- 2 weeks ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:03Do you feel a bit rusty? Yes, very rusty. Definitely need a WD for our day. I need some
00:09help. It's hard out there. I am very single at the moment. I've run out of swipes. I've
00:16completed Tinder. In the heart of Britain's most romantic city, Fred and his team are matching
00:28hopeful singletons. We're getting married, Merlin. In a place where love is always on
00:34the menu. I've got a bit in your finger. You didn't go that far down the strip. These
00:40daters. You probably think I'm having a poo or something. Are searching for the
00:47one. Would you chase me around the bedroom? Absolutely. Get your coat. I'm in. For some,
00:54stepping into the unknown can lead to surprising sparks. I work in the adult industry. Do you
01:02have an office for that? I have a dungeon. But finding a connection. A love story is about
01:09to begin. Shut up! Isn't always easy. Please tell me you actually last longer
01:15than three minutes. Help me! In the end, it comes down to one big question. Would you
01:29guys like to see each other again? This isn't a total crit, is it? This is the First Dates
01:35Restaurants.
01:44Working in a First Dates restaurant, you never know who's going to walk through the door.
01:48And that's exciting.
01:50The boys watch the girls while the girls watch the girls go by.
01:55I've been doing burlesque for three years. I have travelled the world as a singer. I've spent most
02:02of my life studying toilets, talking to people about toilet paper. Everybody's got a different
02:06journey, but it all leads to our door. This is Aaron. I'm a huge hopeless romantic.
02:14A social activist and big dreamer, looking for his very own happily ever after.
02:21I've always wanted to get married ever since I was a kid. I've definitely pictured my wedding day
02:26in huge detail.
02:31The way I envision it is just this beautiful evening full of light.
02:36Like a big sort of old house. It's a double staircase. And we both come down,
02:41looking into each other's eyes. There will be a Domino's pizza buffet.
02:45I just want like a bowl of the garlic sauce and like just like loads of pizzas.
02:53How are you, Aaron?
02:54Yeah, good. How are you? Lovely to meet you.
02:56Nice to meet you too. You excited about it?
02:58Yeah, really excited.
03:00Yeah? You've been single long?
03:02I'd say about like six months. Just situationship, really.
03:05So things haven't really progressed past that point.
03:08Right. Why not?
03:11I think I'm colour blind, so I don't really see red flags.
03:14I tend to fall hard and fast for people, and I always believe the best in them.
03:18All right, come with me. Let me take you to the bar.
03:20I'd say like, Man of Life is very much like Bridget Jones, combined with he's just not that into you.
03:26Where have you come from?
03:27Manchester.
03:28Manchester? How are you single living in Manchester?
03:31Like, seriously, you can't even walk down the street there without somebody trying to talk to you.
03:35Yeah, I think it's just gay culture though as well.
03:37Like, I think a lot of gay people aren't looking for that long term.
03:41They're looking for the short term.
03:42So it's a struggle then?
03:43It just seems as soon as you mention commitment, people like, lose their mind.
03:46So what are you looking for? Who are you looking for?
03:49How do you like your blokes?
03:51Well, are you asking what my type is?
03:53Yeah, in a sense.
03:54I do like masculine guys.
03:56I like someone who can be open with their emotions and just someone I can really get on with, you
04:00know?
04:00Yeah.
04:03Youth worker by day, nightclub host by night.
04:08I made you all right.
04:10Nathan's love life is a total drag.
04:13What do you want to know about Vicky C?
04:18There she is.
04:19She's a beauty.
04:21Oh, she's a beast.
04:23She's literally a more masculine version of me, if that's even possible.
04:27All right, handsome.
04:29Is it Saturday Night Fever?
04:31It is Saturday Night Fever, absolutely.
04:32How are you doing? Nice to meet you.
04:33Very well, you all right?
04:34Love your jacket.
04:35Trendy.
04:35On style.
04:36You're ready for it.
04:37I think so.
04:38Do you find it difficult to meet people?
04:40What's the hurdle?
04:41What's the thing that just...
04:42Time, um, confidence, I think, so...
04:46You don't strike me as somebody who doesn't have confidence.
04:49On the contrary.
04:51Uh, depends on which context you're talking about, I suppose.
04:53I've been single now for over a decade.
04:57I'm working in bars and nightclubs where there's a constant flow of men.
05:02But it's not the right environment to meet someone in a serious capacity, I suppose.
05:09Hook-up culture is rife.
05:11Intimacy is what everybody wants.
05:13Sex is what everyone gets.
05:15You know your date as a wife?
05:16Yes.
05:17At the bar.
05:18If you just go discreetly like that...
05:21I know I've seen.
05:22You've seen it, yeah?
05:23Mm-hmm.
05:23All right.
05:24Yeah.
05:25This is about to be interesting, Fred.
05:27I'm not going to lie to you.
05:29It's one of my friends.
05:30He's one of my friends.
05:33Well, that's good.
05:34So this is going to be interesting, isn't it?
05:35Very interesting.
05:37Oh, my God.
05:39Aaron!
05:40Victoria.
05:43Bye-bye!
05:44I thought it was you.
05:45Oh, my God. How are you?
05:46I'm all right, thanks.
05:48You're all right?
05:49Yeah.
05:50This is so surreal.
05:51Honestly, I was so, like, nervous, and then you just turned up.
05:56This is actually crazy.
05:58This is actually crazy.
05:59Hello, buddy.
06:00Hiya, you all right?
06:00Yeah, not bad, not bad.
06:01How's you?
06:03Much more at ease now, I'm sitting here with a friend.
06:06We actually know each other.
06:06You know each other?
06:07Oh, right.
06:07Okay, cool.
06:08Where from and how am I?
06:10Manchester.
06:11We run in kind of the same social circles, so...
06:13Yeah.
06:15You guys are very lucky because, you know, the hardest thing to establish in a relationship
06:19is trust.
06:20But you've already got that.
06:22Yeah.
06:23Yeah.
06:24All you have to inject is a little va-va-vous.
06:26Va-va-vous?
06:27Yeah, a little romantic je ne sais quoi.
06:29Shall we go to your table?
06:30Absolutely.
06:31To la table?
06:31La table.
06:36Oh, thank you very much, ladies.
06:38Enjoy your date. Have fun.
06:39Fabulous. Thank you so much.
06:47Hi.
06:48My name's Tracy.
06:5153.
06:52I'm looking for that special guy out there.
06:54Call me.
06:59Former Mayor Tracy wants someone special to share her favourite place in the world with.
07:07I am from a little town in West Yorkshire called Wakefield, a wonderful town.
07:12It's where I grew up.
07:13I've not lived anywhere else.
07:15So I loved it that much.
07:16I became the mayor.
07:19Good afternoon, Fred.
07:20How are you?
07:20All the better for seeing you.
07:22Thank you so much.
07:23Are you in the mood for love?
07:24I am definitely in the mood.
07:26I'm wearing the colour of mine.
07:27Yeah, shall I take your coat?
07:28Oh, that would be wonderful.
07:30I'm not your stereotypical mayor.
07:32I left school with no qualifications.
07:34I drink.
07:35I go out with my friends.
07:36I go to festivals.
07:37I've got a camper van.
07:39What can I get you to drink first?
07:40I would like to have a spicy margarita, please.
07:42A spicy margarita?
07:43Yes.
07:44Add a little spice to the day, I think.
07:46Yeah, exactly.
07:47That's what I mean to go on.
07:49What do you miss about being in a relationship?
07:51Can I say sex?
07:55And tell me, what do you do?
07:56I'm a paramedic.
07:57You're a paramedic?
07:58I am, yes.
07:59Oh, wonderful.
07:59But I've only just become a paramedic.
08:01I was a technician before and worked my way up through the ranks.
08:04So I graduated last year from university.
08:06Congratulations.
08:07The age of 52, you're never too old to go back and learn.
08:10No, you're not.
08:11Brilliant.
08:11There you go.
08:12Tell me about you and dating then.
08:13Have you dated much?
08:14So, no, not much in the last three years.
08:16Wow.
08:17Yeah, so...
08:18Oh, this is a big day for you.
08:19This is a very big day for me.
08:20Tell me, what are you looking for?
08:21What do you like in a man?
08:22A good sense of humour.
08:24I like people that are kind.
08:25Kind, yeah.
08:26Yeah, and polite.
08:27How do you like them to look?
08:28With manners.
08:29I've no preference for what we look.
08:31What if he's short?
08:32Well, we're all the same, lying down there.
08:36Oh, shit.
08:37Ready to plunge into his date with Tracy, toilet roll salesman Stuart is wiped out from his
08:44search for love.
08:46Now, scrunching it reduces your surface area, doesn't it?
08:49Whereas if you fold it, you've got a bigger surface area, haven't you?
08:54The average person in an office environment will use a toilet three times a day.
08:58And on average, they will use eight sheets of toilet paper per visit.
09:02But we don't want to talk about toilet paper on a first date.
09:04There's way more exciting things to talk about, isn't there, than that?
09:08Nice to meet you.
09:09And you.
09:09Love your shirt.
09:10You like pink?
09:11No, it's cherry blossom, Fred.
09:13Cherry blossom?
09:13No, I mean pink as a colour.
09:14Oh yeah, do I like pink as a colour?
09:15Brilliant.
09:17How long have you been single?
09:1913 years, three months and 27 days.
09:22I think.
09:23Might be 28 days.
09:24I'm at a different point in my life now.
09:27Maybe it's time to re-evaluate my single bubble.
09:30I need someone to come along and try and burst it.
09:33Shall I take your jacket?
09:33Yes, please.
09:34No, take that.
09:35It'd be nice to meet someone who's got a lust for life.
09:37Someone confident.
09:38Someone who's comfortable in their own world.
09:41Have a nice day.
09:42Cheers.
09:43That's an awesome shirt.
09:46Tracy.
09:47Nice to meet you.
09:48We're nearly matching, Stuart.
09:49I know.
09:50You must have got the memo.
09:51I did.
09:53Grand.
09:53I need to put my glasses on.
09:54I can't see.
09:55Am I not seeing?
09:56Yeah.
09:56I can see then.
09:58What are you drinking?
09:59I'm on a spicy margarita.
10:00I thought I might as well start.
10:02This is Stuart.
10:03He got the memo about matching.
10:04I was going to say.
10:05Look at this.
10:07Must have been.
10:07Joyous.
10:07Yeah.
10:08Look at that shirt.
10:08That's awesome.
10:09What do you do for a living then?
10:11So I sell cleaning products for a living.
10:15All right.
10:16Exciting stuff.
10:16So I spend most of my life in the toilet talking to people about how to use toilet roll,
10:20which is good fun.
10:21It's good because it's recession-proof.
10:23Yeah.
10:23Yeah, everybody needs it.
10:24It's never going to go out of fashion, is it?
10:26No, not at all.
10:28Hi, Fred.
10:29You come, yes?
10:30Come with me.
10:34I haven't actually saw any of your shows yet.
10:36Like, obviously, I know that your drag name is Victoria, but...
10:40Yeah, which is pretty much how everyone knows me, to be fair.
10:42What is your actual name then?
10:43Because obviously I...
10:44Well, unless it is Victoria.
10:45No, no, no, no, I'm Nathan.
10:47A lot of people only know me as Vic or Victoria, and she's amazing.
10:53And I could walk down the street as Vic, and everyone knows her, everyone wants to be
10:57her friend.
10:57She's confident.
11:00But underneath it all, Nathan really wasn't.
11:05I would be ghosted so many times when they find out I've done drag, although I do drag.
11:09That's the gay community.
11:10As soon as you were saying that, I was like, wow, like, never talked deeply like this before.
11:14No.
11:16I've been ghosted so many times.
11:19I think dating's difficult sometimes, because I can't always fully be myself.
11:23I often feel like I'm showing a different version of me, even though they're both me.
11:28I mean...
11:34For me, like, when I meet someone, that's the hardest thing.
11:37It's like, well, when do I tell someone, you know?
11:40Absolutely.
11:42Has your hair ever caused you problems with dates?
11:46I was getting intimate with a guy, and, you know, they put their hand on my head,
11:50and pulled, and the thing came off.
11:53And they just screamed.
11:55I screamed.
11:56And I was like, oh my God, this is like one of my worst fears.
11:59And yeah, and then I did not see them again.
12:01I just sort of like ran out of there.
12:03And it's been like that since, you know, I was a kid.
12:05Yeah.
12:06So it started coming out in clumps when I was, like, 12 or 13 at school.
12:09I went to, like, a Catholic school.
12:11That is relevant, because at that point, losing my hair, being gay and stuff as well,
12:16everything was suppressed.
12:17I'd sit in my bed, talk to the ceiling.
12:20Obviously, I'd wish for my hair, but I'd also just wish not to be gay.
12:25I thought my word was going to crumble, but instead, I did a TikTok video, posted it,
12:29and actually, I got so many messages.
12:31And then I was like, okay, cool.
12:33So me being vulnerable is actually a good thing.
12:35It's insane how far I've actually came.
12:39I can't control people's reactions, but I can control how I respond to their behaviors.
12:44I am worthy of love.
12:45I deserve that.
12:46If you don't think that, fine.
12:47Go and work on yourself.
12:49It's about war paint and armor.
12:51Yeah.
12:51The hair system and drag are the armor to who we are underneath.
12:56But who we are underneath doesn't change.
13:00We're still that same person with the same morals and the same values.
13:03I don't think we would have ever spoke like this before.
13:06It's just really nice to, you know, hear things be so open about it, you know?
13:09It's a part of me I keep quite quiet, to be honest with you.
13:11I hold myself in a certain way.
13:13I'm very intimidating, and I hold myself uptight, and I'm almost very unapproachable.
13:18Almost.
13:26Certain types of toilet paper, the really big rolls, you can pull it out really slowly,
13:31and they put it in the toilet so it gets wet, and then they flush the toilet,
13:34and it'll spin the whole toilet paper off down the toilet.
13:39You know, Sissi, some of our older daters today, it feels as if they are really out of practice.
13:45They haven't been dating for so long, and they're going back on the horse,
13:49and they just have no idea how to do it.
13:51But what to do?
13:52I remember the toilet rolls at school that were like the...
13:55Tracing paper.
13:56Yeah.
13:57I mean, what were we thinking of?
14:00Cost.
14:04How are we doing?
14:06Fabulous.
14:06Did I hear that you two might know each other?
14:10Yeah, so we are in the same friendship group, believe it or not.
14:12But like, I wouldn't say like, close friends, you know?
14:15So we've been in the rooms together at parties, we've pre-drunk together,
14:19we've been to clubs together, we've, you know, we've done it.
14:21Yeah.
14:22So we know each other socially.
14:24Mm-hm.
14:25But romantically, you've never explored anything even before.
14:30No.
14:31No, but I think obviously, I don't know how you feel about this,
14:33but being on this date, you know, I'm very much open to getting to know you.
14:36Like...
14:37Absolutely.
14:45Matty, I'm not even joking, right?
14:47I'm on a date with Victoria.
14:51Like...
14:51What?
14:55Where are you off to?
14:56I'm going to the cellar.
14:57Go to the basement.
14:59Oh, here we go.
15:00Take the lift.
15:02This was not on the bingo card.
15:03Of all the things that I thought might happen, like, this was not...
15:09Anyway, so I'm just giving you a quick update, and, yeah,
15:13I'll let you know how it goes.
15:14This is so wild!
15:16Whoa!
15:17Wow, thank you very much, there.
15:19This looks awesome.
15:20I'm going to grab you another fork.
15:22Lovely job, thank you.
15:23More than welcome.
15:24So they always live in Wakefield?
15:26Yes.
15:26And my family's still live in Wakefield, so my mum still lives...
15:29My mum and dad are still at the same house that they are.
15:31My kids live close by, so it's just handy.
15:35My daughter was a mental health nurse.
15:36Wow.
15:38So, my eldest is a paramedic, and my youngest works for learning disabilities.
15:43We're all in caring professions.
15:45So, how did that...
15:46Did it just happen by accident, or has everyone kind of just sort of migrated to that?
15:51Well, it's a funny story I'm going to tell you about.
15:56My eldest son, we adopted at birth, because I had him when I was 15.
16:01I kept the pregnancy secret for six months, and then told my parents about it.
16:05I knew that I couldn't look after him at 15, my mum and dad didn't have much money.
16:10It was difficult, more difficult than I thought it would be.
16:14Every year you think about it, every year you think, oh, it's his birthday, or every year you think,
16:18oh, I wonder what he's doing, or what he looks like, or I hope he's all right.
16:21All I ever wanted was for him to be happy.
16:24And when the law changed, and you were able to find your adopted children through an intermediary,
16:29I paid to find him. And we met, and everything just clicked into place,
16:33and I got a job with the ambulance service, and he was already a paramedic with the ambulance service.
16:37Oh, wow.
16:39I know you won't believe this, but it turned out I'd got a job at the same ambulance station
16:45that he was working at, and he was a paramedic.
16:48It's lovely to see that he's had such a marvellous upbringing.
16:51Something that I did, it's not that you don't love them, it's the fact that, you know,
16:54you can't give them everything they need at that age.
16:57So he's had a lovely life, and I'm super proud of him.
17:01We all just melded into one big family.
17:03It was obviously, like you say, it was meant to be.
17:05Yeah, yeah.
17:06There was a song there somewhere.
17:07There is, there is.
17:15Good game.
17:16I think that was a tie.
17:17There's no way, there is no way that was a tie, but good game.
17:21I'm trying to be a better loser, OK?
17:23That's OK.
17:26Hi.
17:27Ready.
17:3327-year-old Verity is a barber who's looking for a man whose love won't fade.
17:40I get really mixed reactions from lads when I tell them I'm a barber.
17:45The weirdest chat-up lines, it's just got to be like, when are you cutting my hair then?
17:51And I'm like, never know.
17:52You've just ruined it.
17:54So I made you look...
17:56Hi.
17:57Hey, how are you, Verity?
17:58I'm good, thank you.
17:59Tell me, what do you do for a living?
18:00So I am a barber.
18:02Are you?
18:02Yeah.
18:03Do you meet anybody in the salon?
18:05No, never.
18:06My dating life at the moment is literally non-existent.
18:10I don't really approach men.
18:12It's not even about, like, rejection.
18:13I just think I'm just scared.
18:16I just can't do it.
18:18How are you feeling?
18:19Yeah, I'm nervous.
18:20So, when was the last time you were dating?
18:22It's been, like, months, really, yeah.
18:24Aww.
18:24Yeah, so it's going to be fun.
18:25And how do you like your guys to look?
18:27I like a, like, tall, dark and handsome.
18:29Yeah, and I like a trendy guy as well.
18:32Just, like, a happy, easy-going person.
18:35Yeah, happy-tappy.
18:36I want someone that's, like, sweet and gentle with me and confident, not cocky.
18:41I love, like, dark hair, like, a nice, neat beard.
18:46I like them tall.
18:49Verity's date is six-foot-five Mancunian coach driver, Liam.
18:55Have you ever been to London?
18:56Nope.
18:56This is the furthest you left me?
18:58Yeah, furthest south, yeah.
18:59Because I'm from Manchester, like, everything's there.
19:01I only go north, so I never come down.
19:04As far as I ain't got a nosebleed coming this far.
19:07But this is how far you'll travel for love?
19:09Yeah, exactly, yeah.
19:10You can only get one shot at the door.
19:11You can go as far as you can go.
19:13Nice to see you.
19:14Nice to see you.
19:15So you'd love your haircut?
19:16Oh, cheers.
19:17Yeah.
19:18My ideal woman would be confident, funny, charming.
19:22Same as me.
19:23Just someone with my energy.
19:26Just happy.
19:27Cheers.
19:27Enjoy, good luck.
19:29Hi, are you all right?
19:31Hi, are you all right?
19:31Sorry, I didn't realise it was you coming over.
19:34Oh, you've got a strong accent.
19:35I know.
19:36So have you?
19:37Like, Leeds?
19:38Manchester.
19:39Oh, really?
19:39Sorry, I've gone too far.
19:41Hey, sir.
19:41Can I get a single pink gin and lemonade, please?
19:44Pink gin and lemonade?
19:45Yeah, sure thing.
19:46I'm a bit of a feminine drinker.
19:48No, that's fine.
19:49Do you like wine?
19:50Not really, no.
19:51It don't taste nice.
19:53You know what I think?
19:54You can't tell me that tastes nice.
19:55Yeah, I think it does.
19:56All our drink is, like, white wine, yeah.
19:59Obviously not, like, every minute of every day, but, like, yeah.
20:02No, I think gin.
20:03What's your name, sorry?
20:04Liam.
20:05Liam and Verity.
20:06Verity?
20:07Yeah, nice.
20:07Oh, everyone there.
20:08You look lovely.
20:11What do you think of Bath?
20:13It's nice.
20:13This is the furthest south I've ever been.
20:15Really?
20:15Have you been to, like, London or what?
20:17No.
20:17You've never been to London?
20:19I mean, I'd like to go.
20:21Maybe you could tell me.
20:22Ha, ha, maybe.
20:26I remember the first time I met you.
20:29Oh, now you're going to tell me.
20:30Go on.
20:31I would say, like, a coconut, because, like, obviously,
20:34really hard shell, like...
20:36I've never been a competitor of coconut.
20:38But I see your point.
20:40Yeah.
20:41Ridiculously hard exterior.
20:43And I do.
20:43I'm aware that I hold myself in a certain kind of way.
20:46I don't want to be vulnerable.
20:48Why do you feel like you can't be vulnerable anymore?
20:53Because, yeah, because, um,
20:55I don't want to go through the things I've been through again.
20:58Men are horrid.
21:00The last serious relationship I had, um, was a very long time ago.
21:06And I think I was very much so desperate to be loved by somebody that
21:12I was sucked into this relationship with this boy
21:17who was just not a very nice person.
21:21He really broke me because of how awful he really was.
21:29I don't think I've been ready to trust anyone again since him.
21:34I don't think I've ever been in love.
21:35Why did you come on this, then?
21:37Nearly 40 years old, and I genuinely can say that I don't think I've ever been in love.
21:42How hard is that?
21:43I think it might seem hard, but also, you said yourself, you know,
21:48that you find it really hard to be vulnerable, then maybe you just haven't been run above the
21:52right person.
21:53Yeah, maybe that.
21:55Then I am a Taurus, so...
21:57Mmm!
21:58So our saints do match, actually.
21:59Do they?
22:00Yeah.
22:00I'll have to do a tarot card reading for you at some point, then.
22:03Did you do one before today?
22:05So, I did run yesterday.
22:06So, what did they say?
22:07So, two of cups means the beginning of a relationship.
22:11Nine of cups is the fulfilment of an emotional wish.
22:15That, I do feel, describes the situation.
22:18Well, I hate to say it, but I think your card's read this day perfectly,
22:23because that sounds pretty accurate.
22:30So, what sort of food do you like?
22:33Erm, I like Mexican, Indian, Italian, Chinese.
22:40Yeah, pretty much everything, then.
22:41Yeah, yeah.
22:42That'd be better if asking them, what don't you like?
22:44Custard.
22:45You don't like custard?
22:47No. Why not?
22:47I've got a proper phobia about custard.
22:50Have you?
22:51It's a little bit weird, I know.
22:53So, you're scared of custard?
22:54Yeah, so, I once bit into a doughnut that had custard in it and burst into tears.
23:00Oh, wow.
23:01Yes.
23:01I do love a custard doughnut.
23:06And what made you decide to pick this, then?
23:09Oh, there's a number of reasons.
23:11So, three years ago, I got diagnosed with a brain tumour.
23:13Wow.
23:15Because of where it was, it had paralysed me down the left-hand side.
23:18So, I went in in January 23 for my first stop,
23:23and they thought it had all been quite successful.
23:25But then, in May of 23, they started talking to me about chemo and radiotherapy,
23:58which scares the bejesus out of me.
23:59Resetting my life.
24:01Yeah, I thought, why not put myself out there and live a little bit?
24:06Before, it's like you used to think about your retirement and getting your pension right and stuff like that.
24:10I don't care about any of that anymore.
24:11Yeah.
24:11So, it's all about, no, let's just go out and live life and have some really good experiences.
24:15Absolutely.
24:16Definitely a life-changing moment.
24:19Sorry, I didn't ask how old are you.
24:22Oh, I'm not allowed to answer that.
24:23Yeah.
24:24I'm nearly 50.
24:25I have to keep reminding myself of that.
24:27What are you going to do for your 50th?
24:29I don't know yet.
24:30I haven't decided.
24:3350, it's a big thing.
24:34You need to do something spectacular.
24:37Yeah, it is.
24:38You're made it to 50.
24:39Yeah.
24:39Woo!
24:39You're made it to 50.
24:43I can't believe you're 6'5".
24:44I'm five foot four.
24:45Yeah, are you?
24:46Yeah, you're over a foot taller than me.
24:48It's like a whole Subway sandwich, isn't it?
24:49I know, yeah, you actually are.
24:51A whole Subway sandwich.
24:53You actually are.
24:54That is crazy.
24:59As a queer person, Manchester has everything I've wanted.
25:06Well, it's interesting you say that as well, because I feel like me and you are a little
25:10bit on the opposite end of the spectrum, not sexuality-wise, but I think for me, I've always
25:15struggled to have, like, gay friends, just because I feel like the community can be quite
25:21difficult, so, and also, like, quite judgmental, and also, then you've got the side of, like,
25:26trying to make a relationship work in Manchester's gay scene.
25:29Yeah, there's a lot of promiscuity on the scene.
25:32I mean, hook-up culture is rife, and it's great for the there and thens.
25:42You know, we won't knock it.
25:44I've never had a hook-up, ever.
25:46Have you not?
25:46No.
25:47Um, okay.
25:51Oh, can I open it now?
25:52Yeah.
25:54Hiya.
25:55Hi.
25:55Hi.
25:57Yes, please.
25:58Could we get the check, please?
25:59Absolutely.
26:00We'll bring it over to you guys.
26:02Do you want to see each other again romantically?
26:07It's always going to be the big brave boy and say it.
26:09Go on then.
26:09Rather than putting you on the spot.
26:11For me, no.
26:12This is such a wonderful friendship, and I felt like I've got to know you so much deeper this evening
26:18in a way that is so lovely, but not romantically.
26:22Mm-hmm.
26:24Let me just grab that out.
26:25Spin it, yeah?
26:27That's what was really beautiful about tonight, actually, because it was the first time we've
26:30really engaged on a deep level outside of, you know, just the only thing that we had in common
26:35was about being gay, because the group chat is called Gays R Us.
26:39Gays R Us.
26:40Yeah.
26:41It's 100% on you.
26:42Mine's not working.
26:45So is there definitely no way you two would consider each other?
26:49I mean, I'm not ruling it out.
26:52I was not expecting you to say that.
26:55You can ever say never.
26:56If I'm six pints deep, I might hook up with you when I'm really, really drunk.
27:00Right, so when you can't see almost, you, right, okay.
27:06Honestly, of all the people I could have walked in to see, I'm so glad it was you.
27:10What are the chances though?
27:11I know, but what a great story to take back to our friends in Manchester.
27:14I think we actually need to go for a drink.
27:16We do.
27:17There is a gay bar here.
27:18There's one.
27:18I've already Googled it and found it.
27:19Love it.
27:20So should we go out and get six pints in this?
27:26Next question.
27:32I think love is being able to be silent together and that that's okay.
27:38That you are both enough for each other so that therefore you don't have to fill the space with
27:44talking and words.
27:45I can't imagine you being quiet.
27:50What can I get you?
27:52Can we have the Korean fried chicken?
27:54Yep.
27:55The gambas pil pil and the potatoes bravas, please.
27:58Should we get some seasoned fries as well or something?
27:59Yeah, we'll get some chips as well then.
28:01Get some seasoned fries.
28:01Yeah, just fries.
28:02Yeah, no problem.
28:03Perfect, thank you.
28:04It would be like your ideal first date.
28:07Probably something like this would be fair, like having some drinks, like food.
28:10I like doing fun stuff as well, you know, like going bowling and like crazy golf and stuff like that.
28:15I do like this.
28:16I like having to sit down and drinking food and trying new foods as well.
28:20I quite like that one.
28:21Yeah.
28:21I'm going to try these prongs.
28:22I've had these before.
28:23What are you going to do if you don't like it?
28:25I like it.
28:26What if you don't?
28:27No, I'll put on a brave face.
28:29Oh, that's so nice.
28:33Cheers, thank you.
28:35So, like, I have a question for you, right?
28:38Where do you think I'm from?
28:41Newcastle.
28:43So, I sound like I am, but I'm not.
28:46Some of them?
28:46No.
28:47It's got to be.
28:48No.
28:49I'm bad with accents, though.
28:50No, you're right, like, with the accent, like, it's a northeast accent.
28:53But I'm, like, I'm from, like, the Midlands.
28:58So, this is a video of my old accent.
29:00I sound, like, so different.
29:02So, this is the colour of it after I've stripped it.
29:06I'm going to put the dark blonde on it and see what happens.
29:12I can't believe that that's how I used to sound.
29:15It's a really strange feeling.
29:17I have a brain disorder, which caused my accent to change.
29:21Oh, really?
29:22Where are you going from?
29:23Yeah, so I have something called foreign accent syndrome.
29:26Right.
29:26October 2023, I had, like, one of the worst migraines in my life.
29:32And when I woke up, I couldn't speak.
29:35And as it was, like, starting to come back,
29:38I could just tell that I didn't sound like me.
29:41Got diagnosed with functional neurological disorder,
29:45which is where, like, my brain and nervous system isn't connected properly,
29:49which causes, like, malfunctions.
29:51Sometimes I have to wear hearing aids,
29:53because if my brain's malfunctioning on that certain day,
29:55I can't hear properly.
29:56It's really, like, affected my life massively.
29:59And then I end up with, like, a different accent, so...
30:03Only person.
30:04Yeah, literally.
30:06Yeah, it was a bit crazy, so...
30:08And, like, I just don't think people knew how to deal with it.
30:10Not a lot of people do, though, do they?
30:12No. I don't think I would, either.
30:15I don't want to get hurt.
30:17I don't want to fall in love with somebody,
30:20and then they can't deal with how poorly I am.
30:23And I think that's why I've just kind of, like, pushed people away before.
30:27I feel like no-one's going to want me, yeah.
30:31I'm under, like, different neurologists and consultants and that,
30:34and, like, yeah, it's a bit crazy.
30:36Yeah, hey, that's what makes you, you.
30:39Yeah, that's true. That is very true.
30:52If you're looking for trouble...
30:54Here, hoping to collar a man tonight,
30:57is burlesque dancer Double D, a.k.a. Debra.
31:03Double D, it's, like, a cheeky reference to Double D,
31:07but I'm not actually a Double D any more, so...
31:11Hello.
31:12How are you?
31:13I'm good, thank you.
31:15You're looking great.
31:16Have you been on many dates recently?
31:18No.
31:19No?
31:19Not for a long, long time.
31:21I've been single for six years.
31:23If I've been in town with my friend,
31:25I could go in pubs and probably get three different men's numbers,
31:30and then message them, and then no reply, because half of them are married.
31:34Well, look, you're in the right place, though.
31:35I know.
31:36You're the first to arrive.
31:37Good.
32:06You can have a good look at your date when you're on.
32:08I'm definitely a groupie.
32:10I just love men that are entertainers or singers.
32:13I love Adamant.
32:20I like a man to know his own style and his own taste and not just be run-of-the
32:27-mill.
32:33Do you have any sort of wild stories from travelling the world or anything like that?
32:41I did turn up at one booking. I had my name on the poster, and it said one for the
32:47ladies,
32:48and it was about 100 nurses, and they thought I was a stripper.
32:56How are you?
32:57Hi, Fred. Nice to meet you. Very smart.
32:59Yeah, you too. I love your jacket.
33:01Yeah, really cool.
33:02Have you been on many dates before?
33:05Not very good ones.
33:07People think because you have a microphone and the career that I do that you're really,
33:12really confident, but I'm very, very shy, and I never, ever really approach women.
33:18Your date has arrived. She's at the ball.
33:19Oh, nice one.
33:22Here we are. Enjoy your date.
33:24Hi.
33:24Hi, all right.
33:25Lee, what's your name?
33:26Debbie.
33:26Nice to meet you, Debbie.
33:27And you?
33:28Where are you from?
33:29Barnsley.
33:29Barnsley.
33:30From what?
33:31Have you been on holiday?
33:33No, I went on the sunbed last month.
33:36Oh, okay.
33:36You've got a nice cup.
33:37Yeah.
33:38What's that?
33:40April Spritz.
33:41I'll have one of them, please, Mellon.
33:42Of course.
33:44Barnsley, yeah.
33:44I've been up there a few times.
33:45I've been to Gorba Road, yeah.
33:48The working men's club?
33:49Yeah.
33:49Oh, that's where I go.
33:50Oh, is it?
33:51Yeah.
33:51I go to burlesque classes.
33:54Oh, what, you do burlesque?
33:56Yeah.
33:56Oh, good on you.
33:57Good for body confidence.
33:58It is.
33:59Yeah.
34:00What were you doing at Gorba, then?
34:01Were you performing?
34:03Yeah.
34:03Not a stripper, though, like people think.
34:05No.
34:06Singer.
34:06What do you sing?
34:08My favourite is like Andrea Bocelli.
34:10All right.
34:11So, I like my classical, but yeah, anything from 50s to chart.
34:16I like your jacket, by the way.
34:17And your jeans.
34:18So, this is my son's.
34:19Is it?
34:20Yes, Fred.
34:21Are you ready to go through to the table?
34:23Yes, ready when you are, yeah?
34:25Yeah, come with me.
34:28I'm all about travelling.
34:30A place that you like to go.
34:31Mm.
34:32I haven't been anywhere for a while.
34:34I want to go travelling, but I travel a lot with work.
34:36Yeah.
34:37But it's nice to go with someone.
34:39Yeah, it is.
34:39It makes a difference.
34:40I think that's one of the things I've missed.
34:42I've just been travelling.
34:43I've got a camper van, and I've just been France and Spain with a friend and all the things.
34:49Yeah, I don't like sitting on the beach.
34:51I'm not into that.
34:54I hide from the sun, because I just burn, so.
34:56Oh.
34:57Yeah.
34:57I love the sunshine.
35:00Yeah, Tracy's lovely.
35:02She's a very interesting person.
35:04See, the fact she's retrained to be a paramedic, that's a proper job.
35:07I mean, I saw bloody cleaning products for a living.
35:09She's out saving lives every day.
35:11Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it?
35:14No.
35:14We won't make it fair.
35:15No, we won't.
35:16Oh.
35:17I'll arm wrestle euphoria.
35:18Go on then, go on then.
35:19Now we're going to lose.
35:21Oh, thank you so much.
35:26Would you guys like to see each other again?
35:30Am I going first?
35:32Why not?
35:33Ladies first.
35:33Ladies first, obviously.
35:34It's the rules, isn't it?
35:35I think I had a really nice time, but I don't think we're actually at the right place for each
35:41other at this moment in time.
35:43Thank you for that.
35:44Yep.
35:45Cheers.
35:45Cheers, yep.
35:47No, I don't disagree with you.
35:48I kind of think that, yeah, completely understand that.
35:51And yeah, my life is kind of in a strange place at the moment.
35:54I love that your coat is matching.
35:56This whole pink thing is amazing.
35:59I'll tell you the funny facts about me.
36:00I used to be the mayor.
36:01Did you?
36:02Yeah.
36:02Of where?
36:03Wakefield.
36:04Wow.
36:04That's awesome.
36:06I could have got involved with royalty.
36:08Yeah.
36:09That's nuts.
36:11Oh, we've got a little bit of bow-tie fixing today.
36:14Thank you, thank you.
36:15There we go.
36:16Thank you very much.
36:17Immunacular.
36:20I had some Malibu and Cokes last night to try and calm the nerves.
36:24Was you in the gutter?
36:24Yeah.
36:27I felt drunk.
36:28See, I don't drink at gigs.
36:31I never get nervous.
36:33Yeah, here, yeah, nerves.
36:37Here we go.
36:38Your sea bass.
36:40Your steak.
36:43Is that done?
36:44Can I take that?
36:44Yes, thank you.
36:47Well, that looks really nice.
36:51So, have you been married before, Debbie?
36:53Yeah, for 28 years.
36:55Just once?
36:56Yeah.
36:57But, see, I've never been married.
36:58I've been engaged five times over the years.
37:02That's a lot of money on engagement rates.
37:04It is, when you don't get them back.
37:06I look at past relationships and think, yeah, maybe if I'd done this and done that,
37:12not put myself and my career first and my work,
37:16I probably would have been still in some of them relationships now.
37:22I've got a lot of regrets about my past,
37:25because I've missed a lot of my children growing up.
37:30My daughter, at the moment, is living with me Wednesday to Monday,
37:34because she started working for my son.
37:36It's been really nice, actually, having her there.
37:40I've really missed her.
37:42She's amazing, the whole thing.
37:45I've been very lucky with my children.
37:48My son's just told me a couple of weeks ago he's going to have,
37:51they're having a baby, so he keeps calling me Grandad.
37:56I'm in my 50s now and it's, you sort of look and you think,
37:59it's just nice to have that someone next to you.
38:02When my daughter first started going on holiday with her friends,
38:05I'd cry for nearly a week while she was awake.
38:07Yeah.
38:08Because we're so close, all of us.
38:10Yeah.
38:10We're so lovely together and when we're all together,
38:13we just all get on and have fun.
38:14Yeah.
38:15And make fun of each other.
38:17That's what my son's like.
38:18My son's very much like me.
38:19He's very witty, very sarcastic, loves wound-ups.
38:22I think I'm lucky.
38:23My children have got good hearts.
38:25Yeah.
38:25They're good people and that's all you can ask for.
38:27That's a blessing, isn't it?
38:29Yeah.
38:33Yay!
38:35There is your gambas.
38:38I've got your potatoes bravas.
38:41Amazing, thank you.
38:42And I have your Korean chicken.
38:47How is your day in history?
38:49I feel like my health's had a lot of, like...
38:52Impact on it?
38:53Yeah, because, like, the last couple of people I've been with,
38:55it's only been, like, a few months.
38:56Mm.
38:57How was yours?
38:58I've only ever had, like, one serious relationship in my life.
39:01And that ended about a year ago.
39:03Mm.
39:04As a kid, you kind of think, oh, by the time I'm this age,
39:07I'll have a family, I'll have a house, I'll have a dog, a car.
39:11So I think turning 30, I would like to share the next half of my life with someone.
39:17My friends are pretty much settled down with missus and getting houses and stuff like that.
39:21To be fair, I'm the same. Like, most of my friends are married,
39:24they've got kids, and I'm just, like, mm-hmm.
39:27Yeah, yeah, yeah.
39:27Winging life.
39:29Yeah, I'm like, aw.
39:30Yeah.
39:31Having that best friend but partner relationship can't be it.
39:38Having someone to lean on, someone you can do everything with, you know,
39:42do anything to make the other person happy.
39:44What's, like, your normal type?
39:46So, you do look like me type.
39:49I'm just going to use it.
39:51So, like, yeah, I like the tall, darling, handsome type.
39:55I like your beard, you've got... I like your hair.
39:57It's different, it's quirky.
39:58Oh, thank you.
39:59No, it's nice, obviously, cos, like, being a barber, I notice it.
40:02Yeah, yeah, can't wait for them free trims.
40:05They're going to be brilliant.
40:06Every four days, I want to fade.
40:07No, four deers.
40:09Every four days.
40:10No, five's the minimum.
40:12Yes, five is the minimum.
40:17Hello, Fred.
40:18So, um, my little finger tells me that you are a singer.
40:21Yes.
40:22So, what are you saying, then?
40:23Let's go, let's put it on the show.
40:26What, I've got to sing?
40:28Well, you're a singer.
40:28Just a couple of verses.
40:30All right, let's go.
40:35Oh, sole mio, stand afronte a te.
40:44Oh, sole, oh, sole mio, stand afronte a te.
40:57Stand afronte a te.
41:01Oh, sole mio, stand afronte a te.
41:02Whoa!
41:04CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
41:05That was amazing.
41:07Wow, that was amazing.
41:10Fabulous.
41:13That was brave.
41:15Honestly, and physically, she is.
41:16It is.
41:18Total respect to you, Debbie, for burlesque.
41:21I just love dancing.
41:23Most people are like, wow, I don't know how you've got the guts.
41:27I'm more worried about getting the dance right than the end bit.
41:31And you beat yourself up when you watch it back and you're thinking,
41:33Yeah.
41:34I went wrong on that bit.
41:35And it was like, well, nobody knew because only you know what you're doing for the solo.
41:38Exactly.
41:38Exactly.
41:40I'm really not a confident person.
41:46When I was younger, I was bullied at school and I was bullied in my marriage a lot.
41:52And I feel like I can't change who I am.
41:58When you've been married, as long as I was, it takes a while for the mist to clear and
42:03for you to realise who you are and what you actually want from life.
42:07The burlesque, it's more of a cabaret.
42:10So we have like a singer and we have all different things.
42:13I can't sing.
42:15Everybody can sing, Debbie.
42:17I can sing, it's not a good song.
42:18Everybody can sing.
42:19But what I do is I get on the karaoke, I wiggle a lot so it distracts them from the
42:24sound of my voice.
42:28Now, I'm happy in my life and I don't want to stop what I'm doing.
42:31I want somebody to bring something to my life.
42:34I would love to be swept off my feet.
42:37I'd like somebody that's really good fun.
42:43Are you cold?
42:45No, I just think it's nice.
42:48It's quite romantic, isn't it, really?
42:52Yeah.
42:53How's your gin?
42:55Lovely.
42:55You don't judge me, do you, for drinking pink gin?
42:58No.
42:58Or any gin?
42:59No.
43:01Yeah, it was lovely to be on a day with someone I was comfortable with and it flowed so easily.
43:06Like, it would have been a nightmare if I was with someone that, like, I was chatting
43:11my head off and I just got nothing back.
43:12It would have been really difficult.
43:15Big spoon or small spoon?
43:17Small spoon.
43:17Oh, I like being small spoon as well.
43:19But you, how can you be small spoon as well?
43:21I don't know.
43:21I think there's something nice about being tradled in bed.
43:24I don't know what it is.
43:24Yeah.
43:24It's nice.
43:25You never know.
43:28Would you like to see each other again?
43:32You're going first, aren't I?
43:35Oh, I don't mind.
43:36Yeah, I've got vibes.
43:38Yeah, I'd like to see you again, yeah.
43:43So, oh, I feel terrible.
43:45I'm so excited.
43:46I think you're really nice.
43:48It's all right.
43:49I think you are obviously attractive and maybe it was like the environment,
43:54but I just felt like I was more with, like, my friend in a way.
43:58Yeah, of course, yeah.
43:59I can see it.
44:00You're not cold in just a t-shirt?
44:03Brave face, mate.
44:04Brave face.
44:05I'm absolutely freezing.
44:07I feel like the only reason I could put it down to you because it's nothing to do with you
44:12is that I'm just not, I'm just not ready.
44:14Oh, it's fine.
44:15You gave it a shot.
44:16It was all nice.
44:16He's really nice and I feel bad.
44:18No.
44:19I'm just sorry it didn't, you know, work out, but there's nobody to meet, yeah?
44:23Get on, Seth.
44:23Yeah, you too.
44:24See you later.
44:25Bye.
44:30My mum and dad were so much in love for years from an early age.
44:34My friends would go, oh, I saw your mum and dad in Barnsley.
44:37They were holding hands and they used to always share a toasted fruit tea cake in the market.
44:41Yeah, I mean, you see a lot of that round hole where they're walking hand in hand.
44:44Yeah.
44:44It's lovely, but they're handcuffed.
44:46That's what it was like, innit?
44:49We had a lot in common, like, unbelievable amount in common.
44:53It's a really nice guy.
44:55And I'll get the bill.
44:56No, you won't.
44:57Yes, I will.
44:57No, no, we're both equals.
44:59No, no, I'll get the bill.
45:04Will you guys see each other again?
45:08I think, yeah, definitely.
45:10Yeah, I think so, yeah.
45:14I'm getting this CC.
45:15You are a gent.
45:17That's a good quality to have a man.
45:18I just hope it works.
45:19It's not my card.
45:22We just hit it off straight away with conversation, didn't we, Deb?
45:25Yeah.
45:26It's just, from the moment I sat with her at the bar,
45:29I think the only time we stopped was when Fred came over.
45:32We were saying you could probably come to one of my shows and sing,
45:35but you might have to sing a different song.
45:38Do you know any Elvis?
45:40That's what I got asked the other day, yeah.
45:42I said I look like Elvis.
45:43I've never had that in my life.
45:46Let's get to Bingo.
45:47Let's get to Bingo.
45:48What are you, Debba?
45:48I've got a few Dabbers.
45:50A little less conversation, a little more action.
45:55All this aggravation ain't satisfaction in me.
45:59A little more bite and a little less spark.
46:01A little less fight and a little more spark.
46:03Close your mouth and open up your heart and make you satisfy me.
46:07Satisfy me, baby.
46:09Baby, close your eyes and listen to the music.
46:40There's Dabbers who call it, in there.
46:42ê±±ì • your eyes and bring me back and ask a little bit to the music.
46:42Alrighty, bud.
Comments