E4 takes teens on First Dates

First Dates: Teens will air on Channel 4’s youth net E4

UK commercially funded public broadcaster Channel 4 has commissioned a spin-off of its First Dates format featuring teenagers.

First Dates: Teens (working title) will air on the broadcaster’s youth-skewing network E4 with Fred Sirieix returning as the restaurant host in a new Manchester restaurant.

UK production company Twenty Twenty, which produced the original First Dates, is on board to produce the new instalment which will focus on 16- to 19-year-olds.

First Dates began airing in 2013 and has since spawned celebrity- and hotel-based spin-offs. The format has been adapted in 19 countries.

Rather than emphasising long-term relationships, the teen series will look to help the young people escape the pressures of the outside world.

Channel 4 said the safety of the show’s crew and participants is paramount and that it has taken the latest government Covid-19 guidelines into account.

Karl Warner, controller of E4, said: “We want to showcase the full range and diversity of teenagers in the UK today, the way they feel about dating and what they make of the world around them.”