By Lauren Morris

Published: Wednesday, 01 June 2022 at 12:00 am


With Love Island returning to ITV2 next week, reality fans are getting ready for another summer of drama – including narrator Iain Stirling, who’s already started writing jokes for the show.

The comedian, who has narrated the reality since it began in 2015, has revealed that as the contestant line-up was announced on Monday, he’s already begun preparing jokes about footballer Michael Owen, whose daughter Gemma Owen will be entering the villa this year.

When asked what he thought of this year’s islanders, Stirling told RadioTimes.com in an exclusive interview: “I never look because I like to not know really, I like to approach it like a viewer for the first time. However, obviously, social media being what it is I’ve seen a couple.”

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Gemma Owen, a dressage rider and the daughter of Michael Owen, is competing on Love Island this year.
ITV

He continued: “Me and Mark [Busk-Cowley] who write it, we have 100 million percent been sending jokes back and forth to each other that involve the footballer Michael Owen.

“There’s some absolute doozies in there. And then we found out that one guy is a fishmonger, so like there’s gonna be so many fish puns, it’s gonna be ridiculous.”

Gemma Owen will be joining the show’s first deaf contestant Tasha Ghouri, Welsh student  Liam Llewellyn, waitress Indiyah Polack, fishmonger Luca Bish and other singletons looking for love in the new Mallorca villa.

Aside from Love Island, Stirling is also returning with a new season of ITV2 gameshow Celebability, which sees contestants face celebrities with unusual skills for the chance to win cash prizes.

The new series, which also features Scarlett Moffatt as a team captain and Marek Larwood as the adjudicator, will welcome a number of original Love Island contestants as well as Naughty Boy, Seann Walsh, Rachel Riley and Amy Dowden.

Celebability begins on Thursday 16th June 10pm on ITV2, while Love Island begins on Monday 6th June at 9pm, also on ITV2 and ITV Hub. Looking for something to watch in the meantime? Check out our TV Guide or visit our Entertainment hub. 

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