Cookham's Timmy Mallett locked up for I'm A Celeb

1:47pm Thursday 20th November 2008

By Lucy Clapham

PUBS in Cookham will be supporting resident celebrity Timmy Mallett after he was thrown into the Australian outback for popular ITV show, I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

The former children's TV presenter was sent into the jungle with pop-singer David Van Day, and will join ten other celebs who have been living rough on camera since Sunday.

The three-week long show throws a group of well-known personalities into the jungle and gives them daily 'bush tucker trials' to complete in order to win themselves food.

These tasks include eating plates of 'bush' grub, such as fish eyes, and looking for stars to swap for meals in boxes filled with bugs and creepy crawlies.

Timmy and David were trapped in nets and locked in cages as they picked their way through the undergrowth and it is now up to their fellow campmates to free them.

Staff at the newly opened White Oak in The Pound are supporting Timmy during his time in the jungle. Waitress Mary said: "Everybody loves I'm a Celeb and I'm sure once everyone see he's in there it will create a bit more interest."

Jason Smith, bar manager at The Ferry in Sutton Road, said he had not been watching the series but would be tuning in now to see how Timmy gets on.

Janet Wheeler, Cookham Parish Council clerk, has been watching this series of I'm A Celeb since the start.

She said: "I think it will bring out a new side of Timmy that nobody has seen before. "I think people will be rooting for him, definitely. Of course we want him to win."

Timmy was the first out of the two surprise camp guests to be captured, after a net swooped on him up as he bent down to pick up a cake.

He eventually heard footsteps and called for help, saying: "Who's there? You've got to help me. I feel like the child catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."

It was not a would-be rescuer, however but fellow jungle newcomer David, one half of eighties pop duo Dollar, who was also scooped up in a net.

Their fellow campmates must give up some of their luxury items to free Timmy and David or they will go hungry and be left hanging. The outcome of their decisions can be seen on tonight's show, starting at 8pm on ITV 1.

Keep up to date with all the latest I'm A Celeb news by clicking on the link, top right