Angry Ginge’s Rochdale pal and fellow Bov Boy gives verdict on whether he’ll be crowned king of the jungle

Morgan Burtwistle, aka Angry Ginge, is one of the favourites to win I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here

Angry Ginge in the jungle(Image: James Gourley/ITV/Shutterstock)

ITV viewers have got to know quite a lot about streaming star Angry Ginge over the last few weeks.

As one of this year’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here contestants, he’s been making quite the impression and remains one of the favourites to be crowned King of the Jungle in Sunday’s final.

Among those keeping a close eye on his every move are the Bov Boys, a streaming collective of five lads – Ginge being one of them – who together produce content for TikTok and YouTube, securing hundreds of millions of monthly views across platforms simply by sharing aspects of their everyday lives.

As well as Ginge, who grew up in Eccles, Salford; there’s Chazza (Charlie Clark) from Essex, Heinz (Ryan McCaul) from Derry, and two other local lads – Tays, (Mikey Taylor) from Manchester, and Jakey (Jake Davies) from Rochdale.

The Bov Boys (from left) Tays, Chazza, Ginge, Heinz and Jakey(Image: Courtesy of Angry Ginge)

With just a couple of days left of the show, which has seen the likes of Ruby Wax and Martin Kemp kicked out of the jungle, Jakey has been giving his verdict on his mate Morgan.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Jake, who attended Fred Longworth High School in Tyldesley, Wigan, said it was back in the summer when Ginge first announced he would be taking part in the show – and just dropped it into conversation.

“When Ginge told me he was going into the jungle, it was actually really funny because he was so casual about it,” he said. “We were having a Bov Boys meeting, just chatting, and he dropped it into conversation like it was nothing, almost as a passing comment to Darcy, who we work with.

“I pulled him up on it like, ‘wait… you’re going on I’m A Celeb this year?’ and he just nodded really nonchalantly, like, ‘yeah’. He was clearly trying not to smile, but you could tell he was buzzing underneath it. This was back in early August, and even then you could see how excited he really was.”

Jakey (Jake Davies) from Rochdale is one of the Bov Boys alongside Angry Ginge(Image: Jakey / Bov Boys)

The 20-year-old, who lives at home with his mum, dad and younger brother, said he’s been kept entertained by Ginge and the others, but would quite liked to have seen him face some more challenges.

“From what we’ve seen so far, he’s absolutely smashing it,” he said. “He’s doing too well in the trials, if anything. I wanted to see him scream at a spider or two, but he just gets on with it and gets it done. I’m proud of him, but I would’ve liked to see him suffer a little bit.”

He said that seeing Ginge cry, when he was missing home and it all became a bit much, was a tough watch, but is pleased that people are seeing a different side to him than they do on his upbeat streams and showing the world that it’s OK for boys and men to show their emotions.

“Seeing Ginge cry was a bit of a mixed feeling,” he said. “Obviously, it’s not nice to see your mate upset, but at the same time it’s actually really good for people to see that side of him. We already know how important his family is to him, and his community know he always strives to make them proud through what he does. It just shows he’s a normal lad.

“And for someone with as much influence as he has, it’s powerful to show that it’s okay for men to cry and be emotional. Plus, this is the first time he’s been away from home properly since around 2017 and this time it’s not just a holiday, it’s with no contact at all. So it’s no surprise he’s missing his family. It just shows how close he really is to them.”

Angry Gingle, real name Morgan Burtwistle, with his mum Michelle (Image: Courtesy of Angry Ginge)

Morgan’s mum Michelle Burtwistle has previously spoken of how proud she is of her son’s achievements and how amazing it is to see him on a show they’ve watched together throughout his childhood.

She’s since spoken of the amount of attention he’s been getting from female fans, with ‘all sorts of messages’ being sent to Michelle, something she described as ‘hilarious and heartwarming in equal measure’.

“Some are very sweet, saying they love him, think he’s hilarious, or that he’s their dream man,” she said. “Others are jokingly telling me I’ll be their future mother-in-law.”

But Jake, a full-time content creator, said he thinks his mate is happy on his own right now, adding: ” It’s actually quite funny that he’s getting so much attention. We even put it to the test in a Bov Boys video called Finding Ginge Love and to be fair, he did successfully find himself a girl, so to speak. But honestly, I don’t think he’s looking to settle down right now. He’s more focused on his work and what he’s building.”

And he says that what we’re seeing on the TV is true Ginge, being 100% his true self.

“I think it’s actually really nice for his core audience to see this side of him, because usually they only see him for eight hours on stream or in short videos,” said Jake.

Angry Ginge’s mum Michelle and sister Tasha(Image: ITV)

“It shows that even though he might be a bit more high-energy when he’s creating content, he’s still exactly the same person in real life, just a bit more laid back.

“It’s also nice for people to see a side of him that even we haven’t really seen before. He’s got emotional moments in there, but that doesn’t surprise us at all. We all know how much his family means to him. He’s very driven by making them proud. So, the fact he’s missing them doesn’t shock me, it just shows how genuine he is.”

Ginge’s mum and sister Tasha are now over in Australia waiting to be reunited with the streaming star whenever he makes it across that bridge.

The odds are high on him being the winner and Jake says he has every faith in his mate.

“I definitely think he’s got a great chance of winning,” he said. “Ginge absolutely has what it takes to be crowned King of the Jungle.”

While Ginge’s mum has admitted that he can be a sore loser, hence his nickname, Jake agreed it’s usually in ‘games and competitions’.

Angry Ginge during one of his trials (Image: James Gourley/ITV/Shutterstock)

“But this is different,” he said. “With the bond he’s built in there with the other campmates, I don’t think he’d be disappointed if he didn’t win. I think he’d just be happy for whoever takes the crown and grateful for the whole experience, he’d be buzzing just to have been part of it.”

The Bov Boys have only been together since earlier this summer after meeting online and have quickly become one of the most influential creator collectives in the country right now.

As for whether Ginge will remain a Bov Boy, Jake joked: “It depends how much he brags about it. If he’s still going on about it six months later, we might have to kick him out, but we’ll see.”

The I’m A Celeb final airs at 9pm on Sunday, December 7 when one contestant will be crowned King or Queen of the Jungle.