First Dates restaurant to relocate for tenth series

Channel 4’s First Dates, which is hosted by front of house champion Fred Sirieix, will relocate to the Botanist bar and restaurant in Bath for its tenth series.

Contestants will be filmed dining inside the Grade II-listed Octagon Chapel, which was built in 1766 and was known to have been visited by author Jane Austen.

Previous First Dates restaurants included Paternoster Chop House, a D&D restaurant in London’s St Paul’s, which closed and relocated in 2020, and the Refinery Spinningfields in Manchester, a former Drake & Morgan restaurant, which closed in 2021.

Twenty Twenty Productions, which creates the show with Channel 4, said the moved showed its “ongoing commitment” to the UK regions, following the establishment of the company’s new regional hub in Bristol, which will be home to the First Dates casting team.

It also coincides with Channel 4’s aims to expand out of London.

The new series is set to feature new cast members, a format refresh and “some of the most unforgettable dating moments ever featured”.

Sirieix said: “Making this new series feels special, celebrating a decade of bringing people together on the show, but there’s always more love to be found. They say Bath is the most romantic city in the UK and it’s true, so what better place to set the scene for romance to blossom than there!”

James O’Reilly, creative director at Twenty Twenty, added: “We can’t wait for the new First Dates restaurant to open its doors to singletons looking for love in beautiful Bath. It's Britain's most romantic city and promises to be the perfect backdrop to our 10th anniversary season - which will also have a new look and some exciting twists to go with our brand-new location.”

First Dates has launched in over 20 countries since it first aired in 2013. Since 2017, it has also introduced a spin-off series, First Dates Hotel.