First Dates newcomer details Fred Sirieix's 'tight ship' after 'messy' workstation remark

Three First Dates newcomers have dished on life behind-the-scenes of the Channel 4 show. Joining Fred Sirieix, Merlin Griffiths and waiting staff CiCi Coleman and Grant Urquhart for the 16th series are David, Fiona and Daniella.

The newcomers all have a background in hospitality and are set to star in the forthcoming run.

Daniella, 25, is from Manchester and is a waitress, Fiona, 30, is originally from Huddersfield, and David, 28, has worked in hospitality since he was 13 but is currently working on launching his own fashion brand.

The BAFTA award-winning series is back for another run this evening and for the first time, the restaurant team has moved to Manchester from London.

The trio dished backstage secrets, as Fiona explained that maître d’ Fred tends to run a “tight ship” on the reality series.

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The Channel 4 series picked up the shoot again in September with strict guidelines in place.

“You probably won’t notice the difference,” Fiona said of how restrictions had affected the show.

“We were all tested once or twice every other day and there were procedures in place to make sure it could run as a proper restaurant.

“And everyone was briefed beforehand – it was made super easy.”