It might not feel like summer yet, but the ultimate signifier that it's begun is here – Love Island is soon to be back on TV. The eleventh series starts on Monday 3 June, so get ready for your social media to be taken over by hot takes, Love Island memes and awkward kisses.
Come wind, rain or shine, each summer a new cohort of hopeful romantics (influencers) are flown out to Mallorca to find love in their swimwear. As we all know by now, given that it’s been on since 2015, the show has somewhat lost its charm over the years.
Every year, the dating show faces new criticism that the format is stale, the islanders all morph into one other and more needs to be done to protect their mental health both during and after the show.
In 2023, it received a big boost when everyone's favourite presenter Maya Jama took over as host. Speaking about the new series, she says, 'I’m always here for the drama. It can’t just be smooth sailing the whole time. You need something to rough it up a bit. Since I’ve joined – which is only a year, which is wild, this is my second year but it feels like I’ve been here for 10 – all four seasons have been absolutely dramatic.'
Now it looks like ITV bosses are trying to come up with new ways to keep audiences interested. And Mike Spencer, Love Island's executive producer, says more changes are afoot this series.
One exciting change is that The Hideaway – where couples are picked by their fellow islanders to spend a night in a private room – now says 'no invitation needed' on the door. This means that, not only can people come and go as they please, but the space is meant for any two people looking to explore a connection rather than official 'couples'.
'At the moment, and this is very work in progress,' Mike reveals to Grazia. 'You shouldn’t be in a couple to go in The Hideaway, because sometimes by default or by recouplings you might end up in a friendship so the idea is that there is no invite needed, as long as you are not in a couple.'
He adds, 'I think it’s just one of many things that we’re introducing. We want usage to be more organic and natural. If it works, it works. It might not work. It’s been a staple for so long that it’s good to change it up a bit.'
The executive producer said that he plans to keep viewers on their toes this series and wants to make sure there's 'more drama' too.
'I think it’s fair to say that the last couple of series and All Stars, the format feels a little bit fresher, things are changing, the games they’re playing, there’s more drama. Things are changing every day and we change the format as we evolve,' he explains.
Mike also admits that the team keep an eye on social media and take what people love and hate into account. 'The great thing about this show compared to other shows is that it’s fast turnaround. We are reacting, we’re seeing things on socials. We definitely take on people’s opinions.
'I think now we’ve got to a really good place. All the Islanders coming on the show know what the show is, looking for love, so I think we’ll just continue what we’re doing.
'I think we’re set to have the most wild, fun cast we’ve had in a long time. There are some standout personalities. The bombshells are especially brilliant. Samantha is really fun and Nicole is a little Welsh pocket rocket bombshell. There are some really great bombshells coming in.'