Overview

• Tabloid reports say the BBC One dating show is likely to be dropped after its first run, though the BBC has not announced a cancellation.
• Overnight audiences fell from about 848,000 for the premiere to roughly 517,000 by episode three, trailing ITV’s Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire at around 1.4 million.
• The series reportedly cost about £5 million to produce and involved flying contestants and crew to remote locations in the Philippines, intensifying cost scrutiny.
• In response to ratings-focused reports, the BBC said it does not judge success solely on overnights and commissioned the show to reach younger viewers on iPlayer.
• Critics questioned the format’s fit for BBC One and noted Davina McCall’s minimal on-screen presence, drawing comparisons to youth-skewing shows on ITV2 or E4.