will not be on tonight. This is usually the case for the reality programme except during last year's series.

The reason for this is likely to prevent a clash with other popular shows on ITV such as Britain's Got Talent which airs from 8 pm to 9:20 pm (I'm a Celeb usually starts at 9 pm).

This has been the case in the past with showrunners wanting to avoid run-ins with other shows like BBC's Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor.

I'm a Celeb... South Africa will return to ITV1 and ITVX on Monday, May 1 from 9 pm.