New dating show to turn back on raunchy gimmicks to help men find love using a GRAN – & it could have Strictly star host
WE’VE had starkers singles on Dating Naked, while Love Triangle prompted contestants to throuple up to find romance.
But TV bosses have turned their back on raunchy gimmicks for a new show which is in development.
Recipe For Love will see a group of modern men flown out to Italy where a real-life grandma will teach them how to woo a girl the old-fashioned way.
The straight-talking Nonna will turn the lads into lover boys by teaching them how to make delicious meals, host a lady and create a cosy home.
It comes from production company Expectation, the people behind Clarkson’s Farm and comedienne Katherine Ryan’s Parental Guidance.
A celebrity host is not yet involved in the project with execs focussing on casting the perfect Italian grandma to school the wayward boys.
A TV source said: “Recipe For Love is the antithesis of the flood of raunchy dating shows, and encourages a return to old-fashioned values the modern world has forgotten.
“The show is in development now and talks are under way with a number of channels interested in airing the series. No talent is attached, but up-and-coming Strictly hunk Vito Coppola is considered the perfect fit. He embodies all those values plus is very close to his own Nonna.”
The makers are confident the format will work following ITV commission of Date My Nan, a similarly wholesome series that will follow single OAPS as they prepare for a romantic dinner with a potential match.
I’m all for variety in the dating sphere — Davina McCall’s My Mum, Your Dad proved some viewers prefer manners to six-packs.
COMEDY TRIO FOR DAVID
FRESH from announcing his stint on Celebrity Gogglebox, David Baddiel has a run of shows landing on Sky.
Earlier this year, he returned to stand-up after 15 years to reprise the trio at London’s Royal Court Theatre.
Those will air on Sky Arts and Now in November.
My Family: Not The Sitcom was described in 2016 as a “massively disrespectful” celebration of David’s late mother, Sarah and his dementia-ridden father, Colin and saw David nominated for an Olivier Award.
Fame: Not the Musical, which he first performed in 2014, and 2020’s Trolls: Not The Dolls complete the set.
David said: “I was very happy to discover at my advanced age, I remembered these shows well enough to perform them again on stage.”
OFF THEIR SWEDE
THERE was an infamous episode of Seventies sitcom Happy Days when producers – desperate to boost the flagging ratings – featured
The Fonz waterskiing before leaping over the dorsal fin of a great white.
It marked the beginning of the end of the show, and it must have been a similar sensation for anyone tuning in to This Morning, as they’d have seen hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard joining the London Vegetable Orchestra as they played trumpets made from carrots and swedes.
At least they didn’t have to get wet for their “shark jump” moment.
DAISY'S FAMILY VALUES
DAISY May Cooper and her brother Charlie are to reunite on screen for the first time since their Bafta-winning show, This Country.
Charlie is one of the guest stars on series two of her epic BBC One comedy, Am I Being Unreasonable?
Others include Tom Davis, Denise Black, Jamali Maddix and Kojey Radical.
The first series in 2022 was a smash hit with 3.2million viewers and the new run will pick up where it left off, mid-panic attack as Daisy May’s character Nic tries to get away with murder.
Lenny Rush is back as Nic’s son Ollie following his two Baftas for the role.
Daisy May said: “If you thought Lenny’s BAFTA-winning performance upstaged me, wait until you see his performance in series two. You’ll be wondering whether I was even in it. Livid.”