Would you go on a first date with millions watching? These women all did and the result's one of the most heart-warming (and occasionally cringe-making) TV hits of the moment

• Channel Four's Gogglebox-meets-Blind Date 'First Dates' format is a TV hit now sold around the world
• Set in a swish real London restaurant, each episode focuses on five pairs of singletons 
• The show's charismatic French maitre d’ Fred Sirieix keeps a watchful eye over nervous first daters and offers philosophical insights on love
• Hidden cameras record their every move before the pairs disect their date and decide whether they'll see each other again 

By Tanith Carey for the Daily Mail

Published: 19:42 EST, 22 November 2015 | Updated: 00:29 EST, 23 November 2015

There are few experiences more nerve-racking than a blind date. It can be the trigger for a new romance — or the most excruciating evening of your life.

Now the hope and heartbreak are being captured on a reality TV show, Channel 4’s First Dates, that’s become an unexpected hit.

Set in a swish real London restaurant, each episode focuses on five pairs of singletons — from lonely 80-year-olds to lovelorn estate agents — trying to find that elusive ‘spark’.

The couples, who are complete strangers and know nothing about each other, share a meal as cameras document every word and expression. After the date, each person is interviewed to reveal their real thoughts about their partner.

After a slow start, the programme, now in its fourth series, is booming in popularity with the Gogglebox-meets-Blind Date format being sold around the world.

C4's First Dates has become a top hit as the Gogglebox-meets-Blind Date format is sold around the world. Above: Brave first date couples Natasha and Scott, Abi and Mark, Shirlie and Dave, Olympia and Hugo, Freya and Richard

CAMERAS IN THE LOOS

The name of the restaurant is hidden from TV viewers by a large red heart but it is Paternoster Chop House, near St Paul’s Cathedral. The TV crew commandeers the premises on a number of weekends and fills it with single diners.

The open-plan dining area is rigged with 40 grapefruit-sized cameras, strategically placed to zoom in on awkwardness or affection.

There are also cameras in the loos to capture more candid appraisals as daters phone friends to update them on the evening’s progress.

At the end of the meal, diners pay their own bills — often more than £100 — although the production team offers £25 towards it. Executive producer Nicola Lloyd says: ‘We give couples a contribution, but we want the tricky moment when the bill arrives to be real.’

HOW MATCHES ARE MADE

From octogenarians to virgins and the terminally single, the show gives a voyeuristic peek into the love lives of a huge cross-section of people. And unlike the usual, fame-hungry reality TV contestants, it’s the vulnerability and normality of daters that’s proved such a draw.

The slightest hint of chemistry and you find yourself rooting for them. And, naturally, the car-crash dates are even more enthralling.

For the latest series, programme makers received 1,500 applications in just 48 hours. They now have a database of 40,000 lonely hearts to choose from.

Couples are meticulously matched by a large team of researchers based on a study of their likes, dislikes, backgrounds and physical similarities.

Part of the reason viewers have taken to the show, says Nicola Lloyd, is that some see it as a return to a more traditional type of dating: ‘It’s the antithesis of dating apps like Tinder which are all based on pictures and appearance.

‘Our daters can’t google, text or do any online research before they meet because they don’t even know each other’s names.’

BEST DATE SO FAR

Best date so far: Olive, 80, and Terence, 82, discussed their mutual longing for company, their love of music, tennis — and sex

The stand-out couple — who were a big hit on Twitter — were retired teacher Olive, 80, and Terence, 82, a former air traffic controller. During their date, they discussed their mutual longing for company, their love of music, tennis — and sex.

In one of the most moving moments of the programme, Terence, from Buckinghamshire, asked Olive if her memories of her late husband, who died ten years ago from cancer, provide some comfort. She replied: ‘Yes, but memories are no damn good.’

Meanwhile, he was tearful as he admitted that he wished he had appreciated his late wife more while she was still alive, saying he now realised what he was missing.

As they deconstructed their date on camera afterwards, viewers saw Olive reach for Terence’s hands to warm them — and the pair (above) carried on holding hands.

The programme ended with Terence asking Olive if she’d like to go on a second date, and she accepted. Sadly, although the couple’s mutual love of theatre led them to see War Horse together, they have since decided just to be friends.

DUTCH COURAGE!

Bearded writer Louis, 21, from Norfolk, and 23-year-old barmaid Amber clearly never wanted to set eyes on each other again.

After ordering countless Jagerbomb cocktails — a lethal mix of caffeine-rich energy drinks and the German spirit Jagermeister — to calm his nerves, Louis made fun of his date’s spiritual beliefs, tried to knock down the £140 bill, then got out his phone to work out her share. They were barely talking by the time they reached the taxi rank — and headed for separate cabs.

Amber’s parting remark was ‘Good luck with life, friend’ — in a tone which heavily implied that he would need it.

'Do you get funnier the more you drink?' Abi, 33, and Mark, 39, did not have a great start

PASSION KILLERS 

Make-up artist Verona, 27, and handsome fireman Paul fared no better. After hitting it off at the bar, their date nosedived when Verona mentioned she had two children.

Paul replied in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t interested in dating a woman who was already a mother, as the cameras zoomed in on her crestfallen face. But perhaps the most embarrassing silence in the current series came when student Ben told his date Chloe that his love of appearing in musical theatre had developed into a love of cross-dressing.

After a long pause, Chloe, 23, a Sheffield University student, said: ‘You just told me you dress like a lady. It’s a bit of an odd thing to say when you’re on a date with a girl.’

Low expectations: Freya summed up the her date with Richard as ‘We had a lot in common. He wasn’t gay. Result’

Equally cringe-worthy was the meeting between Richard, 20, an Oxford University student, and Freya, a musical theatre enthusiast studying in Leeds.

‘I’ve never been in a relationship,’ he announced. ‘One thing you may find interesting is that I identify as asexual. Dating is strange and quite alienating for me.’

Warming to his theme, Richard went on to say: ‘I identify as hetero-romantic asexual — being asexual means I don’t experience sexual attraction to anyone of any gender. I do experience romantic attraction.’

Rather optimistically, Freya summed up the date as: ‘We had a lot in common. He wasn’t gay. Result.’

Posh nosh: Cambridge graduate and trainee opera singer Olympia, 26, was paired with public school educated Hugo (unsuccessfully) 

THE SWEETEST AND SOPPIEST COUPLE

Beyond the corny flowers that some suitors turn up with, there are some genuine flashes of romance. It looked like love at first sight when political lobbyist Dean, 29, from London, laid eyes on 24-year-old flame-haired estate agent Kate, from Harrogate, Yorkshire.

Having decided he would no longer restrict himself to dating Asian girls to please his Indian family, he admitted he’d always wanted to date a redhead — and looked stunned to find the woman of his dreams at the bar.

Before the date, Kate confided that she was once voted ugliest person in her class at secondary school.

In sweetly affectionate scenes, Kate and Dean giggled infectiously throughout the meal, made eyes at each other and offered each other chocolate-covered strawberries to lick.

Afterwards, Dean admitted: ‘The first thought I had was that I was lost for words as she was just stunning. Then it was about trying to compose (myself) afterwards.’ In the post-date analysis, Dean declared to the camera that he would ‘make no bones’ that he would like to see Kate again.

When she immediately agreed, saying she liked his sense of humour and long eyelashes, he punched the air in triumph before they wandered off into the night, arm in arm.

WOO A CELEBRITY

For one special programme last month, TV presenter Anthea Turner, who had just been granted a quickie divorce from Grant Bovey, and X-Factor singer Alexandra Burke were teamed with ‘real people’ — albeit slightly better-looking versions than the usual candidates. Alexandra was paired with a male model called Louis, whose response when he saw her was: ‘Oh my God! It’s Alexandra Burke!’ The pair have since met again at Camden’s Jazz Cafe.

Meanwhile, Anthea, 55, had less success with a banker called Jeremy. She poured her heart out about the pain of finding herself single again. She also admitted that last year she went on her first solo holiday and ‘sobbed all the way to Gatwick’.

However, despite insisting it was time for her to get back to dating, Anthea later told Jeremy, 50, he was ‘a little bit too well-behaved for her and they lived different lives’. Gracious to the end, Jeremy said: ‘I thought Anthea was a beautiful woman. It’s reflected in her personality.’

TV presenter Anthea Turner (pictured) and X-Factor singer Alexandra Burke were teamed with ‘real people' for a one off episode to raise money for charity

THE REAL STAR OF THE SHOW

Charismatic maitre d’ Fred Sirieix, who was brought in for the third series, is the lynchpin of the show. With his salt-and-pepper beard, crystal-blue eyes and array of sharp suits, he not only welcomes guests into the restaurant at the front desk, but also offers philosophical observations about relationships, which have gained him 16,000 followers on Twitter.

No man is an island, according to the show's maitre d' Fred Sirieix

For his day job, Fred is general manager at the Michelin-starred restaurant Galvin at Windows, on the 28th floor of the Hilton on Park Lane.

Born and brought up in a close-knit family in Limoges, central France, Fred’s father, whom he cites as his role model, was a nurse.

Originally, when Fred attended catering college in nearby Souillac, he trained as a chef, but eventually realised his people skills suited him better to working with customers.

A committed Anglophile since coming to the UK aged 20, he says: ‘The moment I set foot in Dover, I remember feeling so at home here, as if I had arrived.’

He has two children — Andrea, 12, and Matteo-Lucien, six — with his partner Alex and cycles to work from his home in Peckham.

According to Fred, good service is a fine art. Among his rules are that when diners enter, they should be smiled at by five different members of staff before they are seated at their tables.

He was attracted to the series because of its sensitivity towards the daters: ‘It’s not there to catch people out and make them look bad. I wouldn’t have done it otherwise.’

FRENCH FRED’S PHILOSOPHY OF LOVE

‘There is only one happiness in this life: to love and be loved.’

‘What do women want? This is one of the big questions. They want men to listen to them. This is one of the things that is universally known.’

‘No man is an island. No matter what people think about themselves, how strong they are, how tough they are, everybody needs someone to cuddle with, or to give them that little bit of love.’

ANY FAIRY TALE ENDINGS?

So far there have been no First Dates weddings, but programme makers believe it can’t be far off as they continue to hone their matchmaking skills.

In series three, half of the first dates resulted in second dates — and in the current series that rose to 70 per cent.

First Dates is on Thursdays at 10pm on Channel 4

Love at first sight? PE teacher Scott and make-up expert Natasha start to plan their wedding in Vegas by the end of their date

Saucy: Latex-loving Shirlie set Twitter on fire once her first date chat with Dave moved onto 'The Bedroom'

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