There's no denying Larry Lamb was an early favourite when he walked into the I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! jungle. The actor played a huge part in helping Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt become accustomed with her new home and for his first week proved to be the ultimate gentleman. All of that changed however when the 10 original celebrities were joined by two new campmates - Danny Baker and Homes Under the Hammer's Martin Roberts.
Larry Lamb / Credit: ITV
Now, it's without a doubt that Mr Roberts must be an extremely hard person to live with. He caused the first few ripples of conflict within camp almost immediately upon his entry and has continued to do so moving throughout the show to-date. Many of the back-and-forths he's found himself in have been as a result of his own actions, but one particular conflict in last night's show (November 26) split the viewers right down the middle. Whilst Sam Quek and Wayne Bridge seemed unable to come to an agreement about who would do that day's Bushtucker Trial, Martin suggested that the two draw straws so the decision could be made for them. Larry almost immediately jumped down his throat, suggesting he should keep his nose out and allow them to make their own choices without the straws. Adam Thomas agreed that he should 'keep his straws to himself', but just a few minutes later both Sam and Wayne decided that straws would in fact be the best way to settle things.
The short but snappy conflict came after days of Larry boiling under the surface about Martin. For example, just a few days into Martin's stay in the jungle, he tried to read out the lanyard of what the camp had earned for their dinner that night. Larry snatched the paper off him and read it out himself. He's also been very short with Martin on a number of different occasions. Perhaps justified at times, but this one certainly was not.
Later Martin found Larry away from the camp and apologised if he had upset him. Larry then launched into a rant that didn't make much sense about how Martin was 'the child at the back of the classroom begging for attention, always saying "I'll do that, I'll do that!"' It all seemed very desperate for Larry, and a way for him to get at Martin for something that he hadn't actually done. Perhaps it was an excuse for Larry to really let Martin have it, as he has clearly had a problem with him for some time.
Overhearing the exchange, both Scarlett and Sam sided with Martin and agreed that the television host had actually not done anything wrong. When Larry explained the situation to Wayne later on however, Wayne seemed to agree that Martin was a man who doesn't like other people taking the limelight from him. That may be the case, but that doesn't mean he deserves to be treated with such malice. Viewers of course were split:
Martin also showed his softer side later in the episode when he and Scarlett were paired to take on the Dingo Dollar Challenge. Aware of Scarlett's dislike of small spaces, he helped her get under a wall, underwater, keeping her calm throughout the challenge and ensuring a smooth ride.
Joel then lashed Martin with praise during a confessional in the Bush Telegraph. Though he noted he was a very unique man and someone he'd never met anyone quite like in the past, he also said he felt very protective of him and 'didn't like people shouting at him'.
The edit in last night's show may be exactly what Martin needs to rise in the rankings. I'm not entirely sure he could win this year's series, but I do think the way in which he's being treated will mean he gets at least a few more days in the jungle than he would have done originally.
What do you think of the whole Larry/Martin relationship? Could the pair ever be friends? Who's in the right and who will last the longest in the jungle?
I'm A Celebrity continues nightly on ITV, with the second elimination on tonight's show (November 27) at 9pm.
Tagged in Larry Lamb I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here