Royals, reboots and revelations: a review of 2018
JANUARY
(Credit: Paul Hampartsoumian)
Love Island
E4 reveals the celebrity line up for the sixth series of Celebs Go Dating
Joining them will be Chelsee Healey (Hollyoaks), Pete Wicks (The Only Way is Essex) and David Potts (Ibiza Weekender). Newly single Made in Chelsea’s Sam Thompson is also set to return, having appeared on series four.
The final mystery contestant will be announced live during the first mixer event, where the celebrities are tasked with securing their first date.
What's on TV: 6 August - 12 August
True Love or True Lies?
Monday: MTV, 9pm
You've seen Love Island, and now it's MTV's turn to stick a bunch of attractive people in a confined space to see if they'll find love. Six couples compete to prove their relationship is best. The catch? Some of them aren’t couples at all.
What's on TV: 30 July - 5 August
Love Island - The Live Final
Monday: ITV2, 9pm
After a drama filled summer full of romance, betrayal and, above all, loyalty, it’s time to find out who will take home the coveted £50,000 prize. The couples left are Jack and Dani, Wes and Megan, Josh and Kaz, and Paul and Laura and it’s up to the voting public to decide who their favourite is.
Love Island: Anatomy of a Hit | Highlights
Exploring the reasons for the triumph of award winning TV series, Love Island, this Anatomy of a Hit session dissects the different elements of the show that delivered such compelling ‘must watch TV’.
Joining host Ria Hebden on the panel were:
Anatomy of a Hit: Love Island | Full video
Watch as the team behind Love Island reveal what it takes to make the summer smash.
Ria Hebden was joined on the panel by:
Angela Jain, Managing Director, ITV Studios Entertainment
Caroline Flack, TV presenter, Love Island and Love Island: After Sun
Kenny England, Senior Digital Producer, Love Island
Ella Umansky, Head of Format Support, ITV Studios
Tom Gould, Executive Producer, Love Island
Making Shows Great Again | Highlights
It is one of the greatest dilemmas in popular telly – when to persist with a popular franchise, give it a lick of paint and some new talent, and when to mothball it, only to drag it out of the store cupboard, to enchant a whole new generation of TV viewers.
In recent years, we have seen such enduring favourites as Blind Date, Top Gear, Dancing on Ice and Robot Wars revamped and returned, with the aim of recapturing loyal audiences and attracting new ones.
Making Shows Great Again | Full video
Watch what happened at our latest event, where TV bosses discussed whether bringing back old TV formats shows that we're running out of ideas, or if some shows are just worth giving a make over for new audiences.
Journalist Caroline Frost was joined by a panel of TV experts to discuss just that.
Joining Caroline on the panel were:
Sean Doyle, Channel 5, Commissioning Editor, Blind Date
Camilla Lewis, CEO, Curve Media
Richard McKerrow, Love Productions, Executive Producer, The Great British Bake Off
Ella Umansky, Head of Format Support, ITV Studios
Should there be more TV revivals?
These are robust TV formats, which, over many years, bring audiences to broadcasters and profits to production companies. But they are the exception, not the rule in television.
At an RTS early evening event in early June, a panel of top TV execs discussed what gives formats legs.
The central London event took place a day after the triumphant return of ITV2’s Love Island, which attracted a peak audience of 3.4 million. The series opener averaged 2.95 million viewers, more than double last year’s first episode.
Love Island: Anatomy of a Hit | Full video
Love Island presenter Caroline Flack joined Angela Jain, Managing Director, ITV Studios Entertainment; Kenny England, the show's Senior Digital Producer; Ella Umansky, Head of Format Support, ITV Studios; and Tom Gould, Executive Producer of Love Island at the recent RTS Anatomy of a Hit event, hosted by Ria Hebden.
Catch up on all the goss by watching the full video below, or click here to watch the highlights.