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Love Island's spin-off: Children play Cupid for their single parents in ITV's new reality show

It's Love Island for the middle-aged!


Maya Jama walks into villa as host of Love Island
Mallika Barsaley
Lifestyle Intern
On 1 August 2023
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We were glued to our screens during every episode of this year's Love Island. But now that it’s over, you might be looking for something to fill the reality TV-shaped hole in your life. 

ITV announced its latest show, My Mum, Your Dad, a series that aims to feature single parents of different ages as participants. The grown-up children of participants nominate and send their parents to try their shot at love. 

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Is there a Love Island spin-off?

Yes! With a similar plot, ITV's latest addition can be considered a spin-off to everyone's favourite dating show. Especially the fact that their children will be nominating their folks for reality dating shows, we can’t help but notice that the show is giving Love Island for middle-aged people. The casting call-out reads: "This is the ONLY dating show where single parents can search for love, by spending time in a luxury retreat, where all the parents have been nominated by their grown-up children."

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Maya Jama wears a white corset dress and holds a white flute of champagne© Twitter
Love Island is getting some spin-offs this year

What is the Love Island spin-off all about?

As eccentric as the name sounds, My Mum, Your Dad was previously called The Romance Retreat. The show will follow the nominated single parents of the UK on their journey for a second chance at true love. As the parents attempt to find true love, their children will be spying on them from the nearby bunker. They will be privy to all the drama, heartfelt confessions, laughter, and the most embarrassing moments of their parents while playing with participants’ relationship cards and deciding their fate in love.

The show will be hosted by Davina McCall who in her interview on the podcast The Diary Of A CEO said: "I'm begging ITV to let me present mid-life Love Island". If this wasn't enough, ITV has a lot more twists planned to keep the audience hooked. The biggest one is the single parents unaware of the fact that their children have been playing cupid when it comes to matchmaking at the show.

TV presenter Davina McCall smiles
Davina will host My Mum, Your Dad

When will ITV's My Mum, Your Dad be out?

ITV's latest addition is set to launch in Autumn 2023. The last date for participants to fill in the application was 31st March 2023 which might indicate the shoot might take place during the summer. Directed by Ami Jackson and Ros Coward, with Paul Hepplewhite, and produced by Lifted Entertainment, part of ITV Studios.

Richard Cowles, Managing Director of Lifted Entertainment said in the press release launched by ITV "At Lifted, we revolutionised the dating format with Love Island, but dating isn't just about young people. We can't wait to launch this new dating format in the UK, this time with a very different cast of singles. They may come from a different age brackets, but they share the same, simple aim, to fall in love. And for single parents, the stakes are even higher. We're delighted to have Davina at the helm teasing out these hugely relatable stories in a heartwarming and entertaining way."

A concept like this is sure to create some roars. From laughter to witnessing children monitoring their parents, My Mum Your Dad is expecting to change the reality dating show industry.

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Is Love Island's All-Star spin-off happening?

Talking about second chances, ITV has been generous with them lately. Earlier this year it was reported that the channel will be bringing back the most iconic Love Islanders for a spin off and for them to try a chance at love again. It's now been reported that the All-Star version will replace the winter series of the show, which normally airs in January.

Executive Producer Mike Spencer in an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit confessed "I would personally love to make an 'All-Stars' in the future with past Islanders across all series. What do you think?"

maura higgins at the ntas
Maura was asked to join the All-Star version of Love Island

A star-studded spin-off is sure to bring a lot of excitement. The producer went so far to mention that he would love to have Maura Higgins on the new version. However, the Irish TV personality has set the record straight that she no longer intends to be part of the show.

"I just think, I've done it once, I've had my time on Love Island. I don't really want to go back in time, I want to look to the future," Maura told Goss.ie. Furthermore, she no longer aims to look for love as she confirmed her relationship with Bobby Holland Hanton through his Instagram.

As for male contenders, 2017 series winner Kem Cetinay, 26, and 2016 star Scott Thomas, 28 are reported to return. It's time to clear your weekends because with so many spin-offs, we all are going to be busy binge-watching.

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