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.
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 EpisodeTitleOriginal air date1Luke & Lucy3 April 20122Justin & Shaine10 April 20123Hadyn & Sam17 April 2012
Series 2 EpisodeTitleOriginal air date1Michael, Brent & Sarah8 January 20132Sam, Ray & Steve15 January 20133Kate, Damian & Oliver22 January 20134Heather, Gareth & Matthew29 January 20135The Undateables – Revisit5 February 2013
Series 3 EpisodeTitleOriginal air date1Mary, Daniel & Hayley9 January 20142John, Ruth & Zoe16 January 20143Michael, Ray, Brent, Kate & Steve23 January 20144Sam, Shaine, Richard & Justin30 January 2014
Series 4 EpisodeTitleOriginal air date1Alex, Matthew & Daniella5 January 20152Tim, Ali & Alec12 January 20153Richard, Chris & Christina19 January 20154Ruth, Daniel & Michael Revisited26 January 20155Two Weddings and a Baby2 February 2015
Series 5 EpisodeTitleOriginal air date1James, Tammy & Tom4 January 20162James, Lucas & Tom11 January 20163George, David & Bethany18 January 20164Holiday Romance25 January 20165Wedding Bells1 February 2016
Series 6 EpisodeTitleOriginal air date1Sam, Kate & Ian2 January 20172Eddie, Lily & Pani9 January 20173Jamie, Luke & Lizzie16 January 20174Shaine, Alex & Ray23 January 20175Richard, James, Tom & Daniel30 January 2017
Series 7 EpisodeTitleOriginal air date1Jason, Souleyman & Charley11 September 20172Kaia, Rhys & Joshua18 September 20173Sam, Katy & Donovan25 September 20174Richard, Lizzie, Eddie & Sam2 October 20175Shaine, Lily, Ray & George9 October 2017
Series 8 EpisodeTitleOriginal air date1Daniel, Shaine, Ray & Sam21 December 20172Luke, Sam & Becky8 January 20183Nisar, Daniel & Fatima15 January 20184Amber, Richard & Nick22 January 20185Alex, Jason & Tom29 January 2018
Series 9 EpisodeTitleOriginal air date1Charlotte, Mitch & James10 September 20182Rory, Roland & Molly17 September 20183Jordan, Paige & Sam24 September 20184Ray, Jason & Luke Revisit1 October 20185Christmas: A Festive Proposal18 December 2018
Series 10 EpisodeTitleOriginal air date1Michael, Tobi & Emily9 January 20192Tom, Esther & Thomas16 January 20193Ray, Becky, Shaine & James23 January 20194Daniel, Rhys, Richerd, Rory 30 January 20195Francesco, Feron & Alex13 March 20196The Undateables at Christmas 201917 December 2019
Series 11 EpisodeTitleOriginal air date1Nicholas, Sam and Shantae11 March 20202Sam, Jodie and Hannah18 March 20203Rory, Lily, Jordan and Nicholas25 March 20204Charlotte, Richard, Alex and Sam1 April 20205Michael and Zena9 April 2020
Additional episodes TitleDurationExtra: What We Learnt About Love4 minutesExtra: A Guide to Dating4 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. The Undateables faced significant backlash from doctors who branded the show "offensive" and "exploitative". 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. 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.
Awards and nominations Year Association Category Nominee(s) Result2014 BAFTA Television Award TV Programme of the Year The Undateables 2017 Diversity in Media Awards TV Programme of the Year The Undateables
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