Picture this: my husband and I were flicking through the TV channels, trying to find an easy watch to round off the night. It was at this point that we stumbled upon Channel 4’s Virgin Island, a highly controversial reality series.
This episode was already partway through, so we looked at each other and decided to strap in – after all, various headlines about the show had certainly made us both curious, and it has now become the most streamed show on Channel 4 for the age 16-34 demographic.
Little did I know that it would be perhaps the most unbelievable twenty minutes of television I’d ever watch.
I was glued to the screen, aghast, turning to my partner every five seconds and saying things like: “How has this been made? Is this allowed? Should we even be watching this?!” Truly, this show pushes the boundaries of post-watershed TV.
For those not in the know, Virgin Island has nothing to do with the American territories of a similar name. Instead, it follows a group of twelve adult virgins, who go to an island filled with various therapists (and trust me, there are careers here you’ll likely never have imagined) to explore their sexual desires.
Now you may be wondering, they can’t possibly show the actual dirty deeds on screen, right? WRONG.
In the short span that I tuned in for, three rather intimate acts were shown, with participants in various stages of undress. The trailer for tonight’s episode (the grand finale, I’m told) may feature contestants going ‘all the way’, ie losing their virginity for all to see.
And these acts weren’t with each other. Instead, the therapists are stand-ins for partners, with professionals including a somatic therapist, a sexological bodyworker and a sexual surrogate. Or to put it more bluntly – different therapists perform various acts to either pleasure or explore the contestants’ desires. Is that ethical? Make of it what you will.
Those familiar with Channel 4’s portfolio of work won’t be surprised that this type of show is out there. After all, it’s the birthplace of Naked Attraction, another divisive series that no doubt you’ll have discussed at some point, whether you wanted to or not.
Like Naked Attraction, Virgin Island poses a bit of a moral dilemma. On the one hand, it’s a series that breaks down boundaries and normalises what might have been previously taboo subjects. An op-ed in Cosmopolitan argues just that, stating: “As a queer adult recalibrating my relationship to sex, it’s refreshing to see people the same age or older taking a similar leap to expand their understanding of sex in a way that puts themselves first.”
There’s no denying that certain contestants feel empowered after their sessions, especially when you see someone finding ways to navigate complex disorders, such as body dysmorphia or vaginismus, which take a great deal of bravery to talk about openly on camera.
That said, I do hope that the studio is fulfilling its duty of care to the cast now that this show is being broadcast to the nation. After all, they’re sharing some incredibly vulnerable parts of themselves, and social media can be a cruel place. And that’s not helped by the marketing, which doubles down on shock value rather than highlighting the more nuanced aspects mentioned above. You only need to look at how Love Island has come under scrutiny following a series of suicides of former contestants and hosts.
There are also questions surrounding the therapists and whether showing these types of methods on camera is a morally sound choice for wider society, or if it could encourage potentially harmful practices. This may be another Channel 4 show, like Ten Years Younger, that doesn’t stand the test of time.
I’ll admit that I’ve not watched enough of Virgin Island to form a concrete opinion, but if you want to decide for yourself, the final episode airs tonight, Tuesday 27 May, at 9pm on Channel 4 – or you can stream all six episodes now.
Just, for the love of God, don’t watch it on the bus or with your mum.
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Author: Hannah Cowton-Barnes, Entertainment Editor, Tech Advisor
As Tech Advisor’s Entertainment Editor, Hannah is the resident expert in all things streaming, film and TV. Before joining Tech Advisor in 2019, she studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds and created a website dedicated to geek culture and lifestyle. She’s also reviewed a whole range of gadgets including flagship smartphones, wearables and styling tools. Outside of Foundry, she’s written freelance pieces for Polygon, Metro and Den of Geek, and is proud to be a Women Techmakers Ambassador for Google.
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