The 2020 edition of Love Island has been cancelled, days after ITV’s director of television, Kevin Lygo, said that the production team had concerns that relocating the hit reality series to the UK would mean that it “would not be the same show”.
In a virtual panel for the Edinburgh television festival staged last week, Lygo said that that a final decision on the show’s future – which included a possible move to Cornwall – would be made imminently.
The show has now been put on hiatus. In a statement, Lygo said: “We have tried every which way to make Love Island this summer but logistically it’s just not possible to produce it in a way that safeguards the wellbeing of everyone involved and that for us is the priority. In normal circumstances we would be preparing very soon to travel out to the location in Mallorca to get the villa ready but clearly that’s now out of the question”.
He added: “We are very sorry for fans of the show but making it safely is our prime concern and Love Island will be back stronger than ever in 2021.”
Love Island has proved a huge ratings success for ITV in recent years, spawning brand partnerships with the likes of Just Eat and Superdrug and near-guaranteed careers as “influencers” for its winners.
However, the franchise has not been in rude health in the past year, with a dip in viewers for its first winter edition, filmed in South Africa, and further questions around its ethics, following the death of former host Caroline Flack, the fourth person linked with the show to have killed themselves since 2018.
On Twitter, Laura Whitmore – who succeeded Flack as host – said that there had been “more applications than any other series”, adding that “next year is going to big”.
Lygo had previously said that Love Island may not feel appropriate during the coronavirus pandemic: “What signal might it be sending out if we’re doing a show where everyone is crammed together, slavering over each other, while the rest of world has been told not to go near anyone in the park?”
