The power of the Love Island fandom

The power of the Love Island fandom

CATEGORY : C21 Interview |08-10-2026
Mike Beale, MD of the global creative network at ITV Studios, on the power of the Love Island fandom – and the growing challenge of breaking new shows. MORE
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• Love Island: inside the global megahit

  Co-creator Richard Cowles on how it began, how they cast from 130,000 applicants and how his team handles round-the-clock production.

• <img src="https://cdn.c21media.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/the-rise-of-microdrama_thumbnail_720-1.jpg" alt="C21investigates: The rise of microdrama, from niche solo scrolling to mass-audience vertical entertainment“>
  C21investigates: The rise of microdrama, from niche solo scrolling to mass-audience vertical entertainment

  C21 INVESTIGATES: Microdrama is booming – bite-size TV for the TikTok generationile gaming – and the sector is evolving fast. Execs from aTwist, GoodShort, MyDrama, Reelforce, Shortly and more share their insights

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  Who’s running the show?

  C21 INVESTIGATES: While showrunners traditionally oversee the creative vision of a scripted project in the US, how is this role evolving – and how are series being developed and produced away from Hollywood while ensuring everyone is reading from the same script? Executives from Rivals, Appetite and The Falcon & The Winter Soldier share their insights into the creative process to reveal how they ensure everyone is on the same page.

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  Formats in flux as biz deals with seismic upheaval

  CONTENT EUROPE: As the global formats sector grapples with risk aversion, consolidation and the threats/opportunities posed by things like AI and YouTube, C21 investigates where the sector is heading, the hottest new trends in formatted entertainment and where the best new ideas for formats are coming from.

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  Chris Packham: From punk to planet defender

  Broadcaster and naturalist Chris Packham talks about his journey from punk to environmental advocate, BBC impartiality, his new film Greenwashed, and why he’s heading up a National Emergency Briefing on climate breakdown.

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  Jana Winograde, Melanie Fletcher and Jen O’Connell seek out positives in 2026 AI uptick

  AHEAD OF THE CURVE: MicroCo’s Jana Winograde, Done+Dusted’s Melanie Fletcher and Pantheon Media Group’s Jen O’Connell see the growth of AI as inevitable in 2026 and predict that while it will bring efficiencies to the industry, it could also create new jobs.

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  Consolidation – Brandan Dennehy and Jen O’Connell see audience fragmentation accelerating industry consolidation in 2026 and beyond

  AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Stratagem Vertical’s Brandan Dennehy and Pantheon Media Group’s Jen O’Connell predict further consolidation in legacy media in 2026, meaning fewer buyers as the industry contracts.

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  Microdrama in 2026 – Brandan Dennehy, Lily Darragh Harty, Julia Smyrnova and Ben Pengilly predict big things ahead

  AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Stratagem Vertical’s Brandan Dennehy, Candy Jar/Inkitt’s Lily Darragh Harty, My Drama’s Julia Smyrnova and Ben Pengilly see the microdrama boom continuing next year, broadening out as new players and territories enter the space.

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