The new series of ITV1's I'm A Celebrity... starts on Monday

Geldof's production company, Castaway Television, had claimed I'm A Celebrity... copied its show, Survivor.

But Castaway has now withdrawn its claim for damages and an injunction, according to Granada, who make I'm A Celebrity...

The second UK series the celebrity TV programme starts on Monday, with cricketer Phil Tufnell the bookmakers' favourite.

He will be joined in the jungle by stars including actress Danniella Westbrook, dancer Wayne Sleep and singer Toyah Wilcox.

They will spend two weeks in the Australian rainforest with viewers voting them out one by one.

Also competing will be weather presenter Sian Lloyd, model Catalina Guirado, chef Antony Worrall Thompson, ex-soccer star John Fashanu and Changing Rooms designer Linda Barker.

After the first series, won by DJ Tony Blackburn, Geldof said it was too similar to Survivor, in which contestants were filmed trying to win a reality TV show in a wilderness location.

Survivor only ran for two series in the UK, but has proved hugely popular in the US, where it is in its sixth series.

Expensive

Geldof co-owns the rights to Survivor with Waheed Alli and producer Charlie Parsons.

"Survivor took many years to develop, a process costing hundreds of thousands of pounds," they said at the time.

But Granada said: "We don't consider our programme in any way infringes their rights in Survivor."

The latest developments come after Survivor's US network CBS lost a similar legal battle with the ABC network, which broadcast I'm A Celebrity... there.

In that case, the judge said it was merely part of a "continual evolutionary process involving borrowing frequently from what has gone before".