I’M A Celebrity and Love Island could be filmed in the UK, according to industry insiders.
Any steamy action in the famous villa won’t take place “until August at the earliest”, while I’m A Celeb could also face a dramatic shake-up, despite not airing until December.
Variety reports that Love Island’s summer series, shot on the Spanish island of Majorca, may even be filmed in Britain, drastically reducing the ‘bikinis in the sunshine’ vibe of previous series.
The entertainment industry newspaper said: “It’s believed the 2020 summer edition could shoot somewhere in the UK rather than go overseas.
“A similar scenario is being considered for ITV reality hit I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! which shoots in Australia.”
It added: “An August to September broadcast is on the cards for the programme, as prospects for Love Island’s traditional June-July outing seem virtually impossible given the production lockdown driven by the global pandemic.”
The broadcaster is not thought to be revealing its plans for the show at this stage.
Nonetheless, fans poked fun at reports the show could stay put in Britain this year, even putting forward potential locations – including Skegness in Lincolnshire.
One wrote: “Skeggy it is then lol” while another suggested the West Sussex resort of Bognor Regis.
A third pointed out: “They wouldn’t get much of a tan.”
Last summer’s Love Island on ITV2 was its best-performing series to date, averaging 5.6 million viewers when you include non-TV viewing.
However, filming the show relies on British staff shuttling back and forth between ITV’s London base and Spain, which currently has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Europe.
Yesterday, the country passed a grim milestone, with deaths from the disease passing 20,000.
