I Kissed A Boy and I Kissed A Girl first aired on BBC Three in 2023, making history and changing lives before ultimately falling victim to the corporation’s “funding challenges”. 

“Growing up, I didn’t think two women could be in love,” says Amy Hough, an Influencer Executive and Creator from London. “I wasn’t attuned to it as I hadn’t seen any lesbian representation on screen. 

“In shows like EastEnders, there were only one or two queer characters. If we had something like I Kissed A Girl (IKAG) earlier, I probably would have come out at 16 and not been afraid to just say it as it is.” 

Hosted by pop star Dannii Minogue, the format was simple: 10 contestants, an Italian villa, and an introduction sealed with a kiss. The cast were then free to explore new connections, with regular “kiss offs” allowing the couples to decide if they wished to remain with their partner or save their kiss for someone else. 

Those who were not kissed would be sent home. 

While the premise was light, the impact was anything but. 

As the UK’s first gay dating shows, they were met with a surge of engagement — particularly for IKAG. In June 2024, Fiona Campbell, controller of BBC iPlayer and BBC Three, revealed the show had drawn the highest proportion of under-35 viewers on the platform that week, with clips amassing 15-million views across BBC’s social channels. 

It seems fans quickly fell in love with IKAG for its authentic and diverse women-loving-women representation, with the total 16 contestants living across the UK, from Brighton, to Hertfordshire and even Glasgow. 

For Sophie Edwards, 19, the regional representation helped her to feel seen for the first time. 

“Sometimes it feels like to be a lesbian you have to live in a big southern city. 

“But then I saw Meg on the show, who lives in the same county as me – the West Riding of Yorkshire – and even went to the same college. She spoke like me and loved like me. It was so special.” 

Edwards, a theatre student at university, was also navigating her first lesbian relationship when the show first aired two years ago. 

“I loved how normalised being queer on the show was. 

“Sometimes it felt really lonely as I didn’t have any queer friends, so the show felt super warm and comforting.” 

The series moved easily from flirty conversations and romantic dates to vulnerable conversations about identity, language and belonging. 

In one particularly emotional scene, contestant Georgia Robert spoke about her discomfort with the word “lesbian”, shaped by years of hearing it used in a derogatory manner.  

The then-28-year-old footballer explained that “L” is the first letter of the LGBTQ+ acronym to recognise the crucial role lesbians played during the HIV/AIDS crisis, with Robert emphasising – perhaps to herself as much as the contestants – that lesbians should reclaim the word instead of feeling ashamed.  

“The show was so good as it delved into many important topics,” says Jasmine Jones, a 19-year-old journalism student at the University of Salford. “But for me personally, seeing queer black women on the show really helped me understand myself. I saw a lot of myself in them.” 

While queer visibility on screen remains limited, representation of queer people of colour is even more so. IKAG endeavoured to change this, with contestants Naee Stoute, a black lesbian from London, and Priya Soha, a Sikh Punjabi lesbian from Wales, forming one of the show’s strongest connections, and committing to each other in the final “kiss-off”. 

Yet the show also importantly reflected more difficult realities, with contestant Demi Kode having a short-lived experience after failing to form a connection under the Italian sun.  

“I feel like that was quite a good representation as in the real world I feel like black women don’t get as much romantic attention,” says Jones.  

“It’s a lot harder to date as a black lesbian.”  

For a moment, it seemed like something truly significant was happening, that an initial ripple from the show’s advertising had suddenly transformed into a wave of overwhelming support. However, on March 10, the tide’s momentum was hit with a significant amount of friction. 

A BBC spokesperson revealed that there were ‘no current plans’ for the I Kissed A… franchise to return, due to ‘funding challenges’. For many fans, the decision felt unpleasantly familiar, while for Hough it was a step too far.  

The 25-year-old launched a petition demanding for the show’s renewal, which has gathered more than 15,000 signatures and 80,000 shares in just over a month. 

“What was crazy to me was that it wasn’t just people from the UK sharing their support. There were people from across the world: the Netherlands, America. The cancellation has affected people globally,” insists Hough. 

“I’m hoping that the petition will prove to other channels like Channel 4 and ITV that there is a demand for IKAG and that they’re missing out on a really good opportunity.”  

There are already rumours stirring of what might come next. Reports have pointed to a spin-off project, It Started With A Kiss, which would take the form of a visual podcast exploring the experiences of queer celebrities. 

Production team of the project, Twofour shares with me about the podcast: “We are delighted to be partnering with Tinder to continue to tell LGBTQ+ stories in a way no one else quite is.  

“Although the podcast is separate to the I Kissed A… brand, we’re sure that fans will be thrilled with what we have in store for them – from a pair of familiar and fabulous hosts to some iconic guests. You can expect more details very soon.”  

Despite such hints of former I Kissed A… contestants hosting the podcast, Hough and Jones have their reservations.  

“We don’t want to see celebrities. That’s what was so refreshing about IKAG: everyone on the show was genuine and real queer people,” says a brow-furrowed Jones.  

Hough insists: “We need shows on mainstream TV or streaming platforms like Netflix. I don’t think a podcast offers the same visibility.” 

While the pair’s frustrations may be shared by fellow fans of the I Kissed A… series, relief will also linger. Relief that they do not have to turn to the towering pile of discontinued shows, which the I Kissed A… franchise has now heartbreakingly joined.