Ima Celebrity All-Stars: Coronation Street Star Beverley Callard Heads to South Africa in Surprise Return
Beverley Callard, the Coronation Street actress known for playing Liz McDonald for more than 30 years, will swap her Norfolk home for a South African game reserve to compete in the latest ima celebrity all‑stars edition. The announcement arrives with the programme pre‑recorded in South Africa after filming in September, and a scheduled streaming run beginning April 6 (ET), culminating with a live final from London on April 24 (ET).
Ima Celebrity production shift and schedule
The production for this all‑star run was shot in September and is being presented as a pre‑recorded series hosted by the duo Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly. The broadcaster plans a weeknight streaming schedule starting April 6 (ET), with a live final to determine the winner airing from London on April 24 (ET). The programme’s return to a game‑reserve setting marks a departure from the 2020 series, which took place in a Welsh castle due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Background — why Beverley Callard’s participation matters
Callard’s participation is notable on multiple fronts. She has lived in Norfolk since 2022, having moved to Loddon from Salford, and briefly relocated to Ireland to join the cast of a different soap before returning to the east of England for medical treatment. She received cancer treatment at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and first disclosed a breast cancer diagnosis on a televised Irish programme on February 6. This will be her second time competing on the franchise; she first appeared in the 2020 edition.
Expert perspectives and stakeholder roles
Key individuals connected to the series are identified by their roles: Beverley Callard — Actress, Coronation Street; Ant McPartlin — Presenter, show host; Dec Donnelly — Presenter, show host. Their involvement frames both the talent draw and the production profile. Callard’s return as an all‑star participant invites renewed public attention to her career longevity and health journey, while the presenting duo anchors the production continuity between filming modes and locations.
Deep analysis — causes, implications and ripple effects
The choice to film the all‑star edition on a South African game reserve after a September shoot reflects logistical and editorial decisions shaping reality programming. Returning to an international location signals an emphasis on scale and spectacle; it also creates a clear contrast with the 2020 castle production that was motivated by pandemic constraints. For talent such as Callard, participation in the all‑star run serves dual purposes: career visibility after long‑running soap stardom and public solidarity with viewers following her disclosed health treatment.
Broadcasters’ scheduling strategy—weeknight streaming beginning April 6 (ET) and a live final from London on April 24 (ET)—positions the series to capture sustained evening audiences across the run. The reliance on a pre‑recorded block followed by a live finale compresses production risk while preserving appointment viewing dynamics for the climax.
Regional and wider impact
Callard’s decision to leave her Norfolk residence to take part in the series will reverberate regionally: it spotlights a local public figure who has sought treatment at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and who relocated to Norfolk in 2022. At the programme level, the all‑star format aggregates familiar personalities, likely aiming to mobilise cross‑demographic interest and to convert nostalgia into audience retention across the streaming window and live final.
The return to an international game reserve also carries production implications for crew deployment and local economies in the filming area, and creates a content distinction from the pandemic‑era production choices that placed the series in a domestic castle in 2020.
As the weeknight streaming run approaches—starting April 6 (ET) with a live final on April 24 (ET)—viewers and industry watchers will be monitoring how talent selections such as Callard’s influence ratings, public conversation and the framing of health narratives within entertainment programming. Will the all‑star cast and the return to a game reserve recreate past momentum, or will changing viewer habits reshape the franchise’s reach?
With Beverley Callard set to appear once more, the ima celebrity revival presents both a production pivot and a personal chapter for a veteran soap star; the broader question remains: can this format balance spectacle, care for returning participants, and the demands of a modern streaming schedule while sustaining audience engagement through to the live finale on April 24 (ET)?
