Channel 4 commissions third run of hit series The Undateables

Channel 4’s Factual Entertainment department has commissioned a third run of critically acclaimed series The Undateables, which will again follow the journeys of several extraordinary singletons as they enter the dating circuit in pursuit of love.

Series two, made by betty, aired at the beginning of the year and consolidated at an average of 3.5 million and a 12.8% share. The programme also led to huge social media engagement and was consistently the most tweeted about Channel 4 programme across the run with between 63,000-93,000 tweets per episode. Three out of five episodes were the most tweeted about show that day, across all TV.

The series was praised by viewers, TV critics and charities for its warm and accurate portrayal of the lives of the contributors who featured. Sam Wollaston wrote in the Guardian: “[The Undateables is] sensible, sensitive, kind. Not too kind though, not worthy, not head-on-the-side, sad face, we feel sorry for these poor people. They are treated respectfully, “normally”. But it doesn’t pretend that their disabilities aren’t there; it’s actually very revealing about what it’s like to live with autism, Tourette syndrome and the fallout from a stroke. […] It’s warm, it’s sad, it’s touching, it’s sometimes very funny. Pitched just about perfectly.”

The third 5 x 60 series has been commissioned by Channel 4 Head of Factual Entertainment Liam Humphreys and Commissioning Editor Lucy Leveugle and will air in 2014. It will be executive produced by betty’s Sarah Spencer.