Celebrity show survives lawsuit

DJ Tony Blackburn won the UK version of the show

A US version of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here, in which stars have to survive in the wilderness, has been given the go-ahead by a judge who ruled that it did not copy Survivor.

The CBS network had sued its rival ABC, claiming I'm A Celebrity... was too similar to its show.

The sixth US series of Survivor starts in February

But District Judge Loretta Preska said it was merely part of a "continual evolutionary process involving borrowing frequently from what has gone before".

I'm A Celebrity... does not borrow any more from Survivor than other TV shows have borrowed from rivals in the past, Judge Preska ruled.

"Both shows combine well-known and frequently used elements of earlier works," she said.

"Each series also includes well-known elements not in the other."

In I'm A Celebrity..., eight stars camp in the wilderness, taking part in tasks to win food and perks.

The format has already been a hit in the UK, where veteran DJ Tony Blackburn triumphed after spending two weeks in the Australian rainforest with tasks including eating insects and bugs.

'Delighted'

Survivor is one of the most popular shows in the US, with a sixth series, set in the Amazon, due to start in February.

It was named best reality TV show at the recent People's Choice Awards.

However, it has been less successful in its two series on ITV1 in the UK.

A spokesman for the Walt Disney Company, ABC's parent company, said: "We're delighted with the court's decision, which we believe is entirely correct, and look forward to giving the American public a chance to see this fresh new reality show."

A statement from CBS said the network was studying its options.