The countdown to the new series of Love Island has finally begun – and this time the return of ITV2’s dating juggernaut feels far more significant than usual.
First, we missed out on a summer series last year as bosses tried and failed to figure out a way to manage Covid restrictions during the tumultuous first lockdown. That left us with a painful 18-month Love Island desert, since the winter series finished in January 2020, and it’s almost two years since a record 3.63 million people tuned in to watch Amber Gill and Greg O’Shea win series five in those halcyon pre-Covid times.
Second, with our own summer trips abroad largely now off the cards, never have we been in greater need of the vicarious sunshine escape that Love Island provides.
If we can’t sit around the pool at a Spanish villa drinking sangria in a bikini ourselves, we at least want to watch a 19-year-old Instagram influencer from Bracknell do it.
The sixth summer series of Love Island is set to launch on 29 June in Mallorca (after early rumours it could be forced to film in the UK, with the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight and the Scottish highlands all touted as possible locations). But while on the surface it will be very much business as usual – tans, torsos and tantrums – behind the scenes a huge amount of work has gone into production in order for it to appear that way. ‘The fact that the show can even go ahead is huge,’ says a TV insider. ‘There were a mind-boggling amount of obstacles thanks to Covid and the travel restrictions. If nothing looks different about the episodes themselves, that will be a huge testament to the crew and production teams.’
There will be specialist Covid advisors working on set to make sure everything is carried out within very strict protocols to maintain the health and safety of everyone inside and outside the villa. ‘There’ll be a skeleton crew at the site,’ says the insider.
‘A huge number of them, across editing and the gallery teams, for example, will be working from London for the first time. So it will feel a lot emptier around the villa site.’
In addition, there will be regular testing and, of course, the two-week quarantine process for every new contestant once they arrive in Mallorca this week. ‘Love Island contestants have always had to hide away when they arrive before the show, but this is usually to protect their identity from the media and so they don’t see one another – this time it’s for medical reasons too, and will be taken very seriously.’
This will, of course, also be the show’s first summer season without presenter Caroline Flack, who tragically took her own life in February 2020. Laura Whitmore, who presented the first winter season last January, is now taking over as host and will be flying back and forth between London and Mallorca to fulfil the filming schedule in the villa and in the UK studio for Aftersun. Luckily, her husband Iain Stirling, with whom Laura has just had her first child, also works on Love Island as the narrator, so they will be able to coordinate their schedules. Caroline’s death, as well as the suicides of former contestants Mike Thalassitis and Sophie Gradon, has brought participants’ mental health to the forefront for the show’s bosses and viewers. Its duty of care processes have become crucial for the Love Island team, says the source, following the devastating tragedies and ‘the main priority is that any contestant or team member connected to the show feels supported and has access to professionals as much as they might need’.
According to this year’s guidelines, each contestant will be assigned a psychological consultant for the whole series, from pre-filming to aftercare. Psychological and medical assessments will take place, including by an independent doctor, the psychological consultant and a discussion with each Islander’s own GP to check medical history. The cast are told they should ‘consider all the potential implications of taking part in the show’ to ensure they feel it’s right for them.
There is also a big investment being made in contestants’ aftercare, with a minimum of eight therapy sessions offered and access to aftercare teams for 14 months once they return home. Dr Litchfield CBE, who worked with the show in 2019 on their duty of care programme, said at the time, ‘The processes and support offered to Islanders have evolved as the show has developed and grown in popularity. The aim throughout has been to identify vulnerabilities at an early stage so that necessary adjustments can be made or potential Islanders can be advised that the show is not right for them.’
As Grazia went to press, the full line-up of contestants had yet to be confirmed (‘They like to take it right to the wire,’ said one staffer, adding that doing so makes it easier to prevent the leak of names prior to the show’s launch), although reports suggested a frontline doctor, a fire eater and boxer Nigel Benn’s son had all been signed up – which all sounds pretty standard.
There has already been some controversy, after comments the show’s commissioner, Amanda Stavri, made about the potential inclusion – or otherwise – of LGBTQ+ contestants. She told the Radio Times, ‘There’s a sort of logistical difficulty, because although Islanders don’t have to be 100% straight, the format must sort of give Islanders an equal choice when coupling up.’
Despite that, says Grazia’s source, the line-up will still be the most diverse we’ve seen. ‘The show hasn’t had the greatest track record with delivering on that, and I think it’s vital viewers see themselves reflected on screen,’ they said.
With more applicants than ever and anticipation for the show at an all time high (for millions, summer isn’t really summer without Love Island, after all), this series is set to be huge. ‘There are some massive twists and turns already in the works,’ says the insider. ‘You won’t be disappointed.’
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