Channel 4 links with UK National Health Service for blood donation dating format 

Love is in the Blood will be presented by Adeola Patronne

Channel 4 has teamed up with NHS Blood and Transplant for a branded entertainment series in which singletons go on blind dates while donating blood.

Two-part series Love is in the Blood will be made available on Channel 4.0 on August 19 and follow eight singletons who will go on blind dates behind dividers while they donate to help save lives.

After the ‘donation date’ is over they will have a decision to make: they can choose to meet the person on the other side face-to-face, or head home none the wiser.

Adeola Patronne will present the show, which was produced by Word on the Curb, with the partnership deal, media planning and buying led by OmniGOV at MG OMD.

The series was filmed in the NHS’s brand-new donor centre in Brixton, London, which has welcomed higher number of young donors and donors of Black heritage since it opened in December 2024.

Giving blood in the UK takes under 10 minutes, with the whole process taking around an hour from start to finish. Volunteers are welcomed in with a drink, complete a pre-screen check with a registered nurse before heading into the donation area.

Kaio Grizzelle, digital commissioning executive at Channel 4, said: “Channel 4.0 being our youngest-skewing channel will allow the NHSBT to position themselves in front of viewers who may know little about the process of donating blood, and how simple it is.

“Particularly when it comes to young people of global majority heritage, who are an underrepresented proportion among donors. It is exciting to see how Word on the Curb can produce a format to help promote and engage people in blood donation, while staying true to Channel 4.0’s vision and style. We know this special series will really resonate with viewers due to its charm and relatability.”

Ndubuisi Uchea, CEO and co-founder of Word on the Curb, said: “As someone living with sickle cell, I know first-hand how vital blood donation is. With Love is in the Blood, we wanted to take something often seen as clinical and reframe it through the lens of human connection, and what better way than through dating?

“At Word on the Curb, we believe in the power of edutainment, blending human storytelling with entertainment to shift perceptions and behaviours. This series is a perfect example of how culturally relevant formats can break down barriers, especially for younger audiences who often don’t see themselves reflected in traditional donation messaging.”