Interview with Kobi Yeboah-Mensah and Aoife Smyth
Category: Press Pack ArticleTell us about the new series of First Dates.
Aoife: It’s a celebration of everything First Dates have achieved in the 10 years that the series has been going. It's incredible to be part of a new set of people that are getting to experience that with the OGs, Fred, Merlin, CiCi and Francesca. We've got this lovely new group of staff, and we've got such a bubbly, lovely energy, the three of us and together we make such a great team, so we're just aiding the quest for love.
Kofi: The new series of First Dates is pretty different to the series before. It'll be in Bath for the first time which some people call the ‘City of Love’ and it is a really pretty city which is befitting of the whole show.
What is your role in the First Dates restaurant?
Aoife: I’m one of the new waitresses and I'm a people person. I just love people and I think I have a really good balance of trying to keep a positive energy but also trying to nurture and mother the dates, being like a confidant for some of them.
Kofi: I'm one of the waiters and I’m also trying to keep things relaxed and jovial with the guests so that they have the best time possible and the atmosphere stays natural and relaxed. So I sometimes give the daters advice and help guide them in the right direction.
What can viewers expect from the new series?
Aoife: I think what I'm most proud of this series was the commitment to seeking dates outside the binary. Obviously First Dates has always championed diversity, but this series specifically I'm really proud to be a part of because it feels like it's everyone's rather than just the classic girl meets boy sort of thing. I'm neurodivergent and I'm queer and I've been able to be a part of so many of those people's journeys and being a confidant for those stories and a part of some of the conversations that are brought up in terms non-monogamous relationships and relationships that explore sort of areas of disabilities, for example. There's so many wonderful characters of different ages and sexes and genders. It just feels like a celebration of all love.
Kofi: I think you can expect the usual high energy from the waiting staff and from Fred and Merlin. There’s lots of interesting discussions between us and the waiting staff. We all come from a hospitality background and so it's nice to have that. So expect a lot of discussions around love, and first dates. And expect the unexpected!
How does it feel to be involved in First Dates?
Aoife: Amazing, it is so surreal because everyone's in the same place to find something so wonderful and pure and it's so rare that you get that. I've worked in restaurants before but it's just a completely different experience when everyone's so open and vulnerable. It's all just very pure is what I would say. Everyone comes with their best selves and it's just such a supportive and lovely environment.
Kofi: It's a phenomenal experience. I can't believe it - I was honoured to have been asked to do it. It's a national show that's really popular and it’s the first time I've done anything that'll be on TV. But for me, it was just trying to be as natural as possible, doing what I usually do because I've worked in hospitality for a few years.
How does it feel to be filming the series in the romantic city of Bath?
Aoife: Bath is just gorgeous and I had actually never been before so I really enjoyed it. It's definitely a break from London for sure, it was the perfect place to put the First Dates restaurant.
Kofi: I feel like this is going to be the best series. I think being in Bath with such a beautiful restaurant just gives it this cozy atmosphere which is a nice backdrop to the dates and I feel it’s just going to really make the show feel more authentic and more real with it being the city of love.
What has been your favourite date from the series?
Aoife: My favourite date I met was such a vivacious character but she was quite worried about having a big personality. And I've always really struggled with that being a woman, specifically dating straight men who I feel are sometimes intimidated by women with big personalities. And I remember saying to her, if this person doesn't want you, that doesn't dim your shine at all because, you should be as big and as loud as you want to be. And women empowering other women is so important, so it was just nice that I could help her on that journey.
Kofi: There was one lady who had her first date on the show and that didn't really go well to be honest, but then she came back and was paired up with someone else, a different type of person she'd been with before. And it was nice because it kind of really worked out for her and we got to see her story develop because she was a really nice genuine person who came across really honestly.
Did Fred, Cici and Merlin have any advice for you as new staff on the show?
Aoife: The biggest thing was just be yourself. And what I've learned from doing it, particularly from Fred, is that if I can be the butt of the joke, if I can be someone who alleviates all the stress of them, it immediately disarms everyone around them. We're there to make people feel comfortable. So I'm happy to be the class clown if it means that everyone else then goes, oh, ok, it's not that serious and we are just here to be vulnerable and have fun.
Kofi: Fred gave us a little pep talk in the beginning. He just drilled into us how important it is just to be as natural as possible.