Risky joke about Sunderland on last night's I'm A Celebrity has divided opinion

It took a matter of seconds for Ant & Dec to make a joke about Sunderland on the new series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here, although some didn't take too kindly to the gag.

Declan Donnelly, a regular at St James' Park over the years, began the segment by letting fans know that, for the first time in the show's 21-year history, they had already dropped three celebrities into the jungle.

Ant McPartlin, who makes up the presenting duo, soon commented: "In case you're not familiar with the Australian outback, it's a barren, deeply hostile environment, that's barely fir for human habitation..."

Here's how social media reacted to the comments.

Another wrote: "This is why I stopped watching I'm A Celebrity b****y insulting Sunderland straight away. B****y sad," while a third commented: "Ant and Dec immediately dragging Sunderland the first chance they get. I'm turning it off."

Some viewers, however, found the joke funny. One Newcastle fan said: "I'm A Celeb gets off to a cracking start where Dec compares Sunderland to being barely fit for human habitation."

A second commented: "Ant & Dec already cracking out the Sunderland jokes hahahaha," while another wrote: "Ant & Dec on the Australian outback: “Imagine Sunderland, but hotter [laughing face emoji]."

The boyhood Newcastle fans were in attendance as the Magpies continued their impressive run of form with a 2-0 win.

And after the full-time whistle, a jubilant Ant McPartlin was joined by his best mate Dec at pitchside to congratulate several players, including Jacob Murphy.

As you can see from the footage above, they were all delighted to see the Geordie duo, who have attended games at St James' Park for decades.