Iain Stirling has revealed ITV bosses are keeping their fingers crossed Love Island can go ahead this year and hinted filming in the UK has not been ruled out.
The comedian provides the narration for the hit reality series and is hoping he can return to work again this summer after the show had to be postponed last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Iain said it would be ‘quite amusing’ to watch the Love Island contestants have to deal with the much more temperamental British summer weather rather than the scorching villa in Majorca.
TV: Iain Stirling has revealed ITV bosses are keeping their fingers crossed Love Island can go ahead this year and hinted filming in the UK has not been ruled out
He said: ‘Hey, let’s see what happens. Let’s see what happens, like I said, I’ve no idea, but it could be quite amusing seeing Love Island contestants embracing the beaches of Bognor Regis at some point. When they can’t eat their dinner because seagulls are taking it off the plate… it could mix it up.’
Iain said he was impressed with the most recent series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! which was filmed in Gwrych Castle in Wales after production concluded the pandemic made it impossible to film the show in Australia.
He said: ‘I genuinely thought I’m A Celeb was so brilliant this year, it’s an option. I’m A Celeb did such a good job, man. It was so funny and such a good season.’
Iain added that watching I’m A Celeb made him want to get back to Love Island more than ever as they are both shows that ‘capture the nation’.
Couple: Iain said it would be ‘quite amusing’ to watch the Love Island contestants have to deal with the British summer weather rather than the scorching villa in Majorca (pictured with wife and Love Island host Laura Whitmore)
However, the TV star added that he doesn’t have a ‘Covid crystal ball’ so bosses don’t know what the situation will be like for filming by the summer.
However, producers appear to be hopeful that it will go ahead as Iain’s wife and Love Island host Laura Whitmore advertised this year’s application form earlier this month.
The casting website has sprung to life and reads: ‘ITV2 are looking for vibrant singles from across the UK who are searching for love!
‘Our Islanders spend time in a luxury villa in the hope of finding love, but to remain in paradise they must win the hearts of the public and their fellow Islanders, who ultimately decide their fate on Love Island.
Memories: Iain is hoping he can return to work again this summer after the series had to be postponed last year due to the coronavirus pandemic (Paige Turley and Finn Tapp pictured with Laura on the 2020 series)
‘If you think you’ve got what it takes, then we want to hear from you!’
The eligibility requirements for the show are broad with applicants having to be over 18 and not related to anyone working for ITV.
They must also hold a valid passport and be available for a minimum of 10 consecutive weeks to film the show.
Applicants must then upload a short video of themselves explaining why they would make a good islander and send a headshot and full length photos of themselves.
Success: Iain said he was impressed with the most recent series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! which was filmed in Gwrych Castle in Wales
Iain reckons producers will receive floods of applications this year as singletons have found it harder to date than ever amid the ongoing coronavirus restrictions.
Hopefuls will have their work cut out for them if they want to make it to the villa as it was previously revealed only six Islanders on the 2019 series actually applied to be on the show.
Despite 85,000 people applying for a spot, people only had a 0.007% chance of getting onto the show through the application process.
According to The Mirror, Amy Hart, Michael Griffiths, Ovie Soko and Joe Garratt, all applied via these channels.
Meanwhile, Curtis Pritchard and Tommy Fury both had agents who helped to get them on the show.
Applications: ITV are now on the hunt for a new crop of islanders and have invited singletons to apply for a place in the villa
Love Island 2019 winners Amber Gill and Greg O’Shea did not apply for the show and were instead scouting by producers.
In written evidence for the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee report, ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall said: ‘On series five of Love Island to date (15 July), there have been 36 contributors.
’24 were found and cast by the programme’s casting team, six were put forward by professional agents, and six came through the general application.’
Oh dear: Love Island 2019 winners Amber and Greg DIDN’T apply to be on the show as it was revealed only six of the Islanders were chosen through the general application process
Dame Carolyn previously told MPs ITV receives approximately 98,000 applications for Love Island and has denied casting directors are given instructions about physical appearance when searching for contestants.
She said: ‘There’s a very rigorous application and casting process.
‘We get about 98,000 applications for Love Island, they then take that down to about 90 to 100 as soon as they get a call back – at that stage they go through medical questionnaires, psychological questionnaires, assessments, that then goes down to about 30 or 40 who get selected to appear on Love Island.
‘It’s a very rigorous process of screening that goes on before they actually get on to Love Island.’
Love Island: A DCMS eport has found that only 16% of 36 Islanders on series five were chosen through the application process… (the rest were cast by the team or professional agents)