Right, are you ready? "What did Santa do when he went dating?
"He pulled a cracker."
This programme contains strong language
Ooh. Ah. # Oh, the weather outside
# Is frightful But in here, it's delightful. #
Have a hot chocolate.
Aw. Hey, Joyeux Noel, everyone.
The First Dates restaurant is magical at Christmas.
I don't know what it is about everyone,
but they are just so loving.
Even Fred's happier at Christmas.
Yeah, yeah. You can do everything, yeah.
Anything you want. "Do you want to come in late?
"You come in late." Yeah.
I have to say, you have done a fantastic job
at decorating the restaurant.
Aw. It looks incredible!
Love is certainly in the air at Christmas,
and you can feel it.
It's tantalising. It just sparkles!
Now, look, all the daters,
we have to give them the best present that they ever had.
The gift of love? I was going to say that!
You keep stealing my lines.
Christmas is my favourite time of the year.
It's a time when we toast to new beginnings.
OK. Let's go, guys.OK. Let's do this.
Thanks, Merlin.
Cheers.Cheers.
You are only allowed in if you're on the good list.
But you know me, I like naughty people.
Ho, ho, ho.
This is Wes,
a barbershop owner from Essex
who's hoping he can light up someone's Christmas.
The party isn't really a party unless I'm there.
I'd like to say that I make people have a good time.
Bit like Fred, do you know what I mean?
Just rocking around, just checking everything's all right.
Like a party concierge, liaison person.
Where are you from?Essex. I thought you were.Yeah.
Oh, really? It's just the way you were walking.
That's typical, is it? You look like a geezer, no?
Yeah, well, I don't know, maybe. Are you?
Yeah, I'd like to be, yeah. Can you chat up any girls?
I'll give it a go, yeah.
Yeah?I think, yeah. Can you find a way to their heart?
Yeah, hopefully.
INTERVIEWER:Can you rate yourself out of ten for me?
I'd say a solid eight.
I was expecting higher.
I know, but you can't say that, you look like a right BLEEP,don't you?
I mean, idiot.
Sorry.
How you doing, fella, you all right? Very good, very good.
How's you? Yeah, good, mate, good.
Nice. What's your name? Wes.
Hello, Wes. Merlin. Merry Christmas.
Yeah, merry Christmas to you, too, man. What can I get you?
I'd like a pint, please, mate. Yeah.
Handsome. Thank you.
On that side, that is a devil.
Devil on your left side, angel on your right.
And the angel's telling the devil to be quiet.
So it's your good side trying to tell the naughty side
to just hush it a little bit.
Are they anyone's faces or are they just?
No, no, just random ones.
But I must admit, this one,
the angel looks a spitting image to one of my best mate's wives.
Yeah, that goes down well.
Go. Lovely, mate. Thank you.
It's nice here, innit? Oh, it's a pleasure. Yeah, glad you like it.
What do you do? I've got a barber shop.
You're a barber. Do you actually cut hair...
Yes. ..or do you just own the shop? No, no, I cut hair as well, yeah. You do cut the hair.
Do you reckon I'd suit a mohican?
Maybe a mullet.
Talk about the Christmas cracker you want sat here.
Blonde, short, slim, light eyes, preferably...
..outgoing, funny...
..don't take herself too seriously.
Oh, God. Right, well, listen,
you enjoy your pint. Thanks, mate.
Anything you need, you give me a holler and we'll come running.
Jagers? Too early for that, innit?
# Santa, baby... #
Ooh la la.
Can you tell instantly if you're into someone,
if you fancy someone?
Within like five seconds of seeing them.
One second I'd say.
I love your style. I love your elegance.
Thank you. How are you? I'm very good.
How are you? I'm good. What's your name?Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, indeed.
Decent.
Ready to unwrap Mr Right this Christmas
is 34-year-old Chloe.
Christmas this year would be amazing
if I got to spend it in, like, a cottage somewhere.
You know, like the postcard scenario,
surrounded by snow.
It'd be nice to roll around in front of a log fire
with my Christmas present.
Thank you. Where do you come from, Chloe?
I come from Essex. You can't find any men there?
Not myself. Why not?
Aw, just not very good at picking, I guess.
Are you ready for your date?Yes, I think so.
Come with me.Thank you, Fred.
I definitely deserve love.
I just want someone that's got a really great sense of humour.
We can just travel the world,
taking the piss out of each other and everything we come across.
And I just want to have a good time.
Voila.
Oh, my God. Hello. Hello, you all right?
How you doing? You all right? Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you. I'm Wes. What's your name, babe? Wes.
I'm Chloe. Nice to meet you, Chloe. You all right? Yeah, yeah, I'm good.
Hey! Hello, babe. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas. What do you want to drink?
Prosecco, I'm guessing.
No. No? I call it prossec-no.
OK. Yeah, it doesn't end well if I start
drinking that, yeah. Nah, too many bubbles, yeah? Yeah. Nah.
All right. OK. Yeah, I don't need it. All right.
Can I get an old fashioned, please?
Yeah, of course. Yeah? Yeah. Thank you.
So where are you from? I'm guessing you're from Essex.
Why would you guess that? Cos you sound like me.
Yeah, I am, yeah.
How old are you? 37. Yeah, I'm 34.
Oh, yeah. What do you do?
I've got a barber shop. Oh, no way! I'm a barber.
Yeah, yeah. Oh, cool.
Can you cut girls' hair as well?
I haven't done it for a while. I was going to say,
you could, like, save me a few quid. THEY LAUGH
I don't know what it'd look like afterwards, but I could do it.
You look beautiful, by the way.
Thank you very much. You don't look bad yourself.
Cheers anyway. Yeah, cheers, darling. Cheers, babe.
All right, sweetheart.
My favourite bit about Christmas actually
is when you go down the pub on Boxing Day
and everyone's in their new clobber,
cos everyone's got new stuff for Christmas. They're like, "You know what?
"I'm going to get dolled up, go down the pub." Got my new earrings.
Yeah, got my new makeup. Got my new skirt.
Yeah, and you can tell, it's all like fresh out the box. I know.
Oh, I love Christmas. I do.
# Welcome to my Christmas song... #
Hoping that Santa isn't the only man to bring her gifts this Christmas
is retired nurse Linda.
You don't get older inside.
It's just you're outside that lets you down.
INTERVIEWER:Would you like to meet someone?
Yeah, but you haven't got Jason Momoa on your books.
How are you?I'm fine, thank you.
What's your name?Linda. Linda. Great.
Do you do much dating?
Nope. When was the last time you dated?
Six years ago. Six years ago.
And that's the only one in 16 years.
Oh, wow.
I get on with men extremely well,
but just as friends.
Come with me.Thank you.
I haven't found anybody who I would think,
"Ooh, this could turn into something else."
Take a seat.Hello. Merlin will look after you.
Oh, thank you. I will indeed.
How you going? Happy Christmas.
Merry Christmas. And you're from where?
West Yorkshire.
Right. So a cup of tea, is it? No.
I'd like a mojito. Of course. Coming up.
Thank you. Tell me, Linda,
what's your favourite things about Christmas?
I love decorating the house.
I put the tree up at the first weekend in December,
and I keep it up till the end of January.
End of January?! That's bad luck! No, it's not.
I spend about two days putting the tree up,
so I'm not going to take it down in a rush.
Not after all that work, yeah. No.
There we go. Thank you.
Always a pleasure, Linda.
Mm, that's lovely. Thank you.
And so, tell me, how long have you been single?
16 years.
So this is a big moment for you, Linda. It is, yeah.
I'm looking for someone
who likes to make people laugh or laughs at you
if you say something silly.
I don't want somebody who talks about politics all the time
and things like that,
because it gets on my nerves.
Merry Christmas.
Linda's Christmas date
is young-at-heart furniture maker Harry.
I'm in my late-mid-40s.
No, I'm not. Yes, I am.
Yeah, I'm in my late-mid-40s. That's right, yeah.
I think 70 is the new 40.
# Doo, doo, doo, doo. #
I can dance, I can run,
I can ride bikes, I go paragliding.
# Doo, doo, doo. #
I'm energetic, and I'd like to share it with somebody
who has got life left in them.
How are you?I'm very good! Very nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you, too.
So tell me, what brings you here
to the First Dates restaurant this Christmas?
The fact that I live alone and I don't like it.
Have you been living alone for a long time?
18 months.
And you've been doing much dating since then or?
None. None.
I recently decorated the kitchen. I was pleased with it.
And then I thought, "Why decorate the kitchen?"
So I need a reason.
That's it. I need a reason to be.
This way.
I'd like somebody who's kind, sensitive and smiley.
Smiley, very important,
and has good legs.
Here we are.Oh. Oh, hello. Crikey!
Do you know each other?
No, but what a nice surprise.
Aw. Aw, that's so nice.Mwah, mwah.
What a meeting.
Well, seeing you, you've knocked me over.
Aw. Aw.Aw, thank you.
All right, well, take a seat before you fall.You don't look so bad yourself.
Thank you. Yeah? A little Christmas gift. Oh, yes, a little...
Oh, you got me... Happy Christmas to you, too. Oh, thank you. Ooh.
Is it a loaf of bread? No.
I ought to find out what you're called.
Yes. That would be a good start, wouldn't it? It would be a good thing, wouldn't it? It would.
I'll let you introduce... Linda. Linda. Well, I'm Harry, Linda.
Pleased to meet you. Enchante. Enchante. Yes. Yes.
I'm going to get, this poor fella, he's...
No, it's all right, I mean, I'm loving this, but...
I'll have a half of lager. Yes.
Oh, you're from Yorkshire, then?
I am. Are you from the West Riding?
Yes.
LINDA LAUGHS Right, your neighbour.
Tuned in. Here you go, my man. Thank you very much.
Always a pleasure. Have a lovely day.
Thank you. I would say, "Get one yourself," but I'm from Yorkshire.
Nice one. I like it.
So what brings you to First Dates?
What do you think of what they've found so far?
Very happy. Nice restaurant, innit?
Yeah, it's good. Fuck off.
So how long have you been single for?
Four or five months.
Have you been on any dates since you've been single?
Yeah, I've been on a few, yeah.
You really like being with someone?
From when I was 21, I've probably been in three relationships,
and probably out of all of that,
I've probably been single for like nine months.
In 16 years, you've been single... Yeah. ..for nine months? Yeah.
That is absolutely wild to me. Yeah.
Take it you fall in love easy.
Can do.
Anyone that has ever met me
would say I was the most loyal person you'd ever meet.
Got a bit of an open heart, to be fair.
A little bit too much at times, I think.
Do you want to get married?
Again? Oh, you've been married before?
Oh, didn't I cover that?
I mean, I was... No, no, no, we didn't cover that.
No, yeah, I was married and divorced by 30.
Wow. Mm.
OK.
I don't let that many people in, do you know what I mean?
Cos you always end up getting hurt in the end.
Hence the bravado and the show all the time.
INTERVIEWER:Have you ever been cheated on?
No comment.
But I think you can take the answer to that one.
I don't agree with all that cheating malarkey and that,
that ain't a bit of me.
Why would you do something to someone
that you wouldn't want done to yourself?
I just don't think it's nice.
But yourself?
So I was in relationships,
like, long-term relationships back to back
from when I was, like, 16 till I was 26.
Yeah. And I had, like, a few traumatic experiences.
Oh, darling. And then, it's all right. Is what it is. Life, innit?
It is life.
I've had boyfriends here and there,
and each one of them taught me
exactly what I don't want in a partner.
I just want it to be easy.
Just someone honest.
Sorry.
INTERVIEWER:Is that cos you felt like they weren't before?
Yeah.
I've never been in a rush to meet anyone. Yeah, yeah.
I just want to find the right person. Yeah, to enjoy life with.
Yeah. And the people that I've met since then
have just not been the right people. It's not worked.
I mean, I've been engaged before.
Have you?
We lived together, we bought a house.
And it turned out he lived a double life.
He was actually engaged to someone else as well?
And it was like a movie, basically.
It almost feels like it didn't happen to me...
..but obviously it did.
But yeah, so that's why I find it really hard to trust people.
So it's been eight years
that I've not had a long-term relationship.
Shut up. I know, it's a long time.
Aw, bless you. It's all right, I'll find it.
But that's all I want in life. Yeah. I just want to have some fun.
Someone... Yeah, yeah, live. Live a little.
I'm having a really good time. Yeah, me too.
I'm having a much better time than I thought I was going to have.
Good. The thing I was most worried about was the after bit.
You know, like, if you don't fancy someone.
Yeah, I know, yeah, yeah. How do you let them down nicely?
Yeah. How are you going to let me down, babe?
# I don't want a lot for Christmas... #
What do you think is the most romantic gift
you could give someone at Christmas? Maybe you can put yourself in a box.
I like you. I like you a lot. With the very sexy lingerie. OK.
You can imagine your family in front.
Yeah, I can. Yeah, they'd be like, "OK, she has definitely lost it."
So what do you want for Christmas this year?
Don't look at me like that.
Somebody's having a good time over there. Yeah.
Returning for some festive cheer
are Fred's very special guests,
Cindy and Elan.
How are you guys?Fred!
Great to see you, Fred. Merry Christmas.Merry Christmas.
Hi! How are you, Cindy?Mwah.
You look so young.Thank you.
Six years has treated us well, apart from the hair.
Yeah, the hair's gone. When you're good looking,
it doesn't matter...Aw. ..whether short hair or long hair.Thank you, Fred, thank you.
Oh, thank you so much. Come with me. Let me take you to the bar.
Thank you. Wow! So beautiful.
INTERVIEWER:So when and where did you meet?
Six years ago,
we didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into,
and we walked into a little restaurant called First Dates...
Yeah. ..and something pretty magic happened.
Good afternoon. How are you? Nice to meet you.
I'm good. How are you? What's your name?Elan.
Hello. Hi. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.
What's your name? Cindy. Elan.
Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.
How's things? I'm good, I'm good, thank you. You look gorgeous.
It was absolutely crazy, to be honest. Yeah.
I just wish I could go back to that moment
and just bottle it all up. Yeah.
Still pinch ourselves? Yeah, yeah. CINDY LAUGHS
We're very grateful.
So what's your type of guy, then?
What do you usually go for?
Looks-wise, khaki shirt.
No. THEY LAUGH
I like sort of like olive skin.
Like Mediterranean looking. Yeah.
Like teeth are really important.
What about yourself?
Brunette, nice eyes.
Good figure, someone who looks after themselves.
Team Khaki. That's what it is. It's the khaki. It's a vibe.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
So where do you guys live now?
Cindy moved to Manchester... Yeah, yeah. ..and we bought a house.
Well, he proposed 18 months after the show.
So it was the fast run. Yeah. It's good.
There was someone who looked
a lot like Fred at our wedding.
Yeah. Ah, OK.
We had a full-size cut-out version of Fred. Wow!
He doesn't remember it, but he was at our wedding.
I had too much to drink.
I have a question. Yes.
The First Date baby. Yeah. Aw.
We're having a little baby. Mm.
Baby boy. We're so excited.
We've got a present for you. Aw. Aw, thank you.
Aw. Aw.
Aw. Oh, my God.
For a little First Dates baby. ELAN LAUGHS
Merry Christmas, guys. We wish you a happy life together.
Merry Christmas, Fred. Thank you so much. Thank you so much.
You've been there since the first second, literally.
Will there be Yorkshire puddings?
That's what we want to know, don't we?
So we do say it comes with all the trimmings,
but sadly Yorkshire puddings
do not fall under the trimmings.
If I'd known this was going to happen,
I would've brought some with me.
Hey, come on, let's pull. Yeah.
We're not getting down to business, are we? Wait, wait, we are.
It might be the best pull you get tonight.
Go on. Yay. Wa-hey!
Oh, can you smell that? Gunpowder.
You know what? The smell of Hamlet cigars
was always Christmas to me. Aw. Oh, it was. Yeah. Yeah.
My husband were a big smoker. Yeah? Yeah.
We found out that he'd got a tumour on his lung.
Ah. But if we'd have found out earlier,
it was a lower lobe of his lung,
so you can take the lower lobe out,
but it had already transferred into his brain.
Aw. That's how we found out he was ill. Too late.
Too late. Too late. Yeah, it was awful. Absolutely horrendous.
He was 57 when he died,
and he was 17 when we got married.
You just assume that you'll be together
until you're old and decrepit, you know?
And you don't ever think you're going to lose either of you
at such a young age.
I'm fine. I can cope with it most days.
Some days I can't.
Sorry.
Well, we'd been married nearly 40 years
when I lost John,
cos I were thinking,
"Ooh, it'll soon be his 40th," you know,
and it's something to look forward to, isn't it?
And then he'd gone before then.
Yeah. Yeah. Oh, how bloody awful.
There's nobody can fill John's boots.
That was my husband.
The'd have to be a big pair of boots.
Yeah.
He'd build anything.
Taught himself how to do dry stone walling.
He built an extension on the cottage that we had.
Did he? And only thing he didn't like
messing about with were electrics.
I leave that alone. Yeah, yeah. Mm.
I would like to meet someone.
I've been single for 16 years.
It's my life,
and I've got to do it, I've got to live it how I want to.
I know what it feels like. Yeah, it's horrible. Mm.
Hey, listen, there's your pressie. Ooh.
You're going to laugh when you see those, I tell you.
I didn't have a clue what to get.
Well, it's hard enough buying for people you know,
let alone people you don't know.
Well done. Yes.
Super duper. Yeah.
That's what I have at home all the time. Yeah.
WES:You might leave after you open it.
Oh, my God!
"Giant beaver, tiny arse..."
Apparently, yeah. "..is a damn funny card game."
Oh, God!
This is lovely. Thank you.
I love a notebook. Oh, good. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Here, I'll just tidy this lot away.
Oh.
Just stop it.
I do like a man that can cook for me,
and I thought maybe he could wear the apron.
Perfect.
Good. You've got a funny laugh like me.
Thank you very much for that. LINDA LAUGHS
Thank you for being here.
I mean it. You are absolutely delightful company. Aw, thank you.
And when I first saw you there, I wasn't joking or acting,
I wasn't ready for it.
And I saw you, and I thought, "God, she's delightful." Aw.
Aw.
I'm going to have to be really rude and go to the toilet.
No, no, you're not being rude at all.
I don't know where I'm going. Well, good luck.
I'll see you in about four hours?
Oh, you'll still be here, will you?
I might be. Hopefully.
Is he going to be that small?
When he first comes out, yeah. 54cm.
Can you believe he's going to be this tiny?
I know.
What if I cry.
"Where do snowmen go to dance?"
Snowballs. Yeah.
"What is green, covered in tinsel,
and goes, 'Ribbit, ribbit?'"
Well, that'd be a Christmas frog.
"A mistle toad."
Oh, great. I love it. Quite good those.
WES:How's your date going, all right?
Well, we're not on a normal date.
We met six years ago on this show.
Shut up. So we've come back, and... Shut up, really? ..married, pregnant.
Really? Yeah, yeah. Oh, well done, mate. Yeah, yeah.
Forget my date. How is your date going? Going well?
Yeah. Yeah? Yeah, she's all right, mate. Good? Yeah, proper.
Mate... Yeah. ..look where I am six years later. I know.
Are you going to go for a drink after or?
100%. Yeah?
I've never liked these things. Me neither.
Let's just do it. Just throw them out.
Oh, my God. Let's just be so crazy and wild right now.
OK, I can't do this, actually. I don't like this.
No, I don't like it either.
For 39-year-old maths teacher Bobby,
love is a numbers game.
If you're looking at my 100-plus first dates,
80% to 85% of them actually ultimately been ended by them
because they've not felt the right vibe,
and only two or three have been me saying,
"No, it's not working."
Statistically, I'm a failure at dating.
Good to see you. Yes, really good to see you.
I'm Bobby, nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you, Bobby.Hi, Fred.
Tell me, what do you do for a living? So, maths teacher.
Are you?Yes. To be honest, I'm a nerd, I love learning,
I love numbers, I love stats.
Anything that's a bit like niche...
This is for you...this is for me.
So, have you been dating much?
I've been single for 11 years now.
I think the reason I might not be successful at dating
is I lack edge.
I'm like a blunt scissor,
getting in the friend zone far too often.
Come with me.OK.
I've definitely learned to become empathetic
and understand how women think,
but I've just not been able to apply it to my own dating life.
Enjoy. See you in a bit.OK, cheers.
Hey. Thank you, Fred. Hello, sir. Hello. How are you?
Very good, very good. What's your name?
Bobby. Bobby. Nice to meet you. Thank you, Bobby.
Yeah, your face is very familiar, but I didn't know your name.
Yes, I'm a maths teacher,
but I do a lot of, like, nerdy type of things on telly.
Ah, there you go. Which one's?
Got my sort of lucky break doing University Challenge.
I was a captain of my Cambridge team about six, seven years back.
Oh, it's probably that. Yeah. Yeah.
And why are you single?
Clearly, I'm just terrible at dating.
I think I've probably been on,
it must be like 100 first dates, I reckon.
Seriously?! Yeah. That many?
And what's the probabilities of actually being single
after 100 first dates?
It's slim. Yeah.
I'm looking for a woman who is really kind, open hearted.
I would like someone that's curious.
If someone's saying, aw, they hate learning about the world
and books and documentaries and podcasts, then it wouldn't work.
But they've got to be someone that's open to learning.
Hello.
Hoping to cure Bobby's heartache this Christmas
is 31-year-old doctor, Rebecca.
When people find out I'm a doctor,
I'm always asked for medical advice.
On one of my dates,
they immediately pulled out their phone
and showed me a rash.
Didn't tell me where,
but I'll be honest, I didn't really want to know.
INTERVIEWER:Did you get a second date?
I didn't give them a second date.
Hello, how are you?Hello. I'm all right, thank you.
What's your name?It's Rebecca.
Rebecca. What do you do, Rebecca?
I'm a doctor. Are you?Yeah.
I would love to find someone
who at Christmas could cook the Christmas dinner
cos I'm rubbish at it.
So you're ready to meet your date? I think so.
OK, let's go.
I know it's such a cliche for everyone to say,
"It's not about looks."
For me, it's really more about who they are.
Here we are.Hi! Oh, hi. I'm Becky.
Hey, Becky. Hey.
Ooh. Ooh. Sorry.
The chairs are really high... Nice to meet you. ..aren't they? Right. Hi.
I'm hoping for someone who's kind and ambitious,
and honesty is one of my key things I'm looking for.
Would you like a drink? Ooh, can I be difficult?
So I love elderflower and something fruity.
Is there... Right. ..something you'd recommend for that? Yes, I can do.
You look very smart. Is that a Christmas jumper, is it? Yeah, no,
but it's like, I was tempted to wear an elf jumper,
but that might be too much. This is like... You've toned it down.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
How big is your family?
I've got three brothers.
How about you, where's your?
I've got a brother.
Older, younger? He's four years younger.
But now I say he's probably a little bit more sensible than me.
He's often the one who's kind of picking up...
Ah. ..what I've dropped and things.
I think I might be similar. REBECCA LAUGHS
So maybe if you do the clumsy thing,
I can... You can catch it. There you go. Yeah.
On the lookout. Although it might be me accidentally tripping you up.
Oh no. Be like a rom com, right? Yeah.
Are you a fan of rom coms?
I love rom coms.
I don't think you can get better than that, to be fair.
Which is your favourite? Ooh.
Four Weddings and a Funeral I quite like. Ooh. Can I confess?
Never seen that one.
I think I know bits of the plot.
Yeah. Is it the same one as...
Is it A Baby and Four Weddings?
Four Babies and a Wedding? No.
Was it A Funeral...A Wedding and a...
I remember early dates,
if it went badly, I'd text them afterwards,
says, "Do you mind giving me a bit of feedback?"
And some of them would give me feedback,
but I realise now that's not probably the best thing to do.
A Funeral and a Baby. What's that one? No.
Is that like a sequel to that?
No. Ah.
"What do you call a Frenchman wearing sandals?
"Philippe Philoppe."
I don't get it.
"How does good King Wenceslas like his pizzas?
"Deep pan, crisp and even."
That's awful.
So are you Wes, is it Wesley? Wesley, yeah. OK.
W-E-S-L-E-Y.
Oh, it's good to know the spelling.
I would've written it on your present before,
cos I didn't know what your name was. Yeah, I know, no, it's like...
I was going to write something. "Random."
I was going to write, "Random."
I was trying to think of what to put on there. "Happy date, random."
INTERVIEWER:What did you think when you walked in and saw him?
I just saw his cheesy grin,
and thought, "Oh, God, here we go."
What, you're going to make me literally? Yeah.
Is she girlfriend material?
I'd probably say wife material, to be honest with you.
I thought she's unbelievably attractive,
and she's more than I expected.
Oh, fuck, it's my taxi.
Oh, shut up.
I'll cancel it. Don't worry, mate, it's all right.
I don't need you now, it's fine. OK.
Yeah, she's actually all right.
Yeah. THEY LAUGH
You going to see each other again?
Obviously, yeah.
Maybe.
No, we will.
I was going to say, "Who are you kidding?"
Bit late to play hard to get now.
Do you want some more water?
Yes, darling, please.
Thanks.
That was smooth. It was. Well done.
You done well there, didn't you?
I don't think it could've gone any better, to be honest with you.
You're a good Christmas present. Thank you.
Cheers, babe. Cheers, darling.
Thank you. Thank you.
His smile was the thing that did it to start with.
Personality was average though, innit?
Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
The bill.
Merry Christmas.
Don't.
Aha. Very gentlemen. THEY LAUGH
Thank you. It's all right.
Are you still enjoying or you're all finished here?
I think... I think we've done this... Yeah. ..course, haven't we?
Yeah. Do you know?
Tonight, I might have a Christmas pudding.
# Oh, bring us some figgy pudding
# La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
# So leave it right here La, la, la, la, la
# We won't go until we get some We won't go until we get some
# So bring it right here. So bring it right here. #
All right, sound, sir. Thank you very much.
I expect it to be blazing with brandy.
What you laughing at? You.
That's what you do.
Oh, dear.
What keeps you busy Monday to Friday?
So I'm a doctor. Mm.
I've just finished my GP training.
Aw, congratulations. Thank you.
I literally start a new job in a couple of weeks.
I'm a maths teacher, that's like my main...
Ah, are you? OK.
How long have you been doing that?
Approaching ten years. OK.
So what age are you now,
if you don't mind me asking? Ooh, I'm 39.
How about you, Bec? I'm 31.
Oh. Both of us are not prime.
You're a prime number. 39 is not cos 13 times three.
Bad date chat. OK. Get rid of that chat.
I love the certainty of numbers,
because if I look at an equation or a problem or a sum,
someone else in another part of the world,
they'll come to the same answer.
But dating, there's that je ne sais quoi,
something that you can't quite predict.
It's just if it works, it works,
and you can't quite put your finger on it.
OK. Are you ready for your Christmas dinner?
Yes. Ooh, thank you. But of course.
Comes with all the trimmings.
Wow. Yeah. Enjoy, guys.
Thank you. Merry Christmas. Thank you.
Do you mind if I start? Of course you can. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jacket off? Yeah.
Yeah, then we can see the Christmas jumper in all your glory.
Yeah, exactly.
Do you still live at home?
No, I live in...I lived with my parents
for quite a long time actually.
Mm-hm. In Indian communities, traditionally,
people used to historically leave when they got married.
But my parents were like,
"You're not getting married, just leave,"
in the nicest possible way.
Going like, "Oh, actually, if you leave,
"you might actually be more likely to meet someone
"rather than being at home."
My parents are very proud of me
because they've helped raise me,
they've helped give me my knowledge,
my love for the world, my enthusiasm.
But if they're looking at like
they've finished their job on Bobby,
I think they probably feel that the one missing box
is Bobby meeting a partner and settling down.
That's the one thing
I feel as if they feel as if they've messed up on their scorecard.
What's your opinion on the spark?
I personally don't believe in the whole love-at-first-sight thing.
I agree with you. It's fine to have like a slow burn.
I think you can be friends before anything else. Yeah.
You kind of have to really get on,
particularly at this age, right? Yes.
You know, like, if we were like 18 or 20, it's...
They're going to change. Yeah, yeah... Yeah. ..yeah, yeah, yeah.
So... Prefrontal cortex is not developed.
Right. Make very bad decisions.
Yeah, you do, yeah.
I think my intelligence is fun at parties
where you've got multiple people having conversations
and you're looking for interesting anecdotes.
Maybe you're on a date it might be overwhelming
if someone is just spitting out facts
and capital cities and things.
They're the things that I realise don't work on dates.
Ooh, octagon chapel.
Oh, here? Yeah. This is what it is?
It's an octagon chapel.
It's beautiful. Yeah, although when I think of octagon,
I think of Ultimate Fighter Championship.
They fight in an octagon.
Mm. Yeah, I know, this is different, this is different.
I'm hoping there'll be someone
that is willing to give me a chance.
There is something I want to talk about. Yep.
Do you remember the nativity play?
Of course.So I am 29 years old...
Yeah...but I am still absolutely raging
at the fact that I never got to play Mary.
I'm still fuming. Maybe we should do, like, a version here so I can actually fulfil my lifelong dream
of being a Mary. Mary's one of the key roles but she doesn't actually have that many lines.
Yeah, but she's the one. She's the it girl.
Do you know what I mean? HE LAUGHS
I was one of the Three Wise Men.
You are a wise man.
You are!
This is incredible.
Wish my Christmas dinner looked like this.
ELAN LAUGHS
I'm trying to remember the line I gave you, babe.
Which one? You had a few lines on the night.
I know this sounds so cringe,
but I can't remember...
Let me get this straight.
I can't remember the last
naturally beautiful person I saw as much as you.
I know that sounds cringe,
but I'm going to give you the compliment. No.
You've blown me away a bit.
Like, I'm not going to lie.
Am I still as naturally beautiful
with gravy dripping down my chin? ELAN LAUGHS
When a snowman has a temper tantrum,
what do you call it? Ooh.
Temp... Tempura. Temp...temper.
A meltdown!
Aw, that's good. That's pretty good.
No, it's not. Don't humour me.
And somebody over there with a Father Christmas hat on.
I love stuff like that. I do.
I leave Christmas decorations up for too long.
Yeah. Yeah. Me, too.
Christmas cards... Yeah? ..I sent out two though. Oh.
This year, I sent two. Yeah, so...
It's been a bit funny since, well, Nell died 18 months ago.
Oh, did she? Yeah.
How long had you been married?
52 years.
It was a type of dementia.
And it was quite a quick decline this thing.
She had no appetite...
..and so she just withered away.
And I was holding her hand when she died.
That's that.
Yeah.
And she just stopped.
Just like that, stop.
She was appreciative of everything that I did,
and we still chatted away there, you know?
And in the last moments, she was happy all the time.
Yeah. Yeah, it was OK,
it was OK looking after her, yep.
She was stoical.
Unless I'd done something wrong,
she was always in a good mood.
But I do kind of miss being told off.
Yeah, probably you do.
You get used to it, don't you? Yeah! Being told off.
Women usually have higher standards, I find.
Yes, yes. Dare I say, cleanliness...
Yeah. ..and how to behave in public.
Yeah. That's another one.
I think we all need somebody to care for and do things for.
And I don't feel that just looking after me
is a reason to be.
I think sharing things with people
is just so much better than being on your own.
Am I doing all right in public?
Yeah. Am I behaving or? You're doing all right.
Yeah. Oh. How are you?Oh. Oh.
Very nice to see you anyway. Nice to see you, too.
It all started very fast, flying start...
Yeah, it's the same. ..sparks were...it's the same?
We're flying. Have you been flirting?
Have I? No.
No.
No, you haven't flirted.
We've just been talking about the same things,
and yeah. I don't know how to flirt.
# It's a marshmallow world in the winter
# When the snow comes to cover the ground
# It's a time for play... #
So what sort of things will you do on a typical first date?
So it's almost always been a kind of a dinner, something like that.
Yeah. One of them I went for a walk around a woodland,
but we got lost.
And by like an hour in,
you know when you just get that kind of thing
of actually we're not that similar... Yeah, yeah.
..and I just don't see this working.
It just got progressively more awkward... Aw.
..cos then we couldn't leave.
I think I've been the biggest kind of boundary
in the last maybe couple of years
in terms of finding a date.
I find it exhausting,
that kind of idea of trying to shuffle through
all these different people.
Just recently went on holiday,
and in my head, you'd sit down next to someone on the plane
and you'd be reading the same book,
and you'd have eight hours to chat,
you know, and it'd be amazing, like every rom com ever.
Life isn't like that.
But, you know, I live in hope that might be the one.
What are you looking for in a significant other?
Mm.
So I think you have to like each other.
Like, as in chat and get on. As in on a human level.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Exactly.
And, you know, like, honesty's a big thing for me now.
There's been some kind of trials... Yeah. ..and tribulations
along the way with dating. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And it was like a very dramatic kind of breakup,
and cheating and various other bits. Not on my half.
It took a long time for me to get out of, like, a rut.
I genuinely thought he was going to be the one.
We talked about marriage and kids.
Honestly, it kind of just ripped me apart
so I couldn't work and I couldn't do anything.
And, oh, my goodness, sorry.
Wow, I've talked about it a lot,
and that wasn't what I was expecting.
He kind of made me feel like I wasn't worth loving,
and that's really difficult to get over.
You can tell yourself that, you know,
you are dateable, you're lovable,
you have the attributes that people are looking for,
you're a catch,
but it's really hard to believe that.
Because of that, I then probably am a little bit more reserved now
with dating and things.
I kind of already mentioned honesty is a big thing. Honesty,
I think it's like, apart from kindness,
I think honesty is maybe the number-one trait.
That's like the fundamental building block.
Yeah. You need trust.
Sorry to hear about your experience.
But you've come through the other side. It's in the past now.
Right, exactly. You've come through. And, you know, like...
Good for you.
Definitely looking for love. I think I'm ready for that.
Someone who's kind and open and caring.
You know, you walk in the door and there's just flowers
because it was a nice thing to do.
I love that.
What's your worst ever first date?
Just the getting lost... Getting lost with someone that's just... ..in a wood is probably not great.
Yeah, that could be the start of a rom com.
Like, a couple... Get lost in the woods. ..they get lost in the woods,
and there always has to be that moment where they're like,
it's over, it's done.
What's going to be that in the forest?
A bear. A bear.
THEY LAUGH I don't know.
Can Yorkshire blokes flirt? I mean... Probably not.
No. No.
Flirting? No, it's not a Yorkshire man thing, is it, flirting?
I don't know. Well, all right then, I will.
You do look absolutely lovely.
POSH ACCENT:Oh, thank you, darling. You do.
That's very nice of you. And I like all your little mannerisms as well.
Do you? I do, I do.
I could feel the personality.
I could feel it.
And it looked as though she'd been doused in fairy dust.
So she looked lovely. She sounded lovely.
And really, it all went a bit too quickly.
Do you like my face, though?
I do like your face. No. You have a pretty face. Because I've got a face
that you can usually read on my face...
Oh. ..what I'm thinking. You know what I mean?
I can tell from your face that we're getting on all right.
You can. Yeah. We can.
Hello. Hello.
Hey, I've done the flirting!
Shut up.
INTERVIEWER:So would you like to see each other again?
Yes, I'd like to see Linda again.
And I'd like to see Harry again.
Would you? Yeah. Yes, I would.
Oh, right. We've still got lots of things...
Yeah, yeah. ..to say to each other.
How would you like to do the payment here today?
POSH ACCENT:I should pay with plastic,
seeing as I'm in the South.
Well, thank you. Yeah. HE LAUGHS
Yeah, gentlemen.
I think you're a delightful person. And I think you're a gentleman.
Oh! Oh, am I? Oh, God.
Well, and you're lovely to look at.
And we talked very easily, didn't we? We did.
I haven't worn a tie of this long since I don't know when.
I like to be a bit loud.
Oh, I don't need a tie to be loud.
I can tell.
So that was one date out of 16 years.
Yeah, so... Right, I'm privileged then?
Yes, you are. Right. Oh, my goodness.
Oh, God, that's a bit scary.
Lovely.
Give me a kiss.
Lovely.
Have you ever played Articulate?
Yes! I love it that game. So do I. Aw.
Excellent. I reckon we'd be a good team. Yeah.
I do at the moment do a pub quiz every week, actually.
Ooh! It's good. It's good fun.
That does sound fun. So if I say to you,
name the five things that end in case,
so C-A-S-E.
Ooh, gosh. Ah, I've stumped you now. This is really annoying.
To go round your house would be my top tip.
Intellectually, there was a match.
I felt like, yeah, you know, a doctor and a maths teacher.
You know, caring couple.
I think Becky's the kind of girl that my parents would love.
Although does she see me
as something potentially more than a friend?
I genuinely cannot tell.
Aw, staircase.
Yeah. Bookcase. Yeah.
Suitcase. HE LAUGHS
Pencil case.
That's a good one... OK. ..but I wasn't thinking.
OK. That's too small. Like about this size, tends to clip.
Briefcase. Yeah. Good, good, good.
This Articulate, I think we got the makings
of a good Articulate team-mate.
That's all this date is all about.
If it's OK, guys, I'll leave this with you both.Yeah.
Yeah. Thank you very much. Thanks! Thank you.
I'll get this. Are you sure? Yes, I would like to.
I'd like to, cos you've been such lovely company.
Oh, that's really nice. Yeah. Thank you.
Would you like to see each other again?
Yes. Oh, my God. Yes.
Oh! OK. Oh, OK. That was really worrying.
OK. The way you did that pause was awful. No, no, no.
I was totally mentally preparing for you to say, "No.
"Really nice guy, but nah."
And I was like, "Oh, she said yes. Oh, OK."
I realised, we haven't got a date selfie.
Just like for memories. Like, one day, like.
Get a little...
OK.
I can tell you now. Yeah, obviously, I'm really attracted to you.
Oh, thank you.
I really like the fact that you are family orientated...
Mm. ..you're kind, you're thoughtful.
Aw. I think that's great.
Although I think they're underappreciated qualities.
I think people should go for the nice guys.
Well, you're a nice girl. So nice guys and nice girls
should be hanging out.
Yeah, exactly.
Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention?
It's been an absolute pleasure
to have you here today
in the First Dates restaurant.
I have a very special treat now.
# When the snowman brings the snow
# Well, he just might like to know
# Don't you lock the door
# You know that sweet Santa Claus is on the way
# Well, I wish it could be Christmas every day
# When the kids start singing and the band begins to play... #
It was horrendous, wasn't it?
Aw. Yeah, bore off. I fucking can't wait to go to sleep. Bore off.
Yeah, bed sounds like all right, doesn't it?
# So let the bells ring out for Christmas
# Oh, when the snowman brings the snow
# Snowman brings the snow
# Then we just might like to know
# Just might like to know... #
I could get a train from York to Halifax.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that'd be great.
We get rat-arsed and see what happens.
Stagger round Halifax. Yeah.
# On the Milky Way # Going to write my name
# Up in the snow, then he may decide to stay
# Well, I wish it could be Christmas every day... #
It's snowing! It's snowing!
Oh, my God, look! Aw, that is amazing!
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
What do you think would be good for a second date?
Ooh.
I wonder, could we, something, a walk somewhere?
That's exactly what I was thinking. Really?
# All these things I know, baby
# That's what Christmas means to me, my love... #
Aw, that's so nice.
# Yeah, hey, hey, hey... #
I wish you all love and happiness.
Merry Christmas.
INTERVIEWER:Not going to be Fred?
Yeah, we have discussed the name Fred.
It's definitely on the maybe list. It's on the maybe list.
# Oh, hey, yeah Christmas bells are ringing
# Christmas choirs singing
# Mm
# Christmas choirs singing
# Hey, yeah. #
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