Vicky Pattison and Lucinda Light pair up to host brand new Channel 4 dating show, The Honesty Box (w/t), from Mettlemouse Entertainment and GroupM Motion Entertainment

20 August 2024

Is total honesty the secret to finding true love?

Channel 4 has commissioned The Honesty Box (working title), a nine-part reality dating experiment for E4, from Mettlemouse Entertainment and GroupM Motion Entertainment which will test if honesty is the secret to finding true and everlasting love.

The series brings a cast of singles together in “Truetopia”, a sunny and romantic paradise where truth and honesty reign supreme. Ready to try a new approach, each single has signed up to this new radical dating experiment knowing they will be tested, in the hope it will lead to true love. To encourage full transparency in their new relationships there is a prize fund of £100,000 up for grabs, but only if the daters choose to be open and completely honest about their true feelings.

Every day the daters will face The Honesty Box – a new AI-enhanced software – to be asked probing questions about their feelings. If The Honesty Box detects deception, it could impact their newly formed relationship… and the prize fund.

The singles will be guided through the experiment by host Vicky Pattison. Vicky will be joined by motivational speaker and Married at First Sight Australia alumnus Lucinda Light, who will be encouraging each of the daters to discover their inner truth.

Vicky Pattison said, "I'm so excited to be working with Channel 4 to host this brilliant new dating experiment. It really will put the 'true' in 'true love'. I can't wait for the daters to settle in to Truetopia and to share every twist and turn with them along the way. I hope beautiful, honest love stories will blossom."

Lucinda Light said, "Having undergone my own radical journey to find love, I deeply empathise with our brave cast of singles. I'm passionate about the importance of truth and authenticity in building strong relationships. My goal is to guide our divine daters in making meaningful connections by encouraging them to share openly and honestly with one another, especially as they face the Honesty Box in Truetopia."

Channel 4’s Head of Reality and Entertainment, Steven Handley said, "We all love the drama of reality dating shows, but we can be left wondering if the couples really like each other or if they are just performing for the cameras. So, I’m thrilled to commission The Honesty Box (w/t), Mettlemouse’s innovative new take on a dating show that will test what our singles actually think of each other, and just how brutally honest we are all prepared to be to find everlasting love.”

Channel 4 Commissioning Editor, Genna Gibson, said, "Relationship experts say that honesty and trust are crucial to finding love, but could it be better to keep some of the awkward truths under wraps in those fragile early days? The Honesty Box will test just how truthful it pays to be at the start of a new relationship, and explore if total honesty makes for a longer-lasting bond."

Mettlemouse CEO, Sarah Tyekiff said, "Everyone has experienced a relationship damaged by lies and deception in the past and our cast are no different. To change this, they’re boldly taking part in our new social experiment ‘The Honesty Box’ - the most honest dating show in the world where we’ll discover if being truthful from the start is the best foundation for love.  We can’t wait to see if anyone finds the true love they’re so desperately seeking."

Head of Formats & Entertainment (UK), GroupM Motion Entertainment, Martin Oxley adds, "The sincerity of love on TV is under constant interrogation from all quarters, so we couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of The Honesty Box with Channel 4 and the extremely talented and experienced team at Mettlemouse. The fact that this show has been commissioned from the hugely creative Contestable Pot process makes us all the more excited for what's to come."

The Honesty Box was developed by Mettlemouse alongside Commissioning Editor Mel Bezalel. It was commissioned by Head of Reality & Entertainment Steven Handley and Commissioning Editor Genna Gibson. Executive producers for Mettlemouse are Shaun Parry Becca Walker and Ali Haddon-Cave. Martin Oxley, Head of Formats & Entertainment (UK) is the Executive Producer for GroupM Motion Entertainment.

The Honesty Box is commissioned following a competitive brief to independent production companies for Channel 4’s Contestable Pot, led by Channel Executive, Art Sejdiu, to find innovative formats to launch in peak time with support from GroupM Motion Entertainment. Following the success of this round, The Contestable Pot has now re-opened to find more audacious, audience-driving, genre-bending channel-defining formats. Producers can find more info here:

https://www.channel4.com/4producers/briefs/contestable-pot

ENDS

About Mettlemouse Entertainment
Mettlemouse is a globally focussed independent production company based in London, of which BBC Studios has taken a minority stake. Run by a team of trusted and passionate creative with a love for TV and a proven track record of delivering international hits. The aim is simple, to develop and produce the next generation of bold, innovative and ‘must-see’ unscripted content.

About GroupM Motion Entertainment
GroupM Motion Entertainment funds, develops, produces and distributes premium television, digital content and award-winning programming around the globe in partnership with the world’s leading producers, talent, networks, and platforms. Through innovative commercial and creative partnerships Motion works alongside GroupM agencies to produce original brand-funded content and unique entertainment partnerships that create value and help clients play a positive and active role in culture. The company has co-produced over 2,100 series, equating to over 33,000 hours of television across all programming genres. Motion currently operates in 40+ countries worldwide with headquarters in London and Los Angeles. GroupM Motion Entertainment is part of GroupM, a WPP company.

About Channel 4
Channel 4 exists to create change through entertainment. Publicly owned yet commercially funded, Channel 4 generates significant and sustainable cultural, economic and social impact across the UK – at no cost to the taxpayer.

The broadcaster’s distinctive remit is set by Parliament, and it has a role to represent unheard voices, challenge with purpose and reinvent entertainment. For more than 40 years, it has been a British success story, engaging generation after generation of young people.

With a unique publisher-broadcaster model, Channel 4 commissions its content from the UK independent production sector. Working with hundreds of creative companies every year, Channel 4 makes a major contribution to the local, regional and national economy, creating and supporting thousands of jobs and businesses across the country.

In 2024, Channel 4 launched its Fast Forward strategy to accelerate its transformation into an agile and genuinely digital-first public service streamer by 2030. It is designed to ensure Channel 4 embraces the generational shift in TV viewing, elevates its impact across the UK and stands out in a crowded market.

From its bases in London, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol and Glasgow, Channel 4 is fully committed to harnessing the power of its regional structure to increase its impact across the UK. Through its training and development initiative 4Skills is opening up opportunities in broadcasting, with a particular focus on disadvantaged young people and addressing skills gaps across the Nations and Regions. 4Skills invests £5m in training, development and learning opportunities annually and this will double to £10m by 2025.

Channel 4 has the UK’s biggest free streaming service. Through Film4 Productions, Channel 4 also invests in British filmmakers to huge critical acclaim, producing 43 Oscar wins and 97 BAFTA wins in its history.