Love is on the air

EXPECT GENUINE SPARKS GALORE IN THE NEW SERIES, SAY THE ONSCREEN STAFF ON THE HIT DATING SHOW.

- BY ELLA WALKER

IT’S hard to believe that First Dates has been on our screens for 12 years.

For more than a decade, single diners have turned up to the famous restaurant, stomachs a-flutter, hands shaky with nerves, and hearts full of hope for love, drama, and a bit of fun.

The hit Channel 4 documentary-series is Bafta award-winning, and for the uninitiated, sees couples on blind dates filmed having dinner together, before they are asked whether they'd like to see each other again. It’s the most simple of formats, and yet as a viewer, it’s almost impossible to turn off.

The whole shebang is kept in motion by charming maitre d’ Fred Sirieix, who hopes to bring diners out of themselves and help them find love.

The 53-year-old from Limoges, France, is a newly married man himself this series, having tied the knot with his long-term partner, Fruitcake, in February this year.

“Although it’s been 12 years, the one common denominator on this show is that love never runs out. People still want to find it,” says Cici Coleman, a stalwart First Dates waitress:

“This one’s full of surprises,’ she says of the new series, filmed at the iconic Bath restaurant. “There are some moments that are truly unexpected - even I was shocked’

“First Dates is such a comfort programme for people, and a joyful reminder that love really is all you need,’ adds fellow returning waitress Aoife Smyth. “The restaurant was more full of love and personality than ever before”

Episode one features 26-year-old carpenter - and former butler in the buff - Conner, who freely admits he’s a “walking red flag” but is hopeful he can ditch that insalubrious rep on a date with tech consultant and ‘geek’ Charlie.