Reality TV betting: I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!

The problem for punters betting on reality TV ahead of the seventh in the series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! is that the Z-listers who start the show will be joined halfway through by other no-marks to enhance ITV's sliding ratings and therefore picking a winner at this early stage is fraught with dangers. On the eve of the show Sex Pistols founder Malcolm McLaren proved that punk is not dead by refusing to appear on what he called a 'fixed' show. "They know who's going to win and lose. There are about 550 people in the jungle. It might have been a jungle once upon a time, but now it's a film set," claimed the rebel pensioner. What quite he was expecting is a matter for speculation but his thoughts do lend a valuable insight for the bettor. Yes the show is engineered and yes the producers have an idea who makes for good TV. Bearing that in mind there are a few certainties you can bank on. Gemma Atkinson is this season's eye candy and while the bookies will run a market on her going topless - William Hill offer her at 4/11 - she will tease in a bikini and tantalise in her bra but will stay covered up, it's a family show after all. Failed pop stars Jason 'J' Brown and Cerys Matthews will try and reignite their former, ahem, glories, Rodney Marsh will try and prove once and for all that his throw away remark that got him sacked from Sky Sports was a one-off and he's really a cheeky lovable rogue while Anna Ryder Richardson is out to get back on TV. Simple.It is the 'stars' who the public know little about who could be worth taking an early saver on. John Burton Race will only be familiar to the well-heeled who can afford to eat in his restaurants but he will play a very important role in the jungle - he's a chef so he can cook. This can go one of two ways - either he provides wonderful meals or he is such a pedant that he will complain at other's attempts and annoy everyone else. The real wild card for this series is Lynne Franks. Jennifer Saunders won awards for her comedic potrayal of a PR luvvie in Absolutely Fabulous and, depending on who you believe, her lead character was based on Franks. Not many of the British public will recognise Franks but if she is the larger than life character that she has been portrayed as, she will serve the purpose as the mother hen who is also a bit left-field and more importantly she will make for good TV. Betting-wise the advice is to watch and learn before choosing an outright winner of I'm A Celebrity - if you must bet now take a small saver out on Franks, after all it's a woman's turn to win as four of the last six have been men. Otherwise get involved with William Hill's 6/4 that a contestant fails to win any stars in a trial. You can picture it now, former model Janice Dickinson runs for her life when asked to swim with crocs and snakes then makes her tearful return to the camp empty-handed... Verdict: 1pt Lynne Franks @ 25/1 (Bet365)