Love Island creative director explains how they keep show format "fresh"
"We've got to continuously make sure the show feels of this time."
Love Island will reach its 10th year on air in 2025 and a decade on, fans are still loving every bit of it, according to new data confirmed by ITV.
Ahead of tonight's final, Love Island has been the most-watched programme of the day for 16-34 years, reaching milestone viewing in its latest season. Currently averaging 1 million viewers across 16-34s, the show has also seen a 24 per cent uplift in streams on ITVX compared to the next most recent summer season.
And while this is down to the cast and storylines that take place across each series, it is also down to those working behind the scenes to ensure that viewers are tuning in for good television.
In an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, Love Island's creative director Mike Spencer revealed that it's vital to keep reality shows "fresh".
"We're lucky that we have room for 57 nights," he said. "It's a big commitment to the viewers and we appreciate and understand that. So I think we've got to continuously make sure the show feels now and it feels of this time, it feels modern, it keeps people entertained, and I think we've just got to keep being as reactive as possible."
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Spencer continued: "And also make sure that the format evolves with the show and that's what I think we've tried to do over the last few series, so I think we will absolutely be continuing to do that; look at the format, what's going to keep people entertained, excited and obviously, most important, tuning in."
But it's also important to hear what the public have to say about the show. Spencer explained that he and show bosses have "definitely leant on the public for their advice and points", as they'd be "silly not to".
"The reaction is so big for this year," he told RadioTimes.com.
"People have such strong opinions because they're invested in the Islanders and the show, so we always have a little look [to] see what they're saying and we're definitely considering that in our thought process for the format and what we do every day."
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The good thing about Love Island is that there are a cohort of people working around the clock to ensure the very best output for viewers each night.
"Everyone's got the passion," Spencer said. "There's me and a couple of the execs and a couple of the core senior team who have worked on the show since 2015, and I think that's mainly reflected in the passion that we've got for this show."
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Seasons 1-10 of Love Island are available to watch on ITVX. You can watch all previous seasons of Love Island on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial.
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