First Dates
First Dates is a British reality television programme that has aired on Channel 4 since 20 June 2013. The programme has been narrated by Brian Protheroe since 2015.
| First Dates | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reality |
| Starring | Fred Sirieix |
| Narrated by | Dean Lennox Kelly (series 1 and 2) Brian Protheroe (series 3-present) |
| Music by | Miguel d'Oliveira |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 20 (regular) 1 (celebrity) 7 (hotel) 2 (teen) 30 (overall) |
| No. of episodes | 161 (regular) 15 (specials) 7 (celebrity) 6 (best bits) 42 (hotel) 16 (teen) 1 (celebrity hotel) 248 (overall) |
| Production | |
| Production locations |
|
| Running time | 60 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Production company | Twenty Twenty |
| Release | |
| Original network | Channel 4 E4 All 4 |
| Original release | 20 June 2013 – present |
Production
The programme was filmed at the Paternoster Chop House restaurant in Paternoster Square, central London from 2013 to 2020, showing many people on dates, all of whom have not met each other before. At the end of the date, the couples are interviewed together and asked whether they would like to see each other again. The restaurant is closed to the public while filming takes place. The restaurant is fitted with 42 "Pan–tilt–zoom" cameras and there are at least 70 crew members on set during filming, which lasts 15 hours a day. Each diner is given £25 towards the cost of their meal.
The spin-off show, First Dates Hotel, follows the same TV format with contestants meeting for the first time in a hotel restaurant, but if the date goes well, the couples are offered the opportunity to check in for the night. The first series was filmed at Le Vieux Castillon in Castillon-du-Gard[2] offering idyllic settings with a variety of activities for the successful second daters, and added sommelier Xavier Chapelou to Fred Sirieix's team. The second series was filmed at Aquapetra Resort & Spa in Campania near Naples, Italy.[2][3]
In 2020 it was announced that filming would move to Manchester for Series 16.[4] The specific location was later confirmed in January 2021, when it was announced that the sixteenth series would begin airing on 19 January 2021, in the new location of The Refinery, located in Spinningfields, in Manchester.[5]
Another spin-off show, Teen First Dates began airing on E4 on 22 February 2021 and consisted of 6 episodes. Each episode was also available to stream on All 4. Following the same format as the parent show and also taking place at Spinningfields, it follows 16-19 year olds as they begin dating for the first time. Series 2 began airing on 23 February 2022 and consisted of 10 episodes. A third series was commissioned in 2023 to air later this year.[6]
In July 2023, it was announced that filming would be relocated to The Botanist bar & restaurant in Bath, Somerset for the 10th anniversary of the show.[7] Along with a new restaurant location, the tenth anniversary series will launch brand-new cast members as well as a format refresh.
Restaurant staff
Since series 3 (2015) the restaurant's maître d'hôtel Fred Sirieix offers pieces to camera on the nature of love, romance and dating.[8] When not filming for First Dates, he was the general manager at restaurant Galvin at Windows, although he left in December 2019 after 14 years.[9]
The waiting staff and barman do not work in the restaurant full-time, but are recruited for when the series is being filmed. CiCi Coleman is an actor who trained at New York Film Academy, whilst barman Merlin Griffiths is a pub landlord[10] who has previously worked as a global brand ambassador for Bombay Sapphire gin.[11] Griffiths also works alongside co-bartender Fiona Beck who as well as working in the First Dates restaurant, has a career in advertising, and has also worked as a model in the past and has featured in fashion shows in Paris, Barcelona and New York.[12] The waiting staff are joined by Grant Urquhart, David Marc and Daniella Kalita.[13]
First Dates: The Podcast
In June 2023, First Dates production company Twenty Twenty and Nordic podcast company Podimo announced[14] a new spin-off podcast would be launched in the Summer. The show, which launched in July 2023, is hosted by CiCi Coleman and Frankie Bridge.[15]
Transmissions
Regular
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 June 2013 | 25 July 2013 | 6[16] |
| 2 | 12 February 2014 | 2 April 2014 | 8[17] |
| 3 | 6 March 2015 | 29 April 2015 | 9[18] |
| 4 | 10 September 2015 | 17 December 2015 | 15 |
| 5 | 15 January 2016 | 4 February 2016 | 4 |
| 6 | 15 March 2016 | 19 April 2016 | 6[19] |
| 7 | 9 August 2016 | 12 December 2016 | 17[20] |
| 8 | 18 April 2017 | 11 July 2017 | 13[21] |
| 9 | 18 September 2017 | 18 December 2017 | 13[22] |
| 10 | 4 April 2018 | 6 June 2018 | 10[23] |
| 11 | 29 October 2018 | 17 December 2018 | 8 |
| 12 | 16 April 2019 | 18 June 2019 | 10 |
| 13 | 12 November 2019 | 13 November 2019 | 6 |
| 14 | 20 February 2020 | 19 March 2020 | 5 |
| 15 | 1 October 2020 | 22 October 2020 | 4 |
| 16 | 19 January 2021 | 16 February 2021 | 5 |
| 17 | 6 September 2021 | 27 September 2021 | 4 |
| 18 | 6 January 2022 | 10 February 2022 | 7 |
| 19 | 21 July 2022 | 18 August 2022 | 6[24] |
| 20 | 17 April 2023 | 8 May 2023 | 5 |
Specials
| Date | Entitle |
|---|---|
| 12 February 2016 | Valentine's Special |
| 19 December 2016 | Christmas Special |
| 13 February 2017 | Valentine's Special |
| 25 December 2017 | Christmas Special |
| 16 February 2018 | Valentine's Special |
| 25 December 2018 | Christmas Special |
| 14 February 2019 | Valentine's Special |
| 25 December 2019 | Christmas Special |
| 13 February 2020 | Valentine's Special |
| 23 December 2020 | Christmas Special |
| 9 February 2021 | Valentine's Special |
| 22 December 2021 | Christmas Special |
| 10 February 2022 | Valentine's Special |
| 27 December 2022 | Christmas Special |
| 14 February 2023 | Valentine’s Special |
Celebrity First Dates
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SU2C | 12 October 2015 | 1 | |
| 1 | 8 July 2016 | 29 July 2016 | 4 |
| SU2C | 2 November 2017 | 1 | |
| SU2C | 25 October 2018 | 1 | |
Teen First Dates
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 February 2021 | 5 April 2021 | 6 |
| 2 | 23 February 2022 | 20 April 2022 | 10 |
| 3 | 2023 | 2023 | TBA |
First Dates Hotel
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 January 2017 | 6 February 2017 | 6 |
| 2 | 8 January 2018 | 12 February 2018 | 6 |
| 3 | 28 August 2018 | 9 October 2018 | 6 |
| 4 | 5 September 2019 | 3 October 2019 | 5 |
| 5 | 30 April 2020 | 11 June 2020 | 7 |
| 6 | 24 March 2021 | 21 April 2021 | 6 |
| 7 | 6 September 2022 | 4 October 2022 | 6 |
Celebrity First Dates Hotel
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SU2C | 10 October 2019 | 1 | |
Best Bits
| Date | Entitle |
|---|---|
| 28 October 2020 | Together Forever |
| 4 November 2020 | Opposites Attract |
| 11 November 2020 | Second Chances |
| 18 November 2020 | Plot Twists |
| 25 November 2020 | Celebrity Best Bits |
| 2 December 2020 | Fireworks |
International versions
The format created in the United Kingdom has been adapted in Belgium, Finland, Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Australia, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand, Italy, Poland, USA, France, Brazil, Israel, Sweden, Norway, Argentina, Portugal, Austria, South Africa and Greece.
| Country | Title | TV channel | Year aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | First Dates | NPO 3 (BNNVARA) | 18 March 2015 – present |
| Canada | First Dates | Slice | 1 September 2015 – 18 April 2017 |
| Germany | First Dates | sixx | 21 October 2015 – 9 December 2015 |
| First Dates – Ein Tisch für Zwei | VOX | 5 March 2018 – present | |
| First Dates Hotel | 20 April 2020 – present | ||
| Australia | First Dates | Seven Network | 3 February 2016 – present |
| Spain | First Dates | Cuatro | 17 April 2016 – present |
| First Dates: Crucero | 13 January 2020 – present | ||
| Ireland | First Dates | RTÉ2 | 21 April 2016 – present |
| New Zealand | First Dates | Television New Zealand | October 2016 – present |
| Sweden | Första dejten | SVT | 13 March 2017 – present |
| Italy | Primo appuntamento | Real Time | 14 March 2017 – present |
| Primo appuntamento Crociera | 18 May 2021 – present | ||
| Poland | Pierwsza randka | TVP2 | 16 March 2017 – 16 November 2017 |
| USA | First Dates | NBC | 7 April 2017 – 26 May 2017 |
| France | Premier rendez-vous et plus si affinités | TF1 | 12 June 2017 – present |
| Brazil | À Primeira Vista | Rede Bandeirantes | 22 June 2017 – 21 September 2017 |
| Israel | דייט ראשון Date Rishon | Channel 2 | 18 December 2017 – present |
| Norway | Første date | TVNorge | 4 January 2018 – present[25] |
| Argentina | Primera Cita | Telefe | 14 February 2018 – 30 March 2018 |
| Portugal | First Dates – O Primeiro Encontro | TVI | 2 January 2019 – present |
| Austria | First Dates Austria | ATV | 17 April 2019 – present |
| Finland | First Dates Suomi | MTV3 | 19 September 2019 – present |
| South Africa | First Dates South Africa | BBC Lifestyle | 16 October 2019 – present |
| Belgium | First Dates | Eén | 5 March 2020 – present |
| Czech Republic | První večeře | Prima | 30 August 2021 – present |
| Greece | First Dates | Star Channel | 30 April 2023 – present |
References
- ^ a b Nisbet, Megan (19 January 2021). "First Dates restaurant Manchester: Where is the new series filmed?". WalesOnline. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ "Media".
- ^ "You can actually stay at the First Dates hotel!". 16 January 2018.
- ^ Heward, Emily (29 January 2020). "First Dates is filming its next series at a Manchester restaurant". men. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- ^ "First Dates: Channel 4 series will feel 'more like real life'". BBC News. 19 January 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "TEEN FIRST DATES RETURNS FOR THIRD SERIES ON E4". TV Zone UK. 2 January 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- ^ "Channel 4's First Dates restaurant relocates for 10th Anniversary to find romance in Bath | Channel 4". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- ^ Nicholson, Rebecca (16 September 2015). "From Blind Date to First Dates: how TV matchmaking grew up". The Guardian.
- ^ bighospitality.co.uk. "Fred Sirieix leaves Galvin at Windows". bighospitality.co.uk. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- ^ "Merlin Griffiths, The Priory Tavern". Cocktail Saturdays. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ "32 Things You Probably Didn't Know About "First Dates"". BuzzFeed.
- ^ "Who is Fiona from First Dates 2021? Meet the new bartender on series 16!". Reality Titbit. 19 January 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "Meet the new First Dates staff for series 16". Radio Times. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ Shepherd, Adam (26 June 2023). "First Dates spin-off podcast to launch this summer". PodPod. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Launch date for brand-new First Dates: The Podcast revealed". Podcasting Today. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "First Dates". Twenty Twenty. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "First Dates Series 2". Twenty Twenty. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "First Dates Series 3". Twenty Twenty. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "First Dates Series 6". Twenty Twenty. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "First Dates Series 7". Twenty Twenty. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "First Dates Series 8". Twenty Twenty. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "First Dates Series 9". Twenty Twenty. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "First Dates Series 10". Twenty Twenty. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "First Dates". channel4.com. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ "Dplay". www.dplay.no. Retrieved 26 September 2020.