Love Island (2005 TV series)
Celebrity Love Island is an ITV reality TV show, in which 12 single British Celebrities go to a Fiji island, in the hope of finding love. Each week a male and female contestant are eliminated until just one pair is left, making the ultimate celebrity couple. It is presented by Patrick Kielty from Fame Academy and Kelly Brook.
The title music is entitled "Wish I" and is performed by Welsh singer-songwriter Jem
The celebrities taking part are:
- Calum Best (model)
- Fran Cosgrave (nightclub owner)
- Paul Danan (actor)
- Michael Greco (actor)
- Lady Isabella Hervey (sister of Lady Victoria Hervey)
- Du'aine Ladejo (athlete)
- Rebecca Loos (David Beckham's former PA)
- Liz McClarnon (former member of Atomic Kitten)
- Jayne Middlemiss (presenter)
- Lee Sharpe (footballer)
- Judi Shekoni (actress)
- Abi Titmuss (model and presenter)
- Nikki Ziering (model)
Controversy and criticism
The show attracted controversy from the moment it was announced by ITV. It was marketed as a rival for Channel 4's popular reality show, Big Brother, which would be returning for a sixth series soon after its launch. Many felt that the format of the show would provide trashy television as an excuse to attract high ratings.
Following the launch of the show, the celebrities were criticised by fans for being boring. There was some suspicion that the contestants were simply using the programme as a free holiday, and the tabloids claimed that producers held crisis meetings to figure out how to keep things interesting.
Soon afterwards, it emerged that the show's presenters, Kelly Brook and Patrick Kielty, were engaged in a bitter feud. The problems began the pair allegedly started after Kielty told viewers on the live show that Brook had previously been involved in a relationship with one of the contestants, Paul Danan. However, even the promise of fireworks between the two hosts wasn't enough to keep viewers interested, and one episode of the show only attracted less than 2 million viewers. Producers later hired model Nikki Ziering to spice up the show.
The show is also resented by fans of long-running ITV soap Coronation Street. ITV decided to move its flagship programme from 19.30 to 20.30 on Monday nights, to provide a successful lead-in for Love Island, in the hope of increasing ratings. Writers John Fay and Daran Little complained to the press about the treatment of the show. A meeting was requested with ITV programming director Nigel Pickard to discuss the issue.
The Storm
On Friday June 10th 2005, although ratings were beginning to pick up, with the show overtaking Big Brother in popularity, a strong storm over the islands of Fiji disrupted the programme. A live eviction show had to be cancelled as 6 foot waves made it impossible for crew-members to cross over to where the celebrities were staying. Instead, ITV was forced to repeat the episode from the previous night with unseen footage.