Channel 4's Fred Sirieix says woman 'couldn't take any more' as bosses stopped date

Fred Sirieix, maitre d’ of Channel 4’s First Dates restaurant, told about the time a woman's date had to be scrapped because she'd had too much to drink. 

Chatting with Alan Brazil and Gabby Agbonlahor on talkSPORT's Breakfast show this morning (Thursday, October 3), Fred recalled how one early First Dates shoot had to be cut short after the woman concerned had overdone the Dutch Courage.

He said: “Maybe it was on the second series that we that we filmed. I remember she came into the First Dates restaurant, and she was just so drunk.”

Fred said the woman simply wasn’t fit to carry on: “She’d had so much to drink, she started to dance to [Black Box hit] Ride On Time at the bar.

“There was no music, but she was singing. We had to stop the date just right here, right now, because she couldn’t take any more.”

First Dates has, as you’d expect, had its fair share of mishaps over the years. This includes the time that Lucy – a part-time nanny and part-time Olympic weightlifter – was set up with fitness freak Caroline.

Lucy, who is 4'11'', picked up the barman with no problems, and when Caroline arrived, she wanted to show off her own weightlifting prowess.

She decided to try to lift Lucy up, right there in the restaurant, which led to a significant wardrobe malfunction. The 28-year-old’s dress had somehow become attached to Lucy, leaving Caroline standing half-naked in the bar.

“Oh my God," Lucy laughed. “We need assistance.” Ever the gentleman, Fred came over to effect an emergency repair.

Not all First Date disasters have been as romantic or funny. Militant vegan Harry didn’t hold back when his date Rachel ordered a fish stew for her main course: “I can smell the fish, and it’s singing,” he said across the table. “Don’t you feel guilty, eating the nice little fishes? I couldn’t even look at it.”

They didn’t go on to enjoy a second date.