Love Island is brainless and addictive telly - but should we still be watching

Daily Mirror

3 hours ago

Love Island is addictive nonsense, but millions will still be watching when it returns for a new series
Love Island viewing generally starts with loud declarations not to waste hours of your time watching any of it. Who wants to stare at identikit tanned airheads being paranoid every night and making you feel bad for eating biscuits in front of the telly? The contestants are also clearly just after Insta-fame and an Insta-brand deal after the show. However, if you tune in even for a couple of minutes (tonight June 9th on ITV2 at 9pm), beware, you may find yourself addicted, trapped into another season that it's impossible to look away from.
One minute you're mocking the dreadful state of reality shows and the next thing you know, you're racing to the living room at 8.59pm every evening for a month in case you miss one second. The shame. Like a car crash - you know you shouldn't be looking, but you can't help it. Should we be staring at this dreadful, shallow social experiment? Or is it harmless fluff?
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Supply and demand (endless series) suggests that something has stuck. So here we are, with Maya Jama hosting once again from another sun-drenched villa, as the beautiful people line up to be loved - though they are mostly judged like cattle at a market. Among them are Sophie, a motivational speaker, Dejon, the obligatory personal trainer, Tommy, a landscape gardener, Helena, cabin crew, and Harry, a gold trader, semi-pro footballer and model (of course). Tommy reveals he would be the CEO of 'Taking hours to do my hair', while Harry insists he wants the girl next door.
Megan, a musical theatre performer, says: 'I love a boy that's a bit pasty and I don't mind a 'dad bod', while Ben, a taxi driver, just wants someone 'sexy, good looking, good chat, good vibes, nice teeth, good eye contact, cute smile…' Not much then.
This shiny, perfectly tanned reality show really is a perplexing phenomenon. Utterly brainless telly, but strangely fascinating - if only to stare in awe at their marvellous abs. Perhaps, at a time of political unrest and bad news, it has fulfilled a need for something that doesn't require thinking. And at the end, one cool couple will win a small fortune - not so brainless after all. Expect the usual action, with twists and turns, bombshell arrivals, shock dumpings and plenty of drama. It's been a decade since this show first hit screens and clearly we're still glued. It is what it is…
*Love Island is airing on ITV2 tonight at 9pm
There's plenty more on TV tonight - here's the best of the rest..
SHARDLAKE, ITV1, 9pm
A whodunit and a history lesson all in one, this is a fun mystery adventure set in 16th century England during the dissolution of the monasteries. Sean Bean plays Oliver Cromwell and Arthur Hughes plays Matthew Shardlake in the series based on the novels by C.J.Sansom. Shardlake is a lawyer whose sheltered life is turned upside down when Cromwell instructs him to investigate the brutal murder of one of his commissioners at a monastery in the remote coastal town of Scarnsea.
It's absolutely crucial for Cromwell's own political survival that Shardlake both solves the murder and closes the monastery. Failure is not an option. Cromwell also insists that Shardlake is accompanied by his cocky underling Jack Barak (Anthony Boyle) to Scarnsea, where the duo are met with hostility, suspicion and paranoia by the monks who fear for their future and will seemingly stop at nothing to preserve their order. Set in a creepy Tudor monastery, this is a drama drenched in suspense and deception.
JAMIE'S DYSLEXIA REVOLUTION, CHANNEL 4, 9pm
'We need to start making some change,' says Jamie. We've heard him say this before - he's no stranger to campaigning, but this one is his most personal yet. As he opens up about his own struggles with dyslexia, the chef delves into the challenges still faced by children with dyslexia across Britain. Jamie asks why we should expect everyone to fit the same Victorian model of education and assessment and takes the fight to the government's door.
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He says: 'I really struggled to read at primary school. I read my first book when I was 33. It was all those feelings of being s*** and you had nothing to offer the world and everyone else is getting it and you don't.' Armed with the statistic that out of 100 kids, at least 10 to 15 have dyslexia (with only two diagnosed at school), Jamie speaks to teachers, charities, parents and children who want and need government intervention.
EMMERDALE, ITV1, 7.30pm
John is questioned by the police about the day Nate disappeared. When the interview is over, John hopes he's said enough to protect Cain. Rattled, Cain finally voices his suspicions that Tracy is responsible for Nate's death. Venting after the accusation, Tracy tries to defend herself. John tries to comfort Cain reassuring him the police will find something else to focus on soon, then he formulates a plan. Jacob finds out Sarah hasn't told Charity about the cancer and is furious.
CORONATION STREET, ITV1, 8pm
Kit suggests to Lou that she should do a DNA test to find out if he's really Brody's Dad, but will Lou agree? When Sarah invites Kit to a family barbecue, he declines as he's got enough drama going on. Millie is on Todd's doorstep carrying an overnight bag and with a huge bombshell to share. Leanne joins Ronnie for lunch and they agree that it's good to be friends. Lou asks Gary if he can help her sell Mick's van.