EVEN IF YOU aren’t a Love Island fan, you won’t have escaped the news that this year’s winners of the show’s £50,000 prize were a couple named Davide and Ekin-Su.
The show, which has been running since 2015, places a group of young men and women in a Spanish villa. They have to ‘couple up’ until they find the potential love of their lives, with the favourite couple winning the cash prize.
But while the show has millions of fans, it has been a source of controversy too. Over the years, concerns have been raised about its duty of care to contestants, particularly during dramatic challenges the contestants were asked to take part in. This year also saw claims of misogyny on the behalf of some of the male contestants.
This year’s launch drew in five million views on ITV, making it the show’s biggest premiere since 2019, while it was watched by an average of 204,000 viewers every night in Ireland.
So what’s behind the show’s success? And will it have to evolve much as the years go on? Joining presenter Michelle Hennessy to chat about all things Love Island on this week’s episode is Orlaith Condon, host of the Love Island podcast My Pod On Paper.
The Explainer / SoundCloud
This episode was put together by presenter Michelle Hennessy, producers Aoife Barry and Nicky Ryan, with a special thank you to Emer Moreau and Stephen McDermott.
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