The Island's new twist sees the men and women completely unaware they're stranded on the same desert island

The Island with Bear Grylls has a new format for this year’s third series: the men and women are on the same desert island – but have absolutely no idea.

Last year – the first time women were added into the mix – each gender had their own island. But this time around, in what feels eerily like an episode of Lost, eight men and eight women will be dropped off on different sides of a (previously) uninhabited land mass in the Pacific and left to get on with surviving.

They might never find each other. Which would be interesting come the show’s finale when they’d find out they could have had a whole load of extra people to hang out with. Well, I say hang out with. Probably more importantly, to help build fires, shelter, kill pigs… that kind of thing.

But, more likely, they’ll meet up and all hell will break loose. After all, even inadvertently stumbling across each other could be filled with drama. What if one team is mid pig-chase and suddenly launches at a human, wielding their poorly put together handmade weapon? Let’s not wander into Lord of the Flies territory, eh folks?

Who knows, it could turn into Love Island instead. They’ll all couple up over their shared enjoyment of boiling their own pee. Or, let’s face it: it could just bring a load more arguments. Which will be just peachy. What’s a survival show without a bunch of people yelling at each other about who's the least crap at weaving together palm fronds?

As for who’s embarking on this ever-tricky challenge, there’s a plumber, an accountant, a call centre manager, a 58-year-old retired female farmer, a 19-year-old male student and a retired Army corporal who lost a leg in battle.

The weather is set to be brutal. The El Niño climate cycle, which has a significant impact on global weather patterns, will play its part. For the Islanders, this is likely to mean increased rainfall as well as decreased fish stocks, a key food source.

They’ll start with some basic training under their belt, 24-hours worth of water and some camera-trained teammates who’ll capture every bit of their daily struggles on film.

“You think, who would watch the island and want to go on it? It’s just absolutely f-ing grim!” Grylls joked to RadioTimes.com last month. “But you know, Big Brother I think the most they ever had apply was 50,000, we had 135,000 apply. What I’ve learned is that hard things people want.”

‘’People want to know what they are really made of when the chips are down and they are stripped of everything they take for granted,” Grylls added as he welcomed the series return.

“The men and women who took part in last year’s show faced possibly some of the toughest situations they will ever face again and despite everything the island threw at them, those that endured to the end showed that they possessed the spirit and fortitude not just to survive but also to thrive in such extreme adversity.”

“This season we picked an incredible group of regular men and women and it’s going to provide such powerful insight into the human psyche under pressure."

The Island with Bear Grylls returns Monday 28th March at 9pm on Channel 4