Channel 4 and Twenty Twenty move First Dates to Manchester

Channel 4 has ordered a further 30 episode run of Twenty Twenty’s BAFTA winner First Dates with the new series moving to a new restaurant in Manchester when filming begins later this year.

Although the show will move to a new restaurant in Manchester, much of the production will take place in Bristol as part of Channel 4’s commitment to its new regional hub in the city. The First Dates casting team will be based in Bristol, as well as the story editing team and members of the post-production team. Coinciding with the move, Channel 4 and Twenty Twenty are co-funding a new training scheme which will train up 24 Bristol-based production staff to work on the show, in areas including casting, research, editing and directing.

Managing Director and Head of Twenty Twenty Leanne Klein said: “We are very excited to be taking our flagship dating series to the regions. We have already begun tapping into the fantastic local talent pool in Bristol from where we are putting together our new team of casters and date editors. And with the move of the First Dates restaurant we will have the chance to expose our daters to a brand new experience with a few exciting new tweaks to the much loved format.”

Danny Horan, Head of Factual, Channel 4, continued: “This move is so great for Channel 4 Bristol and Manchester. We are thrilled to be investing in new diverse talent with Twenty Twenty. This is just one part of Factual’s commitment to expand out of London at scale.”

Madonna Benjamin, Commissioning Editor, Channel 4, added: “We can’t wait to work with Twenty Twenty to continue building on the success of First Dates. The new restaurant location and regional production base provide exciting opportunities for the series.”

First Dates will return for a brand-new series on Channel 4 and All 4 in the coming months, filmed at the restaurant in London, before the new restaurant is unveiled at a later date. First Dates is a Twenty Twenty production (part of Warner Bros. International Television Production) for Channel 4, commissioned by Madonna Benjamin and Rita Daniels for Channel 4, Executive Produced by Jon Crisp for Twenty Twenty.