Participants in this year’s Love Island will attend inclusion training and hear from former islanders before appearing on the show, as producer, ITV Studios’ Lifted Entertainment, increases its duty of care for season eight.
Ahead of the series, which will soon be launched on ITV 2, Islanders will be offered video training and guidance covering inclusive languages around disability, sexuality, race and ethnicity, behavior and micro-aggressions.
A number of experts will lead the training, which is designed to create a safe space inside Love is land villa, while contestants will also watch a video in front of the show’s leader and welfare chief interviewing former contestants about their experiences, such as being filmed 24/7 and engaging in trolling on social media.
The move is part of a package of improvements to Love Island compulsory care procedures, which are now very comprehensive, including thorough pre-filming psychological assessments, on-site mental health, eight post-Love Island therapy sessions and at least 14 months of general post-treatment.
Ade Rawcliffe, ITV’s Group Director for Diversity and Inclusion, said: “The world we live in is changing every day and we want all our islanders to feel part of an inclusive environment in the villa. As part of our caring process, it is also important that we play our part in educating our participants to understand and empathize with different perspectives and lived experiences. ”
The debate over duty of care was thrown open in the British television industry in 2019, when a participant in the now destroyed Jeremy Kyle Show was found dead in his home several days after filming an episode.
Two earlier Love Island participants, Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis, were also found to have committed suicide in the years after appearing on Love Island and the supervisory authority Ofcom subsequently strengthened its general duty of care advice.