Interview with Cici Coleman

12 December 2023

First Dates is back in a beautiful new restaurant. How does it feel to be filming in Bath?

It's got a different energy. It's very pretty. You automatically get a different feel from London. It's got greenery, it's very calm and like it's more romantic. And then the restaurant is in a listed building, which couldn’t have been more stunning.

What makes this series different from previous series?

I think we had a really strong team, everybody came in with their A game. Everybody came in with really good energy and it really worked. Everybody wanted to support everybody.

What have been some of your favourite moments of filming?

The Conga, we did the Conga in the restaurant, who could have guessed that. Out of nowhere, I just found myself in the middle of a Conga! We were all doing it.

Do you have any behind the scenes secrets you can share?

Maybe a bit of chef chemistry with some of the staff.

Have you got a favourite date from the new series?

I mean they were all great. A lady came in who was very spiritual and she needed to cleanse the restaurant. She got some sage and, and cleansed the restaurant to make sure that there were none of her past boyfriends in the restaurant.

This year, First Dates celebrates its 10 year anniversary. How does that feel?

Wild! How the hell have we done this for 10 years? How has it been that long? So much has happened in our lives as well. Like everybody, the staff members, how have we all gone through what we have and come out the other side? I never would have thought we'd have done it for this long, I thought maybe in four years, it might stop there. But we can't let go.

Why do you think First Dates has been so successful over the last 10 years?

The love and the team. We keep it simple because we don't mess about with it, we don't try to create car crashes. We try our best to match people so that they have a future together. There's so much negativity in the world and we're really trying to search for that positivity. And so, at the end of a bad day, if you can watch two people falling in love, it's pretty special. You forget your own stuff.

You also have some new waiters this year. What advice have you given them?

Same advice when you go on a date, just be yourself and also just do your job, don't overcomplicate it. Be really nice, be kind, be warm. You’ve got the job for a reason, so go and be that reason.

Has working on First Dates changed your opinion on love?

Absolutely. It’s taught me, don't lose hope because it's so easy in the world we're in now. And having Francesca who is this incredible warmth, she does bring a different element of love to it because of the Italian culture that reminds you that you can have it. You don't have to be like jaded and you can have it all.