BBC axes LGBTQ+ dating shows I Kissed A Boy and I Kissed A Girl due to ‘funding challenges’

The BBC has axed I Kissed A Boy and I Kissed A Girl, the UK’s first LGBTQ+ dating series.

In a statement, first published by The Sun, the BBC stated that there are “no current plans” for either show to return after season two of I Kissed A Girl, which is set to return to screens in the spring.

A spokesperson blamed “funding challenges” for the shows getting the chop.

“We are exceptionally proud of I Kissed A Boy/Girl, the UK’s first dating show for the LGBTQ+ community. We would like to thank our fabulous cupid Dannii Minogue and the entire team at Twofour for bringing the series to screen,” the statement reads.

“Unfortunately, we have to make difficult choices in light of our funding challenges and there are no current plans for the show to return.”

In a statement, pop star Dannii Minogue, who hosts the show, said that making the show has been “the most special experience” in her TV career.

“Thank you Twofour Productions and BBC for allowing me to be a part of I Kissed A Boy and I Kissed A Girl series, it is such a powerful and important show,” she said.

“I’m so proud that this show has given us the chance to celebrate so many people from the LGBTQ+ community who have made up our wonderful cast. 

“I can’t wait for you to see the brand new series of I Kissed A Girl, bringing all the excitement and joy that this show represents. The integrity and intention of why I Kissed A… was created, along with the love and care from the crew and production over the four seasons, has made it the most special experience for me in almost 40 years of television.”

I Kissed A Boy, which was the first dating show on British TV to exclusively feature LGBTQ+ men, first aired in 2023. The groundbreaking series returned for a second season in 2025.

I Kissed A Girl, which followed the same format but featured queer women, aired its first season in 2024.

The premise of both shows sees ten singletons enter an Italian masseria before being instantly matched up with someone they might be compatible with. Before even learning each other’s names, they kiss, and then meet the other couples in their pairs.

During their masseria stay, the singletones mingle with each other and build new friendships and romantic connections. At the ‘kiss off’, each pair decides whether they want to stay together by sealing the deal with a kiss. Those who remain unkissed leave the show, while new bachelors and bachelorettes enter at various points.

The second season of I Kissed A Boy proved to be even more groundbreaking, by featuring Lars Fellows, its first trans contestant.

In addition to being hosted by Minogue, Strictly Come Dancing star Layton Williams and presenter Charley Marlowe narrated I Kissed A Boy and I Kissed A Girl respectively.

The show’s cancellation comes amid a turbulent time for LGBTQ+ representation on screen. Last year, Netflix’s prominent queer dating show The Ultimatum: Queer Love was axed after just two seasons, while other queer-led shows including Boots and Olympo also got the chop.

According to GLAAD, four in ten queer characters who were on our TV screens between 2024 and 2025 won’t return in 2026.

Meanwhile, stars including Olivia Colman, Alan Cumming and Bowen Yang have spoken out about TV and film commissioners being ‘too nervous’ to champion LGBTQ+ stories in an age of increasing DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) rollbacks.

Online, fans and former stars of I Kissed A Boy and I Kissed A Girl have lamented the show’s cancellation.

“Sad too [sic] see. A show that needed to happen,” wrote Mikey Connor on X, who appeared on season one of I Kissed A Boy.

“Everyone should be PROUD who has been involved from the BBC, Casting, Producers all us cast in both seasons and everyone who supported it.”

“I’ve never seen lesbians more united than during IKAG month what the f****** f*** is this,” one fan raged.

“This needs to be picked up by E4 immediately,” urged another. “The format is great, and it’s been super important for the community whilst also instrumental in the telling of a wide spectrum of LGBTQ+ stories.”

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