Stranded on Honeymoon Island is BBC's answer to Channel 4's Married at First Sight and Netflix's Love Is Blind - but I'm not sure it will compare

Twelve unlucky-in-love singles will be matched into couples and then stranded on a deserted island. The question is, isolated and pitted against the forces of nature, will true love blossom and survive . . . or dive?

Given that this show is created by the producers of MAFS and Love Is Blind (LIB), it’s no surpise that Stranded on Honeymoon Island is all about fast-tracking relationships to the extreme. MAFS sees couples meet for the first time on their wedding day before embarking on a relationship together, while LIB asks couples to form connections and get engaged sight unseen, before having a brief in person relationship and then deciding whether or not to marry. As a self-proclaimed MAFS obsessive, I can’t wait for the new series.

In the show, six couples are matched by experts and then, immediately after committing themselves to each other, they will be abandoned in an idyllic isolation for the adventure of a lifetime.

On these remote beaches, fledgling relationships are soon put to the test as the couples live together and fend for themselves with few resources, according to the synopsis released by the BBC. Marooned and alone, they must communicate and collaborate to get by, with nowhere to run when the going gets tough. Oh, and they have no phone, no apps and no contact with the outside world either.

The synopsis poses two further questions: will an escape from modern life bring them closer together or push them apart, and will it lead to love or loathing? It sounds exactly like MAFS, but set in an an exotic location. I’m already very excited to watch it, but I’m not sure any dating show will ever compare to MAFS itself.

I think MAFS was so shocking when it first began because there was no other dating show like it at the time; others had only asked singles to commit going on a date with each other, not many days, weeks and possibly even a lifetime. Once MAFS broke that barrrier it couldn’t be put back up, and though other shows may seek to push the barrier even more nothing will ever provoke the same reaction and interest as the original. That being said, I’d be happy to be proven wrong. But, I will have to wait a little while to find out.

First broadcast in Belgium, subsequent versions have aired in Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, and Czech Republic. The format has also been commissioned in Australia. Stranded on Honeymoon Island will be debuting on BBC One and BBC iPlayer later in 2025.

If you’re single and looking for love, you may be able to be a contestant on the show. To register your interest in appearing on Stranded on Honeymoon Island, please visit the CPL Productions website.