He was King of the Jungle in the first ever I’m A Celebrity, now kmfm’s Tony Blackburn returns to reality TV in ITV’s Flockstars.

"Collies are very intelligent dogs – they know exactly when they’re with somebody who doesn’t know what they’re doing,” laughs Tony Blackburn.

The sunny, septuagenarian broadcaster is talking about Bess, the six-year-old canine billeted as his on-screen companion during the filming of Flockstars.

In what sounds remarkably like an Alan Partridge programme pitch, eight celebs – some better known than others – take up the shepherd’s crook to train as sheepdog triallers.

The eight-week series, hosted by Gabby Logan, is a knockout contest, and under the auspicious of a “shepherd mentor”, the celebs journey to the wild green yonder for a crash course in all things rural before putting their “come bye”, “lie down” and “away” skills to the test in front of a studio audience in the Flockstars Showground.

Tony, 72, said the chance to play a slightly creaky Little Bo Peep offered something different from the usual reality fare.

He said: “I can’t say how well I did, but I actually got very close to my sheepdog. I fell in love with her, and I think she fell in love with me a bit as well.”

Tony, a renowned vegetarian and animal lover, said the hardest part of the sheepdog task was barking orders to his canine pal.

He said: “If I had to shout ‘stay’ I’d see her two little eyes looking up at me and I’d think, ‘have I upset you’? and I’d have to give her a cuddle.

“In one scene I said to Bess, ‘come bye [go left]… if that’s OK with you’.”

As a regular presenter of six radio shows across the dial, Tony said time spent away from his home didn’t lend itself to keeping dogs. But in time, he hopes to find room for Bess.

He said: “I could’ve bought her at the end of the series, but I wouldn’t dream of doing it because she would’ve been bored stiff at home. Sheepdogs retire when they’re about nine or 10, so I said I’d love to have her stay with us then.”

The Flockstars’ Shield will be awarded to the best triallist, and Tony says he’s proof it’s possible to teach an old dog new tricks.

“If ever the radio all goes wrong and somebody wants a load of sheep they need rounding up, I can do it,” he laughed.

Flockstars is on ITV1 at 8.30pm on Thursdays.