The Undateables
British reality television series
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The Undateables is a British reality television series that follows a range of people on dates who have long term conditions, including: disabilities, developmental disorders, neurodevelopmental conditions, and learning difficulties. The series worked in conjunction with the dating agency, Flame Introductions, and was broadcast on Channel 4. Fifty-three main episodes aired since the documentary first aired on 3 April 2012, split into 11 separate series. The documentary has been narrated by Sally Phillips throughout.
| The Undateables | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reality |
| Voices of | Sally Phillips |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 11 |
| No. of episodes | 53 (to 9 April 2020) |
| Production | |
| Production company | Betty |
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel 4 |
| Release | 3 April 2012 – 9 April 2020 |
Transmissions
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 April 2012 | 17 April 2012 | 3 |
| 2 | 8 January 2013 | 5 February 2013 | 5 |
| 3 | 9 January 2014 | 30 January 2014 | 4 |
| 4 | 5 January 2015 | 2 February 2015 | 5 |
| 5 | 4 January 2016 | 1 February 2016 | 5 |
| 6 | 2 January 2017 | 30 January 2017 | 5 |
| 7 | 11 September 2017 | 9 October 2017 | 5 |
| 8 | 21 December 2017 | 29 January 2018 | 5 |
| 9 | 10 September 2018 | 18 December 2018 | 5 |
| 10 | 9 January 2019 | 17 December 2019 | 6 |
| 11 | 11 March 2020 | 9 April 2020 | 5 |
Episodes
Series 1
| Episode | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luke & Lucy | 3 April 2012 |
| 2 | Justin & Shaine | 10 April 2012 |
| 3 | Hadyn & Sam | 17 April 2012 |
Series 2
| Episode | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael, Brent & Sarah | 8 January 2013 |
| 2 | Sam, Ray & Steve | 15 January 2013 |
| 3 | Kate, Damian & Oliver | 22 January 2013 |
| 4 | Heather, Gareth & Matthew | 29 January 2013 |
| 5 | The Undateables – Revisit | 5 February 2013 |
Series 3
| Episode | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary, Daniel & Hayley | 9 January 2014 |
| 2 | John, Ruth & Zoe | 16 January 2014 |
| 3 | Michael, Ray, Brent, Kate & Steve | 23 January 2014 |
| 4 | Sam, Shaine, Richard & Justin | 30 January 2014 |
Series 4
| Episode | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex, Matthew & Daniella | 5 January 2015 |
| 2 | Tim, Ali & Alec | 12 January 2015 |
| 3 | Richard, Chris & Christina | 19 January 2015 |
| 4 | Ruth, Daniel & Michael Revisited | 26 January 2015 |
| 5 | Two Weddings and a Baby | 2 February 2015 |
Series 5
| Episode | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | James, Tammy & Tom | 4 January 2016 |
| 2 | James, Lucas & Tom | 11 January 2016 |
| 3 | George, David & Bethany | 18 January 2016 |
| 4 | Holiday Romance | 25 January 2016 |
| 5 | Wedding Bells | 1 February 2016 |
Series 6
| Episode | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam, Kate & Ian | 2 January 2017 |
| 2 | Eddie, Lily & Pani | 9 January 2017 |
| 3 | Jamie, Luke & Lizzie | 16 January 2017 |
| 4 | Shaine, Alex & Ray | 23 January 2017 |
| 5 | Richard, James, Tom & Daniel | 30 January 2017 |
Series 7
| Episode | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason, Souleyman & Charley | 11 September 2017 |
| 2 | Kaia, Rhys & Joshua | 18 September 2017 |
| 3 | Sam, Katy & Donovan | 25 September 2017 |
| 4 | Richard, Lizzie, Eddie & Sam | 2 October 2017 |
| 5 | Shaine, Lily, Ray & George | 9 October 2017 |
Series 8
| Episode | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel, Shaine, Ray & Sam | 21 December 2017 |
| 2 | Luke, Sam & Becky | 8 January 2018 |
| 3 | Nisar, Daniel & Fatima | 15 January 2018 |
| 4 | Amber, Richard & Nick | 22 January 2018 |
| 5 | Alex, Jason & Tom | 29 January 2018 |
Series 9
| Episode | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlotte, Mitch & James | 10 September 2018 |
| 2 | Rory, Roland & Molly | 17 September 2018 |
| 3 | Jordan, Paige & Sam | 24 September 2018 |
| 4 | Ray, Jason & Luke Revisit | 1 October 2018 |
| 5 | Christmas: A Festive Proposal | 18 December 2018 |
Series 10
| Episode | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael, Tobi & Emily | 9 January 2019 |
| 2 | Tom, Esther & Thomas | 16 January 2019 |
| 3 | Ray, Becky, Shaine & James | 23 January 2019 |
| 4 | Daniel, Rhys, Richerd, Rory | 30 January 2019 |
| 5 | Francesco, Feron & Alex | 13 March 2019 |
| 6 | The Undateables at Christmas 2019 | 17 December 2019 |
Series 11
| Episode | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicholas, Sam and Shantae | 11 March 2020 |
| 2 | Sam, Jodie and Hannah | 18 March 2020 |
| 3 | Rory, Lily, Jordan and Nicholas | 25 March 2020 |
| 4 | Charlotte, Richard, Alex and Sam | 1 April 2020 |
| 5 | Michael and Zena | 9 April 2020 |
Additional episodes
| Title | Duration |
|---|---|
| Extra: What We Learnt About Love | 4 minutes |
| Extra: A Guide to Dating | 4 minutes |
Controversy
Early controversy was generated from newspapers such as The Daily Mirror and The Guardian, due to the word "undateable" being used in the title to describe people with mental and physical disabilities. Channel 4 claimed that the title of the series is based upon society's preconceptions of these people.[1] The Undateables faced significant backlash from doctors who branded the show "offensive" and "exploitative".[citation needed] Dr. Rachael Pickering said that the series had left her "disturbed at being part of a society that might seek to view disabled people as a source of comedy". She also spoke with the BMA (British Medical Association) annual representatives about the danger of patients being exploited by the TV documentary.[2] In an interview with Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on This Morning, two stars of the then-upcoming fifth series, Tammy and James, pushed back on critics' claims. Tammy said she found it insulting that anyone would suggest she would allow herself to be exploited, while James claimed that the show combated stigma and educated viewers.[3]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | BAFTA Television Award[4] | TV Programme of the Year | The Undateables | Nominated |
| 2017 | Diversity in Media Awards | TV Programme of the Year | The Undateables | Nominated |