It appears that bosses at ITV are planning to launch a spin-off Love Island series for the ‘middle-aged’ with ‘normal bodies’.
The news follows calls from fans of the hit show for producers to represent a wider variety of bodies and include older cast members.
Filming for the ‘mature series’ is meant to start this year if reports in The Sun are to be believed.
The spin-off series is said to have the working title ‘Your Mum, My Dad’, and will feature contestants’ children trying to help their parents find romance, reports The Manc.
“Times change and the current generation in their 40s and 50s still care about how they look, are fit and healthy, into fashion and are ready to let their hair down,” a source told The Sun.
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“This show will give those who settled down young a second chance at love while they still feel in their prime.”
The source also suggested that contestants in the proposed new mature series may offer something that the main Love Island series hasn’t achieved – “intelligent conversation”
“They know their minds, will be capable of intelligent conversation, and are likely to be much more adventurous.
“All ingredients regular Love Island sometimes lacks.”
The topic of age has been a significant talking point for Love Island fans right from the start this year, especially after it was confirmed that 19-year-old Gemma Owen, daughter of former professional footballer Michael Owen, would be a contestant – making her one of the youngest to take part in the show’s history.
Her entry sparked numerous online conversations about whether there should be a minimum age to enter the villa, and whether people are emotionally mature enough for the Love Island experience at that formative time in their lives.
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The oldest contestants on this year’s series appear to be current contestant Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu at 27-years-old, and Jay Younger and Charlie Radnedge, who were both 28 and have since been dumped from the Island.
While producers are declining to confirm whether there is some truth to the reports, if this “middle-aged” spin-off series does become a reality, ITV hopes it will begin airing in 2023.
Featured Image – ITV
