This programme contains strong language.
Do you feel a bit rusty roman...? Yes! Very rusty.
Definitely need WD-40.
I need some help.
It's hard out there!
I am very single at the moment.
I've ran out of swipes.
I've completed Tinder. SHE LAUGHS
In the heart of Britain's most romantic city...
Aloha!
..Fred and his team...
This is Captain Fur Potato.
..are matching hopeful singletons...
We're getting married, Merlin. HE SPLUTTERS
..in a place where love is always on the menu.
Have I bitten your finger?
You didn't go that far down the stick.
SHE LAUGHS
These daters...
He probably thinks I'm having a poo or something.
..are searching...
SINGS OPERA ..for the one.
Would you chase me around the bedroom? Absolutely.
Get your coat. I'm in. SHE LAUGHS
For some, stepping into the unknown...
MAKES OINKING NOISE
..can lead to surprising sparks.
I work in the adult industry.
Do you have an office for that?
I have a dungeon. LAUGHTER
But finding a connection...
A love story is about to begin.
Shut up!
..isn't always easy.
Please tell me you actually last longer than three minutes.
Help me!
In the end...
Hi.
..it comes down to one...
Fancy seeing you here.
..big question.
Would you guys like to see each other again?
This isn't at all awkward, is it?
This is the First Dates restaurant.
Do you believe in fate? Oh, my God, yeah.
SCREECHING
I do believe in destiny.
Let's get married.
It's a really nice way to stay hopeful.
I'm a vicar. All my friends said, "You're gonna meet a vicar."
I guess it's can you find your soulmate?
I think there's someone out there for everyone.
He's the guy I saw at the train station.
OVER PHONE:Shut the front door!
It's like a dance. It's like that push and pull.
Do you like this song? Yes. I love the rain.
Things don't always go right. But you know that at the end of it,
there's gonna be something really special.
That was the one good thing that I got from my divorce -
a pair of Louboutins, boobs and a Mini.
So... LAUGHTER
50, flirty and looking for someone to fall head over heels for
is hairstylist, Vicki.
So, you know who you remind me of a little bit? Go on.
A bit of a Bond girl. A Bond girl?
Seriously?
I take that as a massive compliment.
For 50, anyway, I think this is... This is a good look.
I'm rocking this look.
Hello. You're walking like a rock star.
Oh, fabulous. I love that walk and the hair.
You can't find a date? No. No, darling, I can't.
They've got to be on my energy level and not think I'm too much.
It's gonna take somebody quite big to be able to maintain me.
THEY LAUGH
Come with me.
Finding a woman of my age, that's super sexy, that's got that swag,
it's really hard. I can't find anyone.
Could I get you a drink? I would love something with gin.
Something with gin.
So what are your thoughts on today? I'm really excited.
I was in a marriage for, like, 20 years, married to a guy.
Sadly, that didn't work out.
I then found women and I was like,
# I'm coming out I want the world to know... #
I can see it makes you happy, this is great.
And what sort of women do you like then?
What's my type of woman?
OK, here I go.
I love short hair and cheekbones.
I'm describing a model. Give me a model.
Somebody that makes you walk like Bambi.
All dangly legs! Help!
I walk like that in these boots as well, so...
Striding confidently into the First Dates Restaurant
is 38-year-old globetrotter Rosie.
I ended up going around the world at 18 and then
I think I just spent my 20s the way people should spend their 20s.
A couple of near misses for marriage and things like that, but it just...
I was quite focused on my career, and now I'm suddenly like,
"Oh, I'm close to 40 now, and uh, I'm ready.
"I'm ready to do it."
I know where I've seen you before.
Basic Instinct, Sharon Stone. Shazza.
It's not the first time. Yeah, I'm sure.
I mean, surely you don't have a problem finding a date?
Well, it seems I do.
You know, I've got a cat who's got a lovely little heartbeat,
but I miss that, you know, another human heartbeat in the house.
Laughing together and making plans and cute dates.
So, yeah, I miss it a lot, and I'm definitely ready.
So what are you looking for today?
I just want someone who's a bit glamorous or a bit of a hyper-femme.
That's what I'm after. You like somebody with energy?
I love a good energy.
I think you're gonna match. She's at the bar.
No way! Can you see the redhead about at the bar?
Oh, I can, I can.
There you go. Thank you so much. Cheers. Enjoy. Thank you.
Hello. Hi. BOTH: How are you doing? You all right?
Lovely to meet you. Lovely to meet you.
Oh, my God, you are so hot. LAUGHTER
As are you, you look gorgeous. Take a seat. Thank you. What's your name?
Rosie. Rosie. I'm Vicki. Lovely to meet you, Vicki.
Lovely to meet you.
I've been chilling out here and having a nice, like, gin,
like cocktail. Lovely. OK.
I think I'm gonna have a little Campari soda, I think. Thank you.
How old are you then? 38.
So you haven't really hit menopause then yet, have you?
Not yet. Wait for it. Yeah.
When you hit 50, things happen to you
that, like, it never happened to you before.
Are you OK with somebody a bit younger?
Yeah, hell yeah! OK. LAUGHTER
Are you OK with somebody older? Absolutely, 100%.
You've got a really chiselled jaw bone, which is what I asked.
Do you like that? I asked for that.
THEY LAUGH
And I notice you've got a little tattoo there, as well.
I love tattoos. I've got quite a few little hidden ones.
I'm covered in tattoos. Are you?
I've got, like, a big tiger up the side of my body. Oh, wow.
It's really funny. So I carry a gold tiger, like,
in my pocket. No! Which is my strength animal.
My family call me Tiger, like, so it's, like, a little
kind of talisman that I carry around. I love that.
And I've got a tiger tattoo because it gives me strength.
Play your cards right, darling, you might get to see them.
You never know.
LAUGHTER OK.
Do you believe in destiny or fate?
I'm one of them people that think everything is for a reason.
That is bizarre. Yeah. It's really weird.
When there's... Things are meant to be, you know they're meant to be.
Yeah, 100%.
Putting her faith in destiny is 30-year-old Sophie.
I think everyone's got a twin flame,
one soul that's been split into two people,
and you're supposed to find each other.
I would like to find mine.
How are you?
Terrified. What a smile in the morning.
I know, I'm scared. Nice to meet you, Sophie,
don't be scared. Nice to meet you.
Your hair, this is incredible. It's large.
Yeah, no, it's beautiful. Really beautiful. Thank you.
Come with me. I'll take you to your table. Thank you.
The big blonde hair makes people think
that she must be really confident,
but I'm quite shy when it comes to dating.
You look amazing. Thank you. Love the tattoos, by the way.
Thank you. Gorgeous. I've got loads. Is that a tarot card there?
Yeah. That's a La Luna, like a moon moth.
Gorgeous.
He's got to be someone that's
into the same sort of weird things that I'm into,
like astrology, astronomy, things like that.
Yeah, it's quite hard to find, isn't it? Obviously.
Someone with, like, a quite a dark, dry sense of humour. OK.
Quite a man's man. OK.
I do like them to look a bit like they might have been to prison,
but they haven't been to prison. LAUGHTER
Hi, mate. How are you?
This is Reece. Science teacher by day,
Greek god by night.
My professional wrestling name is The Golden Greek God.
OVER PHONE:Oh, good heavens!
So, professional wrestling, you've got the good guys and the bad guys.
I can be seen as a villain
having a go at some old lady in the front row
and her throwing her handbag at you.
The perception is it's a bit of a meathead kind of world,
but, yeah, I've got my degree in chemistry.
I've always been interested in learning.
Also a massive fan of history, classical history, late-medieval.
So I'm trying to work on a bit of ancient Greek as well,
as you do, but...
I think nowadays a lot of people aren't really interested in
why the world is as it is.
From the date I'm looking to find someone
who has the similar interests in life as me
and a similar outlook on life.
There is something about you. It's just the way you're walking.
There is that confidence that I don't see very often in a man.
Just dance around. It's almost like a fighting confidence.
It is man, yeah.
Are you ready for your date? Yeah, man. Go for it. Come with me.
The dream girl that I would pick would have blonde hair, blue eyes.
But also just being unique and being themself
and not being the same as everyone else.
As long as you have passion and you've got drive in life,
I can work with it.
Hello.
Here you are. Hi. Awesome, mate. Enjoy. Thank you.
Hello. Hi, how are you? I'm good, thank you.
Nice to meet you, I'll give you a hug. Nice to meet you.
I'm Sophie. Sophie, nice to meet you. Hi. Yeah, Reese.
How are you feeling? Uh, yeah. All right, to be honest.
I'm scared. Blind dates are bizarre.
I didn't have fancy stuff to wear, so I had to go this morning and,
like, go to the shops and try and find, like, a shirt to wear.
That's nice. That's all right, yeah.
Didn't wanna wear a bow tie?
Imagine that. Would have been impressed.
Where are you from? So my family's from Hemel Hempstead,
but I moved down to Bristol five, six months ago.
Oh, OK. Yeah. Why?
Just for wrestling.
OK. Wrestling? Yeah, yeah, yeah. OK.
Is that what you do then? You're... Yeah, so pro wrestling. Yeah.
Cos I'm in Reading later on for a show. Are you?
So I've got to literally leave and go straight to the show.
Like, honestly, I would have gone a bit later at night, but...
Yeah. Whatever.
That's all right, though.
Can you drink if you're fighting later?
Probably shouldn't do, actually. No.
Worst first date ever. Another time, eh?
Right, so what are you gonna eat? Right. OK.
I need my glasses. I don't know where to start.
I'm on the first round of the eye deterioration.
I bet you look really sexy in specs, actually.
Try them on. Let me see what you look like in these specs.
What do you think? Oh, get your coat.
You've pulled. Yeah? Definitely.
LAUGHTER
Right. Um... Oh, God, like, I'm double glasses. Like...
How are you guys? Very well. How is the deciding going?
I'd like you to choose,
because I find that super sexy when my partner chooses my food.
OK.
Should we both do nourish bowls?
Well played. Thank you very much. Thank you.
I feel like it's all me, me, me, I need to talk about you.
No, no, please keep going. Please keep going.
I've had a lot of shit happen to me.
So this is my story. Are you ready for this? Oh, yeah.
I knew I was gay at a very young age.
I didn't know what feeling that was I was having,
but I was very mesmerised by women.
I would just be like, "Oh, my God, they're so beautiful."
And then I was thinking, "Is this wrong of me to feel this way?"
I was in my 20s and I was on holiday.
My friends didn't know that I was attracted to women as well,
so I kept it a secret.
On the holiday I had my first female intimate encounter,
but I was not able to tell my friends
that I'd had this amazing moment with a woman.
When I got to my friends I just shut down.
I felt ashamed, it was just awful.
The guilt that I felt about liking women was something I couldn't bear,
you know, I couldn't cope with.
Then I met my husband. Mm-hm.
So I was with him for 20 years.
I wouldn't say it was a marriage of convenience, it just felt safe.
For those 20 years, I lived a lie
because I didn't have the courage to stand up
and be who I actually am.
I wasn't happy in my relationship,
so I threw myself into work.
Sadly, our marriage broke down,
which was absolutely devastating because, um,
he was my best friend.
And he was the only person that knew that I was really...
Like, that I was gay. Mm.
Um, I had to rebuild myself.
And for the last six years, that's what I've been doing,
and I'm so proud of what I've become.
You're looking for, like, the marriage, the whole thing? Yes.
I want to get married for the real reasons now. Yeah.
Because we deserve to be happy, right?
Say we were together
and I spent hours getting dressed up in some sexy underwear,
put loads of oil on me and walked in, what would you say and do?
Well, one, I'd be like, "You look stunning." Oh, my God, yes!
Would you chase me round the bedroom? Absolutely. Get your coat.
I've got my coat a few times already.
I'm in. LAUGHTER
Two of these Korean fried chicken. Thank you. Thank you.
We have two of the nourish bowls.
Oh, my goodness, thank you.
They are both gluten free, so you can share.
But it's the same dish so I don't know.
It looks quite spicy.
No, it isn't spicy at all. It's not? OK.
You sure?
You finding it spicy, are you?
You be like, "It's not spicy," and then you, like, grab the water.
Oh, is it? "It's not, I promise."
So I've gone back to yoga
just to try and get my muscles stretched again.
It's not just for the body, is it? It's for the head as well.
So I'm ADHD. So like... So am I.
Yeah, there was an air of it. We can tell each other.
Yeah. Mine's very internal.
So I think I can come across quite calm.
Sometimes it can be a little curse
because some people just think you're too much.
Like, I'm literally I'm like... Bursting.
Yeah. Yeah, but how joyous is that?
We're little... We're actually just little sunshines running around.
We are, we are.
It's like, I've got so much more to ask of you. Like, so Cornwall...
Yeah, so I was born in Cornwall and then... Obviously, little baby gay.
Right. Realise I'm gay at eight.
Did not meet another gay person till I think I was probably about 17.
So when I grew up in Cornwall there was a lot of shame there.
What you don't talk about and you keep secret
does end up, kind of, you know, manifesting as illness,
and that's what happened for me.
So I felt really broken,
and then I went, at 18, to Sydney
and stumbled upon the Sydney Mardi Gras.
And I was like...
This is what I'm supposed to be. Yeah?
Sydney, I think, is one of the most liberating queer places on Earth.
So, you know, with every person I told I was gay,
I started getting better
and I my heart knew that Sydney was gonna raise me.
So, yeah, I went there and it really grew me up.
So I properly emigrated at 21 and had my whole 20s there.
You know, like, I have actually have a rose tattooed over my heart
to remind myself self love, to look after myself,
but actually have an empty heart right behind it
that I want my wife's initials in
just to be like she's got my back.
So I think that's really what it is, you know.
I'm gonna ask you some more questions now. OK.
Like, so what are your hobbies? My hobbies? Mm-hm.
So, I'm a cyclist. So road cyclist. I'm in the Lycra.
Can we just stop, pause?
Probably gonna be super sexy in the cycling gear.
The sex is pretty important to you. Very, very important.
Yeah, I'm getting those vibes. Mm. Yeah.
I love it. Absolutely obsessed with sex.
Amazing. That's so great. Women like to open up to me.
That does tend to happen with the hairdresser, doesn't it?
Women come into my chair and say they've never had an orgasm before.
I've been known to send my clients away with sunflowers,
lemon drizzle cake, and a vibrator.
OK. Wow, that sounds like a fun day.
I love vagina.
I think it's the most beautiful thing in the world. Mm.
My cauliflower got stuck in my... LAUGHTER
Screaming orgasm is the one I remember.
Well, that's right, which is based off the regular orgasm.
What about a pink screaming orgasm? Right, OK.
One-track mind going in the wrong direction.
OK. Noted. Noted.
SINGING OPERA
Opera singer Mark's got perfect pitch onstage.
Now he's just looking for his perfect match.
As an operatic singer
I'm always singing about love, but I've had no success.
I've got a fantastic Italian friend and he says,
"Mark, what is wrong with you?
"You can sing. Why you not have a lady?"
It's a good point.
Bonjour. Bonjour. Ca va? Ca va bien.
Shall I take your coat? Yeah, fantastic.
My daughter said to me, "I feel really nervous."
And I'm thinking, "You feel nervous?
"I've got diarrhoea."
Hello, sir. What are you having?
Do you know what? I'm gonna have a Negroni. Great choice.
And so where have you come from? Cardiff.
I am Welsh 100%.
Who are you looking for and why?
My daughter's got a boyfriend, she wants to get rid of Dad. Ah.
I kind of done my parenting.
My daughter is 22 now, so she's got her own life,
so maybe it's time for me to have mine.
Currently quite nervous, yeah.
About five, ten minutes, you won't be nervous at all.
Once that kicks in. Exactly.
I love a blonde, pretty smile.
Someone who can hold a conversation.
Somebody who actually likes having fun, having a bit of a laugh.
That's gonna anaesthetise me.
WELSH ACCENT:My best Welsh, that's my best one
cos that's my favourite.
I love doing that because it's not very far away.
Me and my cousin, when we go there,
we pretend we are Welsh and everyone believes us.
West Country native Lucy enjoys being in character,
but she can't find her leading man.
I can do pretty much any accent. That is what I'm known for.
SCOTTISH ACCENT:The pressure is on now for me to do the Scottish,
but I can do it when I think about it.
BRISTOLIAN ACCENT:Bristolian, come on, mate. What you tryna say?
Cheers, my babber.
Modern dating has not been kind to me.
I've never approached anyone.
I don't think anyone's ever approached me either.
Aloha. How are you? I'm good, thank you. How are you?
You're looking good. Thank you so much. So are you.
Shall I take your jacket? Yes, that'll be lovely, thank you.
Beautiful dress like that would be a shame not to show it off.
Aw, thank you.
I do like a silver fox.
I definitely find, like, a strong voice attractive.
Someone quite, kind of, loud.
Your date is at the bar already. OK.
Biggest tick of all - if you can make me laugh,
I wouldn't care what you look like.
Let's go. Thank you.
Hi. Have fun. Hello. Thank you so much.
Hello. Lovely to meet you. Hello. Lovely to meet you too.
Do you do kisses or cuddles or what? Yeah.
I'm Lucy. Hello, Lucy. I'm Mark.
Nice to meet you. You too. Nice to meet you.
What are you drinking? I was having a Negroni.
Oh, I'm not a keen on that one. What shall I go for?
What do you feel like? Oh, Porn Star, that kind of thing.
Let's go with that. I was gonna try and go for the classy, but no.
So what do you do? I've been an opera singer for
20 whatever years. Wow!
Wow! What do you do? I'm a dental practice manager.
I'm into teeth. THEY LAUGH
Got you checking them out. You're doing OK so far,
it's that... The first thing I look at, so, yeah.
Look at that. That's amazing. Thank you.
Well, cheers. It's lovely to meet you.
Iechyd da, as they say. Oh, as they say.
Here he comes. I love the way he looks at you.
Have you noticed? No.
Ping! Check everything out, innit?
Yes, you are. Yeah, yeah.
Best thing I ever did is I did a tantra course,
like, with a beautiful ex-partner.
I couldn't look at sex in the same way again.
Can we do it? Let's say we have dessert first.
LAUGHTER
I love travelling. Done the States, as well. So, America.
Which bit of the States? The East Coast.
I've done, like, San Francisco and LA. Oh, damn.
And then went to, like, Area 51 on the way to Vegas. Oh, yeah?
It was really good, there. How far could you get in?
You can't. Because I've seen people, like,
go up to, like, the barricade. Yeah.
It must be like a sensor that stops you. Yeah.
People just come out with, like, guns. Really?
They don't want you knowing what's in there.
Do you believe in some aliens, yeah?
Definitely, yeah. Yeah.
Definitely believe in aliens.
I've got a tattoo of, like, pyramids and a spaceship on my leg.
OFF CAMERA: Oh, wow.
What's your best conspiracy theory?
About the Egyptians. Oh, what about them?
They didn't build the pyramids. Oh.
One of the conspiracy theories is that
the pyramids weren't built by humans,
and maybe some aliens involved.
Have you been to Stonehenge? No.
It's the fact that they don't know how or why they were there. Yeah.
They think they used animal fat to, like, move it from Wales.
Animal fat? No way. No. Aliens.
THEY LAUGH
OFF CAMERA: Did we land on the moon? No.
The flag was waving all over the place. No chance.
Into a lot of the same weird and wonderful stuff, aren't you? Yeah.
I've got my degree in chemistry. OK.
So I've got a background, like science, and
I love my science as well.
Yeah, it's pretty sick. Really interesting.
How about date-wise and stuff like that?
I've, like, seen people on and off... Yeah.
..but not anything, sort of, long, long term.
I was with someone from school till I was, like, 27. Oh, really?
I was engaged, had a house, a dog.
I've sort of lost myself for quite a long time, I think.
I didn't push myself into what I wanted to do with my life.
So, yeah, I think I sort of thought that was it.
I say the best thing that you've probably found out now
you can do your own thing. You understand, like
what you like doing. Mm.
Instead of just being stuck with someone. Yeah.
Turning 30 was a big deal for me.
I had a bit of a health scare.
I was a bit concerned about a mole on my arm.
It'd gone black and a lot larger, and they removed it.
And then it came back as cancer,
and it had gone quite deep in my arm.
So I had to have lymph nodes removed.
I've got the all-clear now, and I think since then
that really scared me and I thought
I would like to...to meet somebody now and be happy and
do all those things with somebody.
Dating and sort of being single is new.
But if you, like, tried having conversations,
like, about like conspiracy theories and stuff with people...
Oh, yeah. ..and it just puts people off
because they just think you're a weirdo.
That's what happens with me. It's entertaining.
I think, like, people who are into, like, crazy or weirder stuff,
more engaging, like... Yeah.
I love all the space and the planets
and just how the world works, really. Yeah.
I love anything like that.
About a week or two ago, do you know all the planets were aligned?
Yeah, yeah. I was like... I've got, like, the app on my phone.
Have you got it? Oh, the Star Gazer, or whatever? Yeah, yeah.
You go outside and it shows you where they are. Oh, yeah.
Yeah, it's cool, innit?
I'm just gonna pop to the bathroom.
Yes, and then I will have to go after you, as well.
OK. Yeah, no worries.
This is wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.
So we see the date's going really well.
Yeah, yeah. She's great. She's absolutely superb.
This has been the best date I have ever been on in my life. Wow!
Where did you find her? That's what we do.
It's wild! Probably not what I expected.
But, like, a beautiful surprise. Yeah.
If you were my partner,
I'd just walk back with a different hairstyle, a different colour.
It'll always be a bob,
but it'll either be black, black and red, red. Yeah.
Get to sleep with a different woman quite a lot.
THEY LAUGH
Yeah, I actually did blush. Did I make you blush? Yeah.
I actually think I just blushed.
Can I look?
You're kind of, like, doing that with me. Some sort of... No!
I'm like, "She don't like me.
"Does she like me? Does she not like me?"
OFF CAMERA: Would you like to see each other again?
Do you wanna go first?
You can go first.
I would love to see Rosie again.
And you?
I would love to see you again,
but it would be platonic, I think.
Oh! OK. Yeah.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
It's a shame, because I fancy the pants off you.
Very dangerous, you are. No, you're dangerous.
You're dangerous. You're dangerous.
We're both dangerous.
We're hugging it out, darling. Mwah.
We 100% are. Yeah. Thank you.
My ple... And you might get to see my tiger later,
you never know. Well...
Are you still gonna take me out?
Of course I am, 100%. I said I would.
Yeah. I said I definitely would. Absolutely.
Because I think that I can woo you a little bit more.
You're not giving up easy, are you? THEY LAUGH
I know I'm a special person,
and there's gonna be somebody out there
that's gonna love every single part of me.
You know, just give in.
How long have you been single, then? Three years, I wanna say. Mm-hm.
Do you think cos of your job, like, travelling around a lot?
Yeah, I'm, like, all over the place, to be honest.
But, like, I did Japan, uh, last summer.
I was in France the other week. Spain, Germany, Poland.
I'm going to Mexico in two weeks. How long are you there for?
So only about a month. Only a month?
Only a month.
OFF CAMERA: Have you ever been in love?No.
I think when you know, you know. Um...
But no, I wouldn't say I have.
Always been travelling around, with different places.
Do you think that makes it hard to, like,
have a relationship with someone, then?
It does, yeah. Cos you're never in one place, right?
I don't think I found love
because I just haven't found the right person yet.
I've not been looking in the right place.
It's time now to find love.
Not necessarily settle down, but to share my life with.
So when was your last date?
Um, literally probably about a year and a half, maybe
two years, something like that. That was your last date? Yeah.
It was back in Australia, yeah.
So when was your last relationship?
Three years ago, maybe.
How long's your longest relationship been?
About a year, I'd say. A year?
I don't think he's feeling it.
As soon as he sat down, he was like, "Yeah,
"I've got, like, a wrestling thing, like, straight from here."
And I thought, "Is that a lie?"
Like, his longest relationship was a year. OK.
Are we like at, like,
different points of our life, basically? I get that.
Lisa. Lucy. Lucy. I've got the L here to help you.
I thought that was just Learner.
You can make of that what you want.
Hello. I'm sorry to interrupt. Hello.
I'm loving this. The pocket square, I love it. Looking good.
I hear you're a singer. Yeah, I'm an opera singer.
Are you really? Oh, this is my favourite table.
Well, he's sensational. Oh! We've done well.
Thank you. I'll be back. Cheers, mate.
Cheers.
So you've actually recorded, then, albums and stuff?
Means nothing. Does it not? Not really.
What's your biggest claim to fame?
I love singing at Welsh National Opera for the rugby matches.
Albert Hall. Oh, wow!
How old were you when you discovered you could sing?
17. 18.
My brother always sang, but... He was older than you?
No, younger. Oh, OK.
My younger brother, Wynne, also an operatic singer.
We did a lot of stuff very similar, then Wynne kind of flew.
He had the Go Compare advert and it kind of propelled him.
As his fame rose,
it was hard because I suddenly had no work.
Even going to an opera audition, they'd go,
"Oh, you're the Go Compare man's brother,"
and that's a real mind thing. Yeah.
Thinking, "Well, I'm not good enough."
From having similar careers to me, then being left behind
or feeling in the shadows had a lasting impact on lots of things.
How do you go forward when you still feel
that you're scrambling financially?
You know, you're still going. Right, yeah. Yeah.
I get that.
It feels sometimes that you're going, "I'm just about holding on."
Now, as you get older,
it is being nostalgic, it's not being depressing,
a friend of my parents will put in their will
that they'd like me to sing in their funeral.
That's actually really powerful,
that they actually chose that before they died.
What's the go-to funeral song then?
Have I Told You Lately, Van Morrison, people love.
Oh, I love that song.
I started thinking recently
about what I'm gonna have played at my funeral,
which is a bit... Christ! You're not ill, are you? No!
I mean, that could change the date hugely if you said,
"I'm not 100%, but could you sing at my funeral?"
When I went to Stonehenge for the winter solstice,
me and my sister, like, we licked the stones. Eugh!
But we were, like, trying to, like, manifest, like, good things. Yeah.
He was really nice.
He was very nice to appreciate.
You enjoy yourself? Yeah. Have you? Yeah, I have, yeah. Good.
So, he's really interesting,
but his longest relationship was a year.
So that made me think, "Hmm."
I think I just thought if that's how his lifestyle is,
are we at the same point in life or very different?
So are you feeling pumped for later?
Yeah, I'm ready to go. Nice.
OFF CAMERA: Would you like to see each other again?
Er, would I like to see you again? Yeah, I would like to see you again.
We can plan some cool stuff to do. Yeah. OK.
I'm gonna take you to Glastonbury. Yeah?
Glastonbury... Stonehenge. Go see the Pyramids. OK. How they're built.
In Glastonbury? Yeah, you never know.
Really lovely to meet you. You too, have a lovely rest of the day.
Thank you.
We can go to Glastonbury. It's a deal.
Not to see the Pyramids, though. Not the Pyramids, no?
You'll be disappointed. Oh, what a shame.
It's like you're in Mexico already.
Do you think you'd be ready for a relationship, though?
Take it in steps and if it goes well, of course. OK. Yeah.
Oh, you gotta push it. I'll let you do it with your muscles. Go on.
I think you've got to push it, maybe. It was push!
I thought that you weren't interested,
so you were pretending that you had to go.
Oh, no. Look... Oh, shoot, like... No, it's fine.
You haven't gotta show me. THEY LAUGH
You haven't got to... I'll show you. No, you haven't gotta show me.
Oh, my God. That's today, look.
Is that your actual body? I mean, yeah, I'd hope so, yeah.
Oh, my God. You can take me, I wanna watch.
Yeah. I wanna smell the blood. THEY LAUGH
Thank you.
Sorry. Shall I walk on again?
Spin instructor Rae is no stranger to working up a sweat,
and she's hoping tonight's date gets her pulse racing.
I have been single since 2015.
A decade!
That is... Oh!
OFF CAMERA: How would your friends and family describe you?
They'd probably say that I'm like a cheerleader.
I go hard for my people. I believe in them.
How are you? I'm good. Hello, Fred.
Have you been doing much dating or...
I've been trying.
Did not work? It's not fun. No. Yeah.
In June I will turn 38.
Shall I take your coat, maybe? Yeah.
It would be nice if I could be in a relationship before I turn 40.
I've been dating for long enough.
Clearly, I'm doing something wrong.
Jump up, jump up. I literally have to jump up. I know.
What can I get you? I want your sweetest, most ridiculous cocktail.
Oh, yeah, we've got one on the menu that fits that. Yeah.
I can't wait. Lovely. And what do you do?
I teach spin. Oh, wow!
So you're super fit yourself, then? No.
Oh. THEY LAUGH
You're not supposed to say that. No, not at all.
Oh! There you go. She's beautiful.
What do you want from a man?
A really big man that makes me feel dainty and safe. Oh, nice.
My ideal man, he'll just be a really gentle soul.
Oh, yeah.
Who looks after me like a big bear.
Hello.
On the hunt for his perfect match is PE teacher Matt.
From the outside, women would think, "Oh, he's just a really nice guy,"
and then immediately friendzone me.
Hello.
I'm attracted to women that are out of my league.
And then I became aware of the phenomenon of the big gay bear.
It's really lovely to be told you're someone's type.
That's helping me kind of realise, "Oh, I do have stuff to offer."
Hello. How are you, Matt?
Yeah, I'm good. How are you, mate? Are you all right? You OK?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nice to meet you. Good to see you.
Lovely flowers. Well, thought I'd make a tiny bit of an effort.
What do you want from this date?
I have no, like, pre-ideas.
I'm just happy to go with whatever happens. With the flow. Yeah.
It's just one person that I'm actually looking for.
When I find her, I'm open enough now to recognise her and go,
"There you are. I've been looking for you."
Hello. I've brought you flowers.
Oh, my God, thank you.
I'm Matt, by the way. Hello, oh...
Hello, Matt. Need a hand?
How lovely to meet you. Lovely to meet you.
Sorry, my hand's freezing cold as well from outside.
That's no good. That is fine.
Maybe there's a need. Hello, sir. Thank you.
Can I get you a drink? Yeah, please. What do you feel like?
I mean, I don't want to put your impressive skills to waste,
but I do just fancy a pint. That's all right. I'll get you a pint.
Yeah, thanks.
These are lovely, thank you. Sorry, remind me of your name.
Rae. Rae. Remind me of yours?
Matt. Is Matt short for anything, or is it straight Matt? Matthew.
Oh, it's Matthew. It's not Mattifer or anything like...
Thank you ever so much.
Oh, it makes my hands look big because it's a tiny little glass.
It does make your hands look big.
And... What do you do? I'm the head of PE
at a school for children with additional learning needs,
and my job on the side
is I deliver mental health first-aid courses.
Oh, really? Yeah.
You wanna try to avoid a catastrophe.
Yeah. Then it's not about putting people back together.
You all right? Sorry, Fred. Yeah, good. We're chatting away.
He's nice, isn't he? He's lovely. Ha-ha, you're too kind.
I'm happy to keep it there, like, that's a win.
All right, all right. Oh, wow. Oh, that looks incredible.
Thank you. Oh, that does look good, in fairness. Mm.
Cheers, mate.
So how is your dating history, then?
So I was married for 13 years,
and then she fell in love with somebody else,
which I completely get.
On my own for a long time. Not gone out, not looked.
And your story? Well,
I've just come back from Australia with my ex-husband,
which might make some people go, "What?"
But we're the best of friends,
and I understand that could be a red flag for people.
I mean, don't get me wrong, I've got a lot of friends
and people kind of say, you know, like, people say,
"Oh, you light up the room," and all that,
but a lot of it's a bit of a mask.
So when the kids left home,
I did not appreciate how that was gonna make me feel.
That first Christmas of going to bed on Christmas Eve
and it was just me was hideous.
They weren't running into my bedroom with their stockings.
So, yeah, that was a lot.
At the end of the day when you've had a bit of a rubbish day
and you go home and you turn the key
and it's like there's no-one to tell.
That's what I miss. Yeah.
Just that someone to say, "I've got you."
You know?
I just lost my identity.
It was really, really hard to kind of think,
"Well, I go to work and I come home
"and I'm not too sure what else I do."
Yeah. 55, you get to the point you think,
"Actually, I don't wanna be on my own." Mm. Yeah.
It's quite hard. Yeah, it is, isn't it?
I'm boring and tiring. It's like the wedding invites
and you're, like, you haven't got a plus one or... Yeah.
That was just a really low point in my life.
It made me just realise, "OK, now it's for me.
"Now life is for me."
I still believe in love.
I'll still keep hanging on in there.
I'll be 90 still going through,
"There's gotta be someone here somewhere."
And I'm gonna be a granny, I am. Yeah. Thank you very much.
No problem. Very nice Welsh accent there.
I'm quite good at accents, actually. Tidy.
Oh, I won't lie. I'm quite good at it.
That's very good. See?
And I'd have to go, obviously, Uncle Bryn.
Oh, love him.
I'll be honest with you. I'm having such a lovely time.
I mean, that steak, it's as tender as the day
and the red wine, oh, I could drink another glass.
You sound like him.
What's your favourite accent? I do love a Welsh accent.
My dad sounds like a farmer. Come 'ere love? Come on.
I think a rugged accent's quite sexy.
Do you? Yeah.
There's stuff I would definitely have,
but not on a first date. Right?
Who's having mac and cheese on a first date? I mean...
But don't let me put you off. You can have a mac and cheese.
No, I don't want a mac and cheese. If you want a mac and cheese...
Shut up about the mac and cheese. ..you can have the mac and cheese.
I'm not having the mac and cheese. You definitely want it,
that mac and cheese. Like, if I was in my pyjamas on the sofa.
Mac and cheese, fine. Yeah.
I get along with most people.
But I don't want to get along with someone.
I want to be the most special person in one person's life,
and for them to be the most special person in my life.
I feel like you want the mac and cheese.
We're gonna have to move beyond it, Rae.
Connection is really important to me.
I still just haven't quite found that one that makes me feel like,
"Yes, that's the one I need to invest in."
I did the mental health first-aid training. No way!
Cos I've got lived experience of mental health and wellbeing. OK.
When I was trying to develop in my career,
I was really pushing and pushing and the whole time I'd not been OK.
I think when I started pushing at work just tipped me over the edge
and I ended up getting signed off.
Yeah. And it was in that moment
where I had nothing left.
On the outside, I would look like everything's fine,
and so I understand the dangers of that.
Cos I had high-functioning depression. OK.
But I couldn't understand what was wrong. Yeah.
So I couldn't deal with it.
My dad had mental health issues also,
and we didn't talk about it.
And I feel like having gone through it myself,
how lonely that must have been.
I kind of just thought that I need to fix me.
And then it just wasn't working, so I had to go to therapy.
And then I just started talking.
I do need someone that is willing to talk to me,
and I want them to know that I understand
that it's not always gonna be OK.
You're saying all the stuff that I think and feel,
but you say it in a way more composed, like...
I feel like I'm waffling on at you. No!
Keep it going. It's all good.
It's refreshing to speak to someone that is into communicating,
because it's hard to find people that want to be connected now. Yeah.
That's what I'm finding.
It's all about connection.
You look stunning, by the way, I haven't men...
I don't know if I mentioned it at the bar.
Oh, thanks. SHE LAUGHS
All right, what's occurring? All right.
You took the words out of my mouth. Tell me everything.
In an emoji. Copy the emoji in a face.
He doesn't ask me enough questions.
Did he say how beautiful you look? Nope.
Hasn't complimented me.
So, how long have you been in the UK? Eight years.
You've got such a wonderful accent.
I think you should sing for her. I'd like to hear it, actually.
He's an opera singer.
Your face!
Toilet I'm looking for.
Is he singing through your dinner?
He has. SINGING: Steak medium rare.
He did have steak medium rare!
Hell of a way for the toilet.
If you were slightly incontinent, you'd be...
You'd be in trouble, wouldn't you? Through there.
I've got a feeling that he's gonna sing.
But I better go. Got ya.
Bye!
Would you rather have Pringles for fingers or Wotsits for toes?
Wotsits for toes. Why on earth Wotsits for toes?
Cos you can put them in shoes.
What am I gonna do with my Pringle hands?
I think if I always had gloves on, you'd be like...
I'd be trying to drink like that. Do you know what I mean?
You could scoop up this food with your big Pringle fingers.
Then I'd be eating like that, and then you'd be like...
I don't think that would be the worst thing about you.
Yes. Well have you had a lovely time?
I have. Have you. I have. Yeah.
And I love the fact that we both stepped out.
You've got to, haven't you? I think. Yeah.
Here he comes. Oh, here he is.
I'm gonna clear. OK.
So I'm guessing you're gonna sing at some point, then?
Should we go for something romantic? I think that would be great.
Get him up there. You gonna come with me? Yeah.
Come on.
It was good fun, and he sang.
# Have I told you lately that I love you? #
I thought she was really pretty. She was bubbly.
It, almost instantly, tick, tick, tick in many, many ways.
# Have I told you there's no-one above you? #
Hello.
This isn't at all awkward, is it? Very.
# You ease my troubles, that's what you do. #
Thank you. Enjoy. CHEERING, APPLAUSE
OFF CAMERA: Would you like to see each other again?
Would I like to see you again?
I... I'm... God, this is the hardest part.
This is the hardest part. I would say yes,
but I don't think it's romantic. Yeah. Thank God.
Yeah. Yeah. Neither.
Yeah. What? Bloody hell. Hang on a minute, love.
I'm gonna go round with a hat now to pay for my food.
Absolutely zero romantic spark. But we had... Zero?
Well, for me. I didn't think zero. Well, I thought...
You can sing at the wedding. Oh! Deal.
I felt like you should have been on a date with Gerald, not me.
You loved him. He's sensational, isn't he?
I actually think I need to get a bit camper.
You need to get camper?
What you think I'm quite camp anyway. Yeah, very.
Do you think? Yeah.
You're in touch with your feminine side, definitely.
Come here, you. Thank you.
Aw. Thank you. You're a bobby-dazzler.
You're a right bobby-dazzler, you are.
LAUGHTER
Because I didn't know that they were gonna match me
with someone that is as cool as you.
And so I got these,
just in case you were a bit dry, but you're not dry.
Let's get into it. Give me the conversation starters,
because we're clearly struggling. We're definitely doing it.
We'll go with whatever this one is. OK.
How are you able to love someone you don't agree with?
My answer to that is respect.
You can disagree with the person that you love
as long as you respect them.
I actually think that's healthier
than just agreeing with people all the time.
And that's how you can love someone you don't agree with.
Oh, I liked that he could hold a conversation
and there weren't the awkward silences.
Thank you so much. Thank you. Thanks.
Are you all right to get that?
Thank you.
He was interested in me as a human being.
It's a fortune cookie.
This is incredible.
What's it say? Rae is gonna give you her number.
I don't often feel the level of connection
that I felt with Rae today.
And mine says 079...
I don't know if Rae fancies me,
I'm really bad at picking up on the signals.
I wouldn't be surprised if she's, like, too cool for me,
but I really liked her, yeah.
Er, mine actually says a love story is about to begin.
Does it?
Hello. Hello. How are you doing?
I'm good. How are you? Yeah, good.
We covered that bit already.
Gonna have to... I need space to hop.
Oh, thank you. I got you. I appreciate you.
OFF CAMERA: Would you like to see each other again?
Oh.
Go on, I feel like you need to go first.
Why me? I mean, I'll go if you want me to? I think you go first.
OK. Yeah, I would. Um...
I don't know how it works with the reality of...of...of that,
but, uh, yeah, I would.
I would too.
Thank you so much, guys. My pleasure. Thank you.
Maybe everyone finds it easy to connect with you,
but I found it easy to connect with you and easy to talk to you,
which is very important for me.
I'm on the wrong side of you. He's a gentleman.
You're going first on the where's the second date gonna be?
That's up to you. Yeah.
I think it should be here. That is a good shout.
Then you could show me round. You said you liked gin.
Yeah. There's a gin bar. With colourful cocktails?
We can probably find a colourful cocktail.
Oh, then we can go there then. OK.
I could still win her over.
I don't doubt it, actually.
Have to rain check for another day. Yeah. Yeah.
Are you gonna pretend a train to get?
OFF CAMERA: She doesn't believe you.
The conversation was so lovely,
I didn't eat any of the food.
Subtitles by Red Bee Media