ITV considered hosting this summer’s edition of Love Island in Cornwall rather than Mallorca, although it looks increasingly likely the series will be cancelled altogether.
The reality show, which has been vital to ITV’s financial performance in recent years, has already been delayed from its traditional June start date owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
ITV’s director of television, Kevin Lygo, said the production team had looked at filming Love Island in Cornwall later in the summer but had concerns that “making it in the UK would not be the same show”.
He told a virtual session of the Edinburgh television festival that a final decision on whether to cancel the programme, which employs around 200 staff, would be made in the coming weeks.
Lygo also suggested Love Island may not fit the national mood. “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?
“We’re approaching the moment of ‘is it feasible?’, ‘will Mallorca open its doors to hundreds of production people?’, ‘will there have to be quarantine?’. We have to factor all that in. We’ll make a decision soon.”
Lygo also said soap operas, which have already been broadcasting on a reduced schedule, would soon fall off air unless filming could resume. Emmerdale will run out of episodes at the end of May and Coronation Street in June.
He said Emmerdale had prepared a number of episodes that were “just two people talking”, which could theoretically be filmed in line with physical distancing rules if required.
He said the channel was learning from its forthcoming Isolation Stories strand of 15-minute dramas, in which actors and their families have been filmed in their houses with directors sat outside.
Lygo said a major issue was that insurers were refusing to cover the cost of production being halted if a cast or crew member catches coronavirus. “This summer, trust me, there’s going to be a lot of repeats on,” he said.
Hit shows such as Britain’s Got Talent may also be axed owing to physical distancing rules, although the surprise hit The Masked Singer will film in the autumn even if an audience cannot be present.
Lygo said he was concerned that although TV audiences had shot up, the increase was mainly for daytime shows and news programmes rather than peak-time programming. “You can see people’s habits are changing because they are discovering Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and storing things up.”
Lygo was asked what audiences would be seeing on TV in early 2021, given television production has ground to a halt in recent months. He replied: “They will be watching a repeat of Midsomer Murders, I can tell you that now in great confidence.”
