It is now produced by ITV Studios and has been licensed globally to countries including the United States, Germany, France, Hungary, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Romania, Russia, Australia and India.
[2] However, the first UK series of the show (aired in 2002) was filmed on a smaller site close to King Ranch (officially El Rancho del Rey) in Cardstone,[3] with a temporary studio built on the banks of Kooroomool Creek,[4] near Tully, Queensland, in Australia.
[5] For the fifth British series in 2005, there were reportedly plans to relocate the show to the coastal town of Cardwell (also in Queensland); however these were subsequently dropped due to logistical problems and time constraints in building the new set and required infrastructure.
[8] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 15th season of the German version was originally planned for 2021 to take place for the first time in the history of the show not in Australia, but in North Wales, at Gwrych Castle.
[10] On 2 August 2021, it was announced that, due to Australia's border remaining closed amid COVID-19 restrictions in the country, filming for the UK version would again be taking place at Gwrych Castle in Abergele, Wales.
This incident did, however, highlight among certain groups such as Buglife, a British charity for the conservation of insects, and the RSPCA, the controversy surrounding the killing of living creatures for human entertainment.
[20] Packham again requested that the programme end its perceived animal abuse on stage during the 2019 TV Choice Awards, whilst imploring celebrities and those in the television industry to be more conscious of the environment.
[22] In November 2022, the British instalment was criticized for its casting of Matt Hancock as a contestant, the serving Member of Parliament for West Suffolk who had been disgraced for his breaching of COVID-19 guidelines as Health Secretary.