The latest reality TV show takes the likes of Nancy Dell’Olio and Melinda Messenger to the Greek island of Naxos to help them rediscover their sexuality “Oh God, here we go, up the fanny,” mutters comic Ninia Benjamin, obediently clenching her nether regions. One of eight celebrities in the throes of middle age in Our Shirley Valentine Summer (Thursday, 9.30pm, ITV), Benjamin is attending a meditation session on the Greek island of Naxos aimed at helping women rediscover their sexuality. Having been single for most of her life, Ninia is dealing with some serious confidence issues – “My biggest hope for my time here is that I go: ‘Ninia Benjamin’s all right,’” she says. It remains to be seen whether imagining her life force as a snake slithering out of her flange will make this happen. Inspired by the Pauline Collins film about self-discovery, this mid-life, mid-budget Love Island sees its participants taking stock and looking for romance, although imagining a future is easier said than done for the ladies of Naxos, who are either terminally single or newly divorced. You won’t find gladiatorial coupling ceremonies, night-vision humping and contestants blithely stabbing each other in the back here but, amid the pretty mountain villages and exquisite beaches, there’s the same uncertainty and fear. Like its Mallorcan counterpart, Our Shirley Valentine Summer is a festival of sun damage and self-loathing. Continue reading...
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