Ruby Wax's participation in the new series of I'm A Celebrity has thrust her long-running professional feud with fellow documentary maker Louis Theroux back into the public eye. The 72-year-old comedian and presenter entered the ITV jungle, with producers reportedly hoping her candid nature would lead to revelations about the many stars she has encountered throughout her career.
The Roots of the Rivalry
Ruby Wax first found fame playing Shelley DuPont in the 1985 sitcom Girls On Top, before pivoting to a highly successful documentary career. During this period, she secured landmark interviews with some of the world's most prominent and controversial figures, including OJ Simpson and Donald Trump.
However, as her career momentum began to slow, she watched Louis Theroux rise to global fame with a documentary style she felt was familiar. Wax has publicly claimed that Theroux, now 55, stole the concept of her investigative approach, building his own success on the foundations of her work.
A Lingering Anger
The depth of her feelings became clear during a past appearance on Adam Buxton's podcast. When the subject of Theroux was raised, her reaction was visceral. 'I knew you were going to say that. Can we not discuss it? Everything we did, he took. I've moved on. I have a new career but if you say that word to me, I'll vomit,' she stated. She did concede, however, that while she had evolved, 'there's still a little bit of anger.'
Years later, in 2020, Wax appeared on Theroux's own BBC podcast, Grounded With Louis Theroux, where she provided more nuance to her feelings. She clarified that her anger was directed more at the broadcasting establishment than at Theroux personally. She admitted she had avoided watching his documentaries until the morning of their interview, finally acknowledging his skill. 'It's great. You're good, it's what I should've been doing,' she told him, explaining that her comedic persona from Girls On Top had typecast her.
She also revealed that the comparison remains a constant irritant in her life, telling Theroux, 'The name kept coming up over and over again.' She elaborated that even taxi drivers frequently ask her, 'Did you used to do what Louis Theroux did?' or 'What happened to you?'
Jungle Tensions Rise
Meanwhile, on Thursday's episode of I'm A Celebrity, viewers saw Ruby Wax's sharp tongue in action with new campmate Tom Read Wilson. The Celebs Go Dating receptionist, 39, was appointed as a 'Chief Explorer' alongside Vogue Williams.
In a now-viral moment, Tom decided to recite a sonnet to Ruby, beginning with, 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?' Unimpressed, the comedian delivered a withering putdown, instructing him, 'I don't like the bit about the lines…just compare me to a summer's day and leave it at that.' Her blunt remark comes just days after some viewers called for her to be removed from the show for perceived rudeness, signalling that her time in the jungle will be anything but dull.
