Why is Love Island not on TV on Saturday? Episode schedule explained - and behind-the-scenes secrets on what islanders get up to

The ITV dating reality show has seen no shortage of twists and drama in its 10th anniversary series. From shocking eliminations and recouplings, to drama-filled feuds, this series has had the lot, with fans eager to catch the next episode as soon as possible.

However, like most years, Love Island fans will be forced to wait until Sunday evening to catch the next installment of the show - and it’s for a good reason. Here’s why you won’t find a new episode of Love Island on TV on Saturdays.

Why is Love Island not on TV on Saturday?

The reason for the break in the episode schedule for Love Island is actually fairly straight forward. Islanders are given a chunk of time off from filming to allow for cleaning teams to into the famous villa and make sure it's ready for the next week of filming.

2017 winner Kem Cetinay revealed on This Morning in 2019 that the islanders are actually taken out of the villa, shattering the illusion that the contestants spend the entire summer locked in the villa. He said: "They give you one day off. You get one day off per week. What happens is, it gives them a day to clean the villa, and you take your mics off, and normally we go to the beach.”

However, islanders are prohibited from talking about anything to do with the show while mic packs are off, to make sure that viewers aren’t missing out on any juicy drama or details. Kem added: "So what happens is, when you take your mic off, you are not allowed to talk about anything to do with the show, you have to talk about home life.

"You are being watched by the producers, because they don't want you to talk about what is going on. They are quite careful about what you talk about, because they want to keep it so everyone at home can see it."

As a result of this day off, there is no material to make into an extra episode for a Saturday episode. This is why Love Island: Unseen Bits, which shows extra clips from the week gone, is shown instead on Saturdays.

What days does Love Island air?

Love Island has continued to air Sundays through Fridays at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX. As previously mentioned, Love Island: Unseen Bits airs in this timeslot on Saturdays.

The next full episode of Love Island will be available to watch at 9pm on Sunday, June 22 on ITV2 and ITVX.