19 December 2023 , 20:32
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First Dates maitre'd Fred Sirieix says the new series has more couples than ever falling in love, as the show moves to what he calls the most romantic city in the UK.
Fresh from his stint on I’m a Celebrity, Fred says matchmaking is easier in the beautiful new First Dates restaurant in Bath because the Somerset city’s vibe rubs off on daters. He said: “It’s amazing. Bath is so beautiful and has good energy. “It’s such a historical city, what I like is the old stone, dating back to Roman times. And also it’s very serene, very peaceful, very calm. People walk in the street and you can hear them talk. It’s not the noise of buses and ambulances and police, like in London. It’s much quieter.”
Fred Sirieix and his fiance Fruitcake (James Gourley/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)The new restaurant is The Botanist, which sits inside the Grade II listed Octagon Chapel, built in the 1760s and known to have been visited by romantic author Jane Austen. Speaking during filming last summer, Fred told The Mirror: “I can’t tell you how incredible it is. I’ve really loved it. On one day last week we had 80% of yeses, which is an insane percentage even for us.”
He said the success rate left him, barman Merlin Griffiths and waitress Cici Coleman extraordinarily happy. Fred added: “We were so excited that day. It’s like we were all high from taking the love drug or something. I mean it was Merlin, me, Cici, the whole production team! There was something in the air. That would’ve been maybe 12 couples who all said yes. And they were like, ‘Yeah, I fancy you. I love you. I want you’.” The Frenchman, who is divorced and has a fiancée known only as Fruitcake, says after 10 years of watching people on dates, he has learned a lot about how to help them.
Fred describes Bath as serene and peaceful (Getty Images)He said: “All I think about is the daters. I start in the morning and go until the very last moment at night. I want to find a way to get them together. Sometimes, they are just caught between a rock and a hard place. And it’s really mainly inside their heads, but it’s helping them to navigate their thoughts. It’s not about what we want to happen, it’s for them to find the answer within themselves.”
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The dad-of-two, 51, says working on the Channel 4 series for a decade has affected his own relationship philosophy. He said: “We all say and do things –we have to forgive ourselves and forgive the other. There’s a lot of couples who divorce and separate, 50% in fact. So it’s hard to stay with somebody for a long time. But I think it’s a question of remembering that if it’s what you want, it’s not always going to be an easy road.”
Barman Merlin Griffiths (Paul Groom Photography Ltd)And he never tires of seeing people connect, saying poetically: “There are so many different ways to love. You see it on such a grand scale that you can’t help but to be humbled by it – just to see the beauty and the love there is in this world.” This time around Fred will be joined by Francesca Martu from the First Dates Hotel plus new servers Kofi Yeboah-Mensah and Aoife Smyth.
And there are some celebs looking for love this series. They include a reality TV show winner, a newsreader and a Cheshire Housewife. Executive producer Rich Mears said: “There are some jaw-dropping moments but also some moving stories that will bring a tear to your eye. We’ve had plenty of kisses – and a few car crashes too.”
- First Dates, Channel 4, 10pm, January 2