Episode 2 The Year of Making Love

In January 2012, hundreds of single people

joined an ambitious experiment designed to find out if science can help you find love.

Are you ready to meet your match?!

ALL CHEER

It began with Britain's biggest-ever blind date.

-How are you doing? Are you all right?

-Hello.

-How are you doing?

-How are you doing?

But these were no random introductions.

Each couple was matched by experts, who believe you'll be

luckier in love if you take a scientific approach.

I'm in shock, like, how it's worked.

I'm happy. Please let him be happy, too, or this will be brutal.

-I don't want to be nasty, she's nice. I'm not wowed.

-I'm the cat who's got the cream. So far so good.

Well done, science.

So can love be created in a lab?

The brains behind the experiment are Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

and Emma Kenny. Thomas is a personality profiling expert.

Many of the people are single because they're hooked to this crazy idea

that there's one perfect person out there waiting for them.

The reality is we have several potential good matches,

and compatibility tests will help them find them.

Emma is a behavioural psychologist.

We've designed this experiment to prove that science can help you find love.

By carefully measuring compatibility,

you're more likely to find somebody who's right for you.

Couples put together in the lab meet at the launch event.

Are you all right?

With more joining in the weeks that follow.

I'm impressed. Hopefully you are. I don't know what kind of girls you go for.

-To us.

-Definitely.

-Cheers.

Each week we'll follow a new set of couples who decide to see each other again.

He has suggested date two, which is exciting.

I don't know if he'll get a kiss. Depends if he goes in for one.

Tomas and Emma will monitor their progress for up to a year.

I really fancy Rogan. I'm not going to lie.

-On a physical level, it's 100 percent working.

-Absolutely.

It's going to be exciting to see how our couples get along. There'll be some surprises.

It'll be fascinating to see what happens next.

All my research and the science suggests it should work,

but in practise we have no idea.

Whatever happens, we'll be there every step of the way.

But will any of the couples even like each other?

The first kiss, oh my God!

If I was a guy, I wouldn't do that, as a date, again.

Will any of them last the whole year?

I guess I was kind of expecting to hear from him maybe a bit more.

-She seems to think I'm only after one thing.

-I can't stop smiling.

And will the experts be proved right? Will anyone find love?

-Kirsty, will you be my girlfriend?

-SHE GIGGLES

One year ago, this epic relationship experiment exploded into action.

Single guys and girls from across the UK

were invited to the launch centre.

Each selected by science as one half of a compatible pair,

and each of them hoping to meet their dream date.

I don't like my manly men. I like my really pretty boys.

Intelligent, cultured.

A nice clean-cut guy in a suit, like a banker or something.

She's got to have big wabs.

Once everyone had been assigned their unique number,

it was time for the matchmaking to begin.

-Quite nervous.

-A bit apprehensive.

-I can't wait to see what's going to happen.

Our first single guy this week is hoping to meet his ideal girl.

I'm Andrew Austin. I'm 26 years old.

I'm a typical Essex boy that lives in London. I like the city lifestyle.

I like the fast-paced work hard, play hard attitude.

I want someone who I can be proud of, in terms of looks from my friends,

but I also want someone I can have conversations with,

enjoy spending some time with and have some fun with.

I'm very nervous but very optimistic all the same.

With both scoring high on confidence,

Andrew's match is 27-year-old Sasha from Essex.

This, to me, looks like a married couple already.

I'm so glad.

Absolutely buzzing. I'm like the cat who got the cream.

I was tempted to go down on one knee right there,

but I thought it'd be embarrassing with everyone watching.

I'm happy. He put his arm around me, which is a bit cringy, but apart from that he's really nice.

Honestly, I'm just so glad that you're not minging.

So, children, drive, etc, etc?

-What, do I have any?

-Yeah, yeah.

-No. Do you have any?

-No.

-No.

-Awkward.

-Exactly. Not that I'm against anyone having children.

-Do you want to have children, at some point?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Look at us, planning... So, in ten years' time,

-we'll, er...

-Yeah.

I'm pleased he's got a lot more to him than I thought he would.

I didn't want to sound too cheesy, but even things you wouldn't normally ask,

like, "Do you want children?", cringy things,

all his answers were exactly the same as mine,

without me having to go, "Me, too," so it's really good.

Well, my cheeks are all hot.

-Get another glass of champagne?

-I do. I'd really like one. Come on, then.

I've pleased. She seems like a very intelligent girl.

Very different to the girls I'm used to, in terms of what she likes and enjoys,

but that intrigues me.

It'll be interesting to see if we've got anything else in common.

It's a promising start for Andrew and Sasha.

But the science is not always so successful.

The system matches compatible personalities,

but some physical differences are proving difficult to ignore.

They said six foot. HE LAUGHS

I'm nearly there. Nearly there.

-Straightaway, rejection on height.

-Yes.

-I'm here looking for someone tall.

-Yeah, definitely taller.

-Taller in heels, though, not just...

-Yeah, yeah.

Why do you think that height is such a deal-breaker?

I just think, on a primordial level, women like taller men

because it's a sign of protection and leads to better children.

-Hiya.

-Are you all right?

-Height seems to be a real problem.

-Yes.

-The girls are wearing massive heels.

-Yes.

-That seems to be what they're noticing.

-There's no evidence showing,

if you're paired with somebody who is your height, you're going to be more successful.

But some of the guys make up for a lack of stature in other ways.

Hello.

I wonder where his extroversion will overtake the height issue?

You're not what I expected. I put "tall" on my application form.

-I apologise.

-I think, without the heels, I'm about the same height as you, so...

Our next single girl is hoping for a good fit.

My name's Julia, or I prefer to be called Jules.

I'm 33, and I'm from Swansea.

I've been single now for seven months,

but my parents and friends would say that, because I look young, I attract younger men.

So I usually have toyboys.

But I think the younger men I go for don't like commitment.

I've always wanted a relationship like my parents.

They're still, 35 years on of marriage,

still totally in love. They still cutch up on the sofa

and hold hands. I've always wanted a relationship based like theirs.

I think I'd love to get married. It's every girl's big dream to have the big wedding, the big dress.

I've been in love before, totally head over heels in love,

and I tend to get a big panicky, the fact you think you're going to lose someone.

I think that's a sign saying, when you're in love, you just couldn't bear to be without that person.

I'm excited about today because, using this compatibility test,

I think, potentially, I could meet the man of my dreams. I'm very excited about the whole experience.

I'm so nervous I feel like biting my nails off right now.

Look. That's how scared I am.

ALL CHEER

Closely matched on trust and dependability,

Jules's date is Wesley from Bristol.

-How are you doing?

-Are you all right?

-I feel like, for her, this is a less OK match than it is for him.

-Yes.

I'm not physically attracted to him. Personality might outshine the looks?

It was quite overwhelming but it's been a good experience.

So far so good, I guess.

I am a little disappointed, but I shouldn't be so shallow and judge someone by their looks.

She looks very pretty and nice and very friendly.

So, yeah, looking forward to getting to know her more, I guess.

Perhaps Wesley can win Jules round with some sparkling conversation?

So...

SHE LAUGHS

So, what kind of food do you like?

-Just normal food, really.

-Yeah? Anything?

-Cos I've got into a fitness drive, I'm trying to eat healthily.

-Right.

-So that's what I've been trying to eat.

-Yeah.

-Can you cook?

-Not really. Again, it's something I want to get into.

Cooking is not something I've got any skills in.

Oh, I don't know. Mixed emotions at the moment.

I'm feeling a bit... I don't know.

I just hoped there'd be a bit of chemistry, but, at the moment, there's nothing there. I'm sorry.

Even though the conversation's not flowing,

Wesley's feeling upbeat about their chances as a couple.

She's a very pretty lady. Things are looking quite good. She seems nice and friendly and smiley,

so it looks quite promising.

-Do you think this experiment has been successful?

-Yeah, I think so.

-Yeah?

-I'm pretty happy with the results.

-Cool. Good.

-So, would you like to meet up again, perhaps?

-Yeah, OK.

-Cool.

-Give it a go, isn't it?

-Definitely.

-Cool.

SHE LAUGHS

-Can I grab your number?

-Yeah, of course.

-OK, two secs.

-All right.

I'm feeling still a bit apprehensive, not sure what to think.

I'd rather talk on the phone and text, to see how things go first, than meet on a date.

I'm not holding out a great deal of hope, to be honest.

Thank you. Thanks.

I'll keep that safe.

I can imagine spending a lot of time with her and going on long walks,

or whatever, in the countryside or to the beach.

So, yeah, who knows?

We'll get together and see what happens next, really.

SHE LAUGHS OK, thank you.

Thankfully, things are going better in the main hall.

-What's your name?

-Ruth.

-Sam.

-This is a really good one, I think.

-I agree.

-Definitely. Both of them smiling.

-Isn't it?

The first day of matchmaking is almost at an end.

Hundreds of single people have put their faith in science.

-Hi, are you all right?

-How are you doing?

But the success of the experiment relies on one critical question.

Do you think there's going to be a second date?

-I could not say right now. What do you think?

-Never say never.

Yes!

-The million dollar question. Will there be a second date?

-I'd say yes.

Whee!

Will you let me take you on a date?

Oh, God. Yes.

How cringe is this?

In the weeks following the launch,

more single people took the compatibility test and met up with their ideal match.

-So you're Chris. How are you?

-I'm really good.

-I think this is her.

-Hello!

And the results were mixed.

-You look very nice.

-You look amazing.

-He's very good looking.

-Nice to meet you.

-You, too.

He was a bit too short and a bit too hairy.

24-year-old Amanda is hoping she'll meet the man of her dreams.

To be honest, I'm really nervous.

Even though it sounds horrendous, I've always been about looks.

This time that's thrown out of the window. I don't know what to expect.

My name's Amanda. I'm 24. I used to live in Cambridge but I've just moved to London.

I've got a job in recruitment. I lead a really busy lifestyle.

Everything just go, go, go in the big city.

But you can always make time for someone if you've got that butterfly feeling.

Amanda's looking for someone serious after a traumatic breakup with an ex.

I met my last boyfriend through friends.

To be honest, I'll never forgive them for it.

I thought we were living the fairy tale,

and then I caught him with another girl in our house.

Amanda's been very hurt in previous relationships,

and it's definitely had an impact on the way she views men.

I don't get why, if you're with someone and you love someone, you'd need to do that.

If you've got a steak, why get a burger?

Every girls wants a good-looking guy on their arm,

but I've hit that age where I'm looking for a bit more than that now.

I want a guy to treat me like a princess.

If I like the guy, I know within, like, the first five seconds.

So if I do, I'll see him again. If I don't, I'm out.

-Hi.

-How are you doing, darling?

-I'm good.

-I'm Travis. Mwah. Nice to meet you.

-You, too.

Both scoring high on loyalty, she's been matched with 19-year-old bodybuilder Travis.

-You are very muscley.

-How you expected me?

-Yeah.

Oh, yeah, I'm impressed, so... What do you do, then?

Full time I'm a property broker, but part time I do Butlers in the Buff, things like that.

-A little apron on, nothing underneath.

-Oh. Whoa!

-Exactly.

He obviously is very confident.

He doesn't mind walking around naked, which is not a problem.

What kind of girls do you go for?

-Well, your sort of type.

-SHE LAUGHS

The worst chat-up line ever.

She really is lovely.

It was very natural, the way I come across with her.

He is so what I go for. Ridiculously what I go for.

What do you think? Would you see me again?

Of course. I'd see you tomorrow if I could.

Why would you do that long pause?

-I'm joking. I'd see you next week if I could.

-Yeah. Ah.

-You ain't too far away from me.

-No.

True to his word, a week later Travis invites Amanda for drinks

at his favourite bar.

I look reem. I look absolutely reem already.

Good from all angles? Yep. Phwoar.

It'll be a good night. Hopefully it'll be a good night.

Mr name's Travis, I'm 19, I'm from Harlow in Essex.

At 6'4" and 20 stone, property broker Travis

spends 10 hours a week pumping iron.

The thing is, I just love training.

It gives me such a buzz.

You know, it's the only way I can feel good about myself.

At work, I've had a stressful day,

come down the gym and everything clears up.

Like Amanda, Travis knows what heartache feels like.

My last relationship, love sort of burned out a little bit,

sort of died out a bit, so it wasn't a nice time.

Also, I found out she was cheating on me, so it was quite a good reason to do it as well.

Travis gets lots of female attention doing his weekend job

as a semi-naked butler.

Just imagine a big guy, good boy, serving drinks to all girls.

It's like a lads holiday for him, but every week - and he's getting paid for it.

The girl I end up with, she's got to realise what I do.

I'm only there to entertain these girls, not there to pleasure 'em.

There's a big difference.

I'm a sucker for love. I want a girl that I can stick around for

and treat well. That's all I want.

Amanda lives between London and Cambridge,

so she's booked herself an hotel room to get ready.

I'm excited. I'm nervous because I'm in, like, Travis's territory,

so... You think the best way to get to know someone is to go out

where they go out, see what they do, what they do for fun.

I wonder if Travis did this much before he got ready? Probably.

A little bit more splash. No splash, no gash.

First impressions is she's pretty, she's gorgeous, she's got everything going for her,

but it's more important what, I think, is what she thinks of me.

Travis is insanely good looking, ridiculously good looking,

but he's younger than me, he's like... I don't know him.

This is all such a strange circumstance, just meet someone.

But I'm not rushing into anything cos I know what guys can be like.

Main hopes for tonight is just to have a good night.

We'll see where it goes from there, but I'd like to kiss her tonight.

I'd like to have a little bit of flirty behaviour with her.

But she ain't that sort of girl. I don't think she is.

A lot of girls I'm used to put out.

-There we are.

-Hi.

-How are you doing, darling. All right?

-I'm good. Are you OK?

-You look nice.

-Thanks. So do you.

-Pretty girl, aren't you?

-Ah, thanks.

-Mwah. You look beautiful.

-Thanks.

-Not as good as me.

-Not as good as me but all right. You look good.

-Shut up.

CLUB MUSIC PLAYS

-You look nice.

-You look... You look lovely.

-You've forgotten to button up your top, clearly.

-Forgot? Are you joking?

It's going really well. We're having drinks and stuff.

A bit of champagne. Erm,

so I've got to make sure I don't drink too much and get carried away.

Amanda is looking absolutely gorgeous tonight. She's very pretty.

I can't complain at the moment. We'll see how the night goes on.

Even though there's an age difference,

do you know what? With anyone else I'd be like, "No, you're too young."

We obviously get along.

So obviously, scientifically, we're a perfect match.

Proving just how mature he is for a young guy,

Travis pulls out one of his more sophisticated moves.

-What? I smelled something. I thought it was you?

-No! Don't do that.

And, amazingly, it works.

-You enjoyed that, didn't you?

-Oh, shut up.

The snog itself was lovely. She didn't get too into me,

but, at the same time, she had a bit of, you know, you have to wait and see, sort of thing.

It keeps me guessing, which is a good thing.

I sound like such a loser saying, but, yeah, it was like a fairy tale.

Like, we come here,

I really like him, and he seems to really like me, too.

This is like more than... Ah, I don't know.

SHE GIGGLES

-So a good night, then, yeah?

-Yeah, a really good night.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-It was good fun.

-I've just been to your territory.

-My territory.

-It's about time you came to my territory, so next time we see each other -

-We'll be in Cambridge?

-Yeah.

-I'm up for that. You know I'm up for that.

-Thank you.

-Mwah!

-Mmmm...

-It's been so good to see you again. I'll see you later.

See you later, darling.

My night was brilliant. Got along with her really well.

I hope to see her quite soon.

Two weeks' time, have a night out where she lives.

We'll have a blast of a time. A blast of a time.

So I can't wait. I really can't wait.

At the launch of the experiment,

25-year-old Ruth was matched with 26-year-old fitness fanatic Sam.

-What's your name?

-Ruth. What's yours?

-Sam.

From the moment they met, the experts immediately saw potential.

They may just work. Very smiley, very happy.

Ruth and Sam have been texting each other since they met,

and are seeing each other again tonight.

My first impression was, yeah, she's just a funny, nice girl,

and it'd interesting to get to know a bit more about her

and see why we're compatible.

Same has been busy developing a fitness franchise,

so love has taken a back seat.

I split up with my girlfriend a few months ago,

and I'm starting to get a little bit older

and I really feel like I do need that companionship.

Sam would go for a girl that would have similar values to him.

Would probably be not obsessive, but be into fitness and health

and be open to new experiences, not just going out and getting drunk but actually trying new things.

I think several people are out there I could have a long, fulfilling relationship with,

and it's just about finding one of them.

When I first saw Sam, my initial reaction was,

"Wow, you're really tall."

He was really interesting to talk to.

We got on very well, and he seemed like a really interesting guy.

Sam's match Ruth is a dancer and budding stand-up comic

who's looking for her first true love.

I don't think that I've ever really had a serious relationship.

For example, I've never said the "I love you" words.

I would really like to have someone to share

all my experiences in life with. I've given fate, like, 25 years.

So I thought, why not give science a go?

Generally it helps if the person likes me a lot.

Um, then I can be persuaded into thinking anyone's attractive really.

For their very first meeting since the launch,

Ruth has invited Sam to join her at an open-mic comedy night.

And she's told him he's got to have a go at it, too.

I chose this as our first date cos I do stand-up quite regularly anyway.

I did tell him, when we met at the match event,

and he said that he'd always liked to have tried it.

I am a bit worried he'll show me up, because I'm meant to have been

doing it a while and it's his first go tonight.

I am shitting myself a little bit, to be honest.

The closer that it gets, the more nervous I'm getting.

I have prepared a routine for tonight.

I just hope it goes well-ish.

If I get a couple of chuckles, then I'll be happy.

If he's good and gets loads of big laughs, I will feel a bit rubbish.

Hello.

-Hi.

-How's it going?

-Well, thanks.

-A long day?

-Er, yes. Lots of Pilates.

-How was your day?

-Yeah, it was good, it was good.

I was getting ready for tonight, in terms of the stand-up content.

-How are you feeling?

-Yeah, OK, OK.

-I think it's reasonably funny, so we'll see.

-I'm sure it is.

-Yeah, well, we'll see.

So will Sam impress Ruth with his first-ever stand-up gig?

At least he doesn't have to go first.

Please welcome to the stage, ladies and gentlemen, it's Ruth Bruce! Come on! Whoo!

THEY WHISTLE AND CHEER

For Christmas I got a Kindle. Have you got one of those? It's the book thing.

So the plan was to improve my mind

by reading lots of intellectual books.

Not really. I just didn't want the whole Tube to know that I was reading Twilight. Again.

-THEY LAUGH

-I think perhaps I do talk too much.

My sister also said that, since starting stand-up,

I speak really loudly as well. So obviously I said, "It's just cos I'm using a microphone."

THEY LAUGH

You've been a lovely audience and I've been Ruth Bruce. Thank you.

Nice and relieved now I've done it.

So I just get to watch Sam do his thing,

so I imagine he's bricking it, but it's going well, I think.

Yeah, Ruth did really well just then.

Yeah, and I'm feeling quite a bit nervous about mine.

I'd like to make her laugh at least a couple of times during it,

but I do want to impress her, yeah, of course.

Please welcome to the stage, number one, it's Sam Felton, ladies and gentlemen.

THEY WHISTLE AND CHEER

How are we all doing? Everybody have a good weekend?

Obviously, over the past few days I've been racking my brains about content for this.

Then it came to me yesterday.

What else would you do in a dire situation?

You ask Facebook. So I prepared what I got back from my so-called friends.

Er, number one was, "You are mental." Fair enough.

"You aren't funny." THEY LAUGH

Even better, even better.

And then, "Tell cheese jokes."

And the best cheese joke that I came across was,

what's the best cheese to coax a bear?

-Camembert.

-Camembert!

Whey! Round of applause for that woman! Awesome. Awesome.

On that note, thank you very much.

THEY WHISTLE

-I thought you did really well. You didn't look nervous.

-No?

-No.

-It was reasonably funny?

-Yeah.

-Yes?

-Definitely.

We both did stand-up, and it was funny and it was painless.

And it's just made me want to see him again

to get to know him a bit more.

She's definitely a funny girl.

I feel like there's a lot more potential for a relationship.

Yeah, optimistic about it, for sure.

-Well, it's been really nice to hang out today.

-Very nice.

-And we'll do it again?

-Yeah. Yeah, I'd like to.

-Awesome.

-So I'll give you a call?

-Yes.

-Tomorrow?

-Yes, I'd like that.

-Sweet. Cool.

All right.

-Take care.

-Take care. Get home safely. Bye.

Since Amanda and Travis shared their first kiss,

there's been a lot of flirting over the phone.

Things have been good with me and Travis.

We have our play-bickering fights,

because I think we know what to say to wind each other up.

But we do like each other. It wasn't long since we went out last,

but I'm really excited to see him again.

Amanda's invited Travis to go punting in Cambridge,

and he's looking forward to proving he can be a real Romeo.

I want to show her my romantic side.

So it'll be a bit different, and show that side of me which I think she'll like.

Where better for romance to blossom than on the river.

-Right, are you ready for this?

-Yeah.

-Right, are you ready?

-God.

-Really? Really?

-Shit, I actually forgot how to do this.

-One more time.

-Hold on. I'm coming here, so don't get me wet.

-Oh, look, I've got a little...

-Yeah, look, Amanda. Look.

Ugh, Travis.

Oh. It's getting in my mouth.

-Is that the uni?

-Yeah.

-Shut up.

-It's so beautiful.

-What, that's Cambridge University?

-Yeah.

-That actually looks well nice.

-I know.

-All right, do you want a go?

-Yeah.

-Are you ready? Whoa!

-Really?

-No, go on, there you go.

-OK.

-How are we going to do this?

-Hold it.

-Don't. You push me in, I swear to God...

-Mmm...

Fuckin' hell. You go that side, yeah?

-Oh, mate.

-Oh, look at you.

-Oh, yeah.

The date's going well, so what could possibly go wrong?

-I thought...

-Go on, then.

Argh!

CROWD LAUGHS AND APPLAUDS

Ohh!

Please, please, don't move around.

Punting was supposed to be a really relaxing, nice, calm

trip along the river, get to know each other a bit better,

and it was just chaos.

Oh, my God!

You have got to be kidding me?

I was hoping to have a bit of romance with her

just to show her my romantic side, of course.

And I didn't get a chance. Obviously she pushed me in.

I'm thinking, "Why should I be nice to you, be romantic to you now?"

Despite Travis ending up overboard, it hasn't dampened their spirits.

It was supposed to be a bit more laid back, but...

I know. I was thinking that earlier.

It was supposed to be a really chilled-out day and all that. I'm really chilled out.

SHE LAUGHS Yeah, we should try again to do something a bit more chilled out.

It's nice to spend quality time with her.

Instead of everyone else being around, it's just me and her. The date was lovely.

We're a pretty good match.

Personality-wise, there's certain things he does, the sense of humour, he makes me laugh.

I think, in that respect, we kind of just click.

In the future, maybe it'll get more serious.

I think, in a way, it's heading that way now.

See you soon, yeah? Take care, babe.

Things have also been moving forward for Ruth and Sam.

But that doesn't mean it's perfect,

especially as he's not great at staying in touch.

There isn't exactly a problem with communication,

cos when I speak to him he seems very nice, but it's just not very frequent.

If he is trying to play it cool and everything,

I don't really have time for that.

For anything to happen, you do want to feel that someone's interested.

-He did text me today.

-That's good.

But only because I texted him and he texted back. So I had to prompt.

She said he doesn't text very often,

only if they they're trying to make arrangements.

I guess... I know what she feels,

that if you're sending texts, you want to get a text back, really.

It's that simple. But boys aren't like that, are they?

So what can you do?

Unaware of her concerns,

Sam's invited Ruth on a rock climbing date, followed by dinner.

That's adventurous. That's adventurous, that is.

It's going well, I'm really enjoying it. Hands are ripped.

-SHE LAUGHS

-I totally trusted Sam.

Super trust.

-My go?

-Yeah.

-Let's do it.

The action-packed date goes well,

and later Ruth picks her moment to raise Sam's lack of contact.

How important is it for you to talk to people?

I do like talking to people,

but I'm not well-known for my communication between meeting up.

The only thing with communication is that sometimes,

-when there's a lack of it, you make your own assumptions.

-Mm.

You thought I'd been ignoring you?

Not exactly. It's just I find it...

-It's harder to read.

-Mm.

It is about finding the right balance.

I do think Sam's a little bit hard to read.

He tries to give me looks. I think that maybe he does like me

and it's just he's in his own world a lot.

Eventually, Sam reveals more about himself,

but not in the way Ruth was expecting.

It's nice.

Sam showed me a picture of him with his top off, modelling pants.

It was so funny, cos he was like, "Do you want to see a picture?"

I was like, "Do I want to see a picture of you in your pants?"

I'm not quite sure what the right answer is.

Yeah, I was pretty pleased. I was pleased with it.

-I don't have any half-naked pictures of myself to show you.

-Damn it.

Sorry. HE LAUGHS

It's good. The food is really good, actually, so is the conversation.

I've got feelings for Ruth, absolutely.

I think I'm starting to find her more attractive,

and, yeah, yeah, she's a great girl.

It's gone well, and Ruth and Sam put another date in the diary.

By putting it in there, does it mean you don't have to talk to me till Thursday?

Scheduled. I'll talk to her then.

Today's gone well. I felt like we'd made a bit more of a connection

now we've had a bit more conversation and got to know each other better.

I think I might, yeah, make a move tonight, so to speak.

Well, thank you very much.

-Well, thank you.

-For a lovely evening.

-It's been really nice.

-I'll let you know about Thursday.

-Thursday.

-Where and when exactly.

-OK, I shall await your...

-HE LAUGHS

-My contact.

-Cool. All right.

-Thanks for clearing that up, cos that was... Yeah.

-Yeah.

Cool.

Yeah? That's good. All right. So I'll see you soon.

-See you soon.

-Bye-bye.

I gave him a little kiss goodbye,

which was nice.

Um, though, er...

Yeah, I guess, er,

we'll just have to see what happens.

At the launch of this relationship experiment,

science created hundreds of compatible couples.

But, in the following days, many decided to make a swift exit.

When Jules met Wesley, her first impressions weren't good.

I'm not physically attracted to him. His personality might outshine the looks?

Despite Wesley's enthusiasm...

She looks pretty. I'm looking forward to getting to know her more.

Jules decided romance was not on the cards.

Sure.

Did I find love? Nah-ah.

There was no physical attraction.

I just felt we had nothing in common at all.

When Andrew met Sasha, the science was looking good.

-Absolutely buzzing. I'm like the cat who got the cream.

-It's good. My cheeks are all hot.

Will you let me take you on a date?

Yeah.

-Are you all right?

-Are you all right?

But, when Sasha arrived for their meeting nursing a hangover...

-Be honest. You're excited.

-Whoo! Not really.

Andrew's cocktail-making date didn't go down well.

Oh, that is disgusting.

If I was a guy, I wouldn't do that as a date again.

And when he had a go at her for being up late the night before,

she didn't take it well.

If I want to go out and go for my friend's birthday

and get drunk and not come home, then that's up to me.

I've probably had worse dates. Not many.

Despite that disappointing start, they met up again.

Hi, how are you doing?

But only long enough for Sasha to show Andrew the door.

If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to stay friends with you and

see you out, meet up for a drink, as friends, or something.

Perhaps it's because she didn't fancy me,

or she didn't enjoy herself.

And another promising pair dropped out of the experiment.

It's been three months since Travis first met Amanda.

He's much younger than her, so he's been trying to show a more sophisticated side.

I don't know if you can use this, though. It's furniture polish.

It's all the same, innit?

And today he's planned a romantic meal for two.

I want her to see a nice side of me instead of just being immature and being a pratt all the time.

Um, I want her to see the mature side of me.

I don't know what to go for.

There's so much choice(!)

I'll just go for these ones.

Reduced.

Love it.

We just have so much fun when we're together. I look forward to seeing him.

I'm starting to get those little butterflies now. Every time... Oh, it sounds so stupid.

I'm not saying that I want Travis to get down on one knee,

but it's about time... We've had so much fun recently,

and I want to know if he likes me and wants to be with me.

-How are we doing?

-SHE LAUGHS

-You look nice.

-Thanks.

-I've got some flowers for you.

-You are so cute.

-I know. It's the nicer side of me, isn't it?

-I didn't think you were capable of it.

-Cos you haven't seen this side of me.

-OK.

With a night of fine dining ahead,

Travis doesn't want to put a foot wrong.

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much, gorgeous.

You can be quite cute, can't you?

To be honest, today has been amazing.

It makes me think you've done something wrong, cos it's so..

To be honest, I probably have, but if I don't remember it...

No, I haven't. Of course I haven't.

He's shown another side tonight, with the whole flowers when I got here, taking me out to a nice restaurant.

Things like that... It's the little things that make such a difference to a girl.

I have been a bit of a prick to you.

-Sometimes, yeah. You sometimes put your foot in it.

-Yeah.

But this has made up for it.

I wouldn't mind a kiss, you know what I mean?

-You probably shouldn't ask me for that, though.

-You smell of garlic, but that's fine.

-Oh, my God.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Oh my God, I ordered garlic. Oh, no!

Why did you have to say that? And what are you doing?

Why make me feel so embarrassed?

We come to an Italian restaurant, I make the most biggest sin on a date.

I ordered garlic pasta, and then kiss him. That's all he said afterwards.

Oh, I'm just so embarrassed.

I sort of showed my romantic side a little bit.

Not as much as maybe I could of.

A nice cheeky kiss as well. It's all good.

Oh, you're too pretty.

Over the next few weeks, Travis does everything he can to charm Amanda.

And she's loving it.

I think Travis has been putting a lot more effort in recently.

I don't know whether it's the summer air,

but we've been getting on really well.

Go on, down, down, down.

You are a big distraction, you are.

We have quite a bit of banter. We do like to wind each other up.

It's nice to know that, behind all that, we do really like each other.

The stage of our relationship, she's not officially my girlfriend,

but, yeah, I'm looking to push things on a little bit more now.

Over a pub lunch, Travis makes his feelings known.

What do you want to do from here? Cos I want to see you a lot more.

Basically, we are pretty much girlfriend and boyfriend.

-We're going out.

-Yeah. I don't hook up with anyone else.

-And I don't.

-No.

-But if you did, I wouldn't be able to say anything. Technically, we aren't.

-No. Yeah, right, we weren't.

-Yeah.

-But I want to take it a little bit further.

-We are now.

-Yeah.

-Look at you, getting all nervous.

-I'm not...

-Like, "We weren't,

-now we kind of are."

-It's exciting. I'm excited.

-Why?

Cos I want to see you a bit more, be with you a bit more, you know?

-Look at you, touching your ear. You are nervous.

-No, I ain't nervous.

-A little bit.

-He fancies me.

-Yeah, you fancy me.

-A little bit.

-You do. Mwah.

I'm really happy about me being Amanda's boyfriend, you know?

It's been quite a long time for her to have a boyfriend,

and I split up about five, six months ago.

It's nice, really, really nice, obviously.

Even though we practically were girlfriend and boyfriend before, now we are. It's just exciting.

It's the next chapter.

Now they've made it official,

their relationship moves into a more serious phase.

And today Amanda's invited Travis to meet her dad.

It's going to be a little bit awkward, to be honest with you.

I'm a little bit, I don't know, nervous at the moment.

They might not like me at all, you know what I mean?

Purely cos I'm from Essex. They might think I'm a bit common.

So that's what I'm a bit worried about.

At the family home in Cambridge,

Amanda knows all too well how important first impressions are.

It's a big day. He gets to meet my dad.

All my boyfriends I've had, eventually, we've come to the point where they've met my dad.

Sometimes it goes really well, they've clicked straightaway,

cracked open a beer, gone and watched the rugby.

Then there's other times when it hasn't gone quite so well.

My dad's said, "Come out the back and I'll show you my shotguns."

I've heard a lot about Travis but haven't met him, so it'll be very interesting to meet him,

see what he's like in the flesh, as it were, and have a chat with him.

HE LAUGHS NERVOUSLY

-Hello. Are you all right?

-Hello.

-Mwah!

-How are you doing? Are you all right?

-Good.

-Dad, this is Travis.

-Hi. Are you all right?

-I'm good, thank you.

-I'm Travis.

-Nice to meet you.

-And you.

-Are you OK...

-I'm OK. He don't bite, does he?

-That's Cadbury.

-Cadbury.

-Does he like chocolate?

-No. He is chocolate.

-HE LAUGHS

-Oh, right.

-Hello, gorgeous.

-He likes you.

-What are we doing?

-Ahh.

-I see you like the gym, obviously.

-Gym? No.

-DAD LAUGHS

-Not at all. No, I do. I go...

-Just naturally built...

-I used to play rugby, so that helped.

-Good for you, good for you. I'm a big rugby fan.

-Are you?

-Armchair rugby I play now, but I used to play a lot of rugby.

-You just watch it now.

-Exactly. What do you do, for work?

-I'm a property broker.

-Ooh. Tell me a bit about that.

-I sell houses abroad. It's not in the UK.

I sell houses purely for investment purposes.

So you see that as your future? As far as you can see, at the moment,

-that's what you want to do?

-Yeah, I think so.

The first thing I saw was how big he was. He's a well-built lad, and good for him.

He's played rugby and all the sort of things I like to do. Um, no, he's very interesting.

His job he's got with property and property development overseas,

I've been involved a bit in that, so there was common ground there, which was nice.

-Thank you for coming. Lovely to meet you.

-And you. Thank you for inviting me into your house.

Thank God it went well, really well.

As soon as Travis walked in and mentioned he liked rugby and used to play, that was it.

But I think, as far as the first meeting went today,

absolutely amazing.

I expected him to be really posh and, it sounds bad, but up himself.

You know what I mean? A bit stuck up, but he wasn't at all.

He was so nice. It couldn't have gone any better.

-Be good.

-Will do.

-Yeah? Promise?

-Thanks for that. Tell your mum and dad thank you.I

-will do. Drive safe.

-I'll give you bell later.

-OK.

We're moving at quite a fast pace. We're really close, we really get on.

We're together for a reason, because, you know, we really like each other.

# Don't worry, there's no doubt

# There's always something

# To cry about! #

It's a very different story with Sam and Ruth.

Their relationship is hanging by a thread,

and Sam's been up to his old tricks again.

# Pack up your troubles In your old kit bag

# And carry them...

He didn't get in contact again, so it left me a little bit unsure

of what actually he was thinking or feeling.

In fact, Sam's thought things over and decided it's not going to work.

There wasn't that spark,

where you felt those butterflies in your stomach.

It's always awkward sort of having to tell someone

that you're not that interested in developing a romantic relationship.

But, yeah, I'd still like to be friends.

-Hello.

-OK. How are you doing?

-Are you all right?

-Good, thanks.

Same wants to do the decent thing and tell Ruth in person.

Um, I probably do feel as though there isn't, like,

the right chemistry. Obviously, you're very funny, very clever,

and, yeah, I do see you as a friend, absolutely,

but not necessarily anything further.

It's not like, yeah, we see each other just as friends,

but just go our separate ways - but friendly.

-Friendly?

-If our paths do cross again, then...

I don't... I'm not harbouring any bad blood or anything, so...

-Yeah, your conscience can be clear on that.

-Yeah, cool.

Um, definitely.

Yeah, a little bit awkward.

I think me and Ruth going our separate ways

is probably the right thing. I think it didn't work because

I didn't feel massively curious about Ruth,

and I think that's a big part of chemistry.

I think it's the right decision and, yeah, I wish her all the best.

-I'll stand up to say goodbye. Bye.

-You take care.

-I will do.

-Cool.

It was OK. It was relatively painless.

I can't blame him for not feeling anything and I feel fine about it.

I guess it's a bit disappointing, but it's been helpful in

trying to figure out what it is I want,

and what I want is someone that likes me, something that just didn't happen.

It's six months since Amanda and Travis first met,

and things are going a lot better for them.

Amanda's giving her mate, Charlotte, the lowdown.

-Are you like official official?

-Yeah.

SHE GIGGLES Yeah.

Is he a good kisser?

-Ahh! Yeah, he's all right.

-It's not very good if he wasn't.

-What does he do for a living?

-A bit of property, a bit of this and that.

-A bit of stripping on the side.

-Does that bother you?

-I don't know.

The only thing I'm nervous about,

him going out on one of these in the buff nights and...

-Him getting pissed?

-Getting drunk or just doing something stupid

and messing it all up. I'd be upset.

Amanda gets a chance to find out more about Travis's other job

when he's booked to entertain at a 40th birthday party.

Yeah, I think there's about 12, 15 women or so.

It should be quite nice and quiet.

But, obviously, I don't want it like that, so...

But it might be wild. I hope they are, cos it makes it a bit more fun, doesn't it?

Knowing Amanda has some concerns, Travis has invited her along to put her mind at rest.

Amanda's not going to see anything she doesn't like,

nothing's going to go on. People are in the room. Plus, she's there. What could go on?

I don't know whether to be jealous he's naked with these girls,

or just creeped out. I don't know what to think.

I just don't understand what's going on, so today I'm going to find out.

# There's a place downtown Where the freaks all come around

# It's a hole in the wall, It's a dirty free-for-all

# And they # Turn me on

# When they # Take it off

# When they # Take it off...

He's mine!

# There's a place I know... #

At the minute I feel so uncomfortable.

I'm really confused. My head's all over the place at the minute, to be honest.

It's been a difficult thing to watch, but,

for the sake of their relationship, she's doing her best to accept it.

-It's fine. I'm not bothered about... I'm not jealous.

-I don't think you should be.

-Not like at night...

-What?

He's smiling there. I shouldn't be jealous at all.

I smile at people. Yeah, go on.

-Girls are grabbing under your little...

-Yeah, I can't help that.

What, so if there was a guy grabbing my arse,

-or trying to touch me up...

-Yeah, I'd hit him.

There's a certain line they can't cross, and sometimes they think they can cross it.

-Do you let the hot ones cross it?

-When I was single, yeah.

-Isn't it weird?

-What, fit girls touching me when I'm single?

-You think that's weird?

-A bit.

-I don't think so.

-Surely it should be me getting angry?

-I've just seen you getting naked with a load of girls. Why are you acting all funny?

-I'm just saying.

I'm tired. I said, "Amanda, I'm tired." I'm tired.

Come on, then, let's go before you get all grumpy.

What's wrong with you? Why are you getting all grumpy?

-Are you being serious?

-Yes. I don't understand.

-I'm knackered. I'm hungry and tired.

-Take it out on me, then. That'd be really good.

-Who said I took it out on you?

-You didn't have to. You are.

-Come on.

-What?

Don't get all hissy and then go, "Oh, come on."

-Are you being serious?

-You give it all that.

-Are you being serious?

-Are you?

-Go away.

All right. Fuckin' hell. All right.

-What the heck?

-I'm going away.

What, are you being serious?

What the fuck?

Why's he so angry? I've done nothing wrong.

That's so weird. I've come here... I feel like crying. I'm so upset.

A few days later, they've both had time to think about the row.

Travis's behaviour the other night was not acceptable.

Like, I felt so uncomfortable, and to put me in that situation,

then have a go at me at the end, it's just not acceptable.

You can't put me in that situation and then storm off,

so... It's not the be-all, end-all,

I'm not going to break up with him because he was an arse for one night.

We had a little argument last week when I was doing my butlering.

You know, that's completely my fault and I'll admit that.

It's not nice, she didn't deserve it,

so I'll treat her how she should be treated, you know,

which is like the princess she is, so...

Another month passes, and they've kissed and made up.

Mwah!

-This is the key to my...

-Chastity belt.

This is actually the underwear I'm currently wearing. Don't get any ideas.

-This is your love for me. Please be good.

-Passionate.

-Ooh.

And with the end of the year approaching, Travis has decided to pull out all the stops

with a surprise night of romance.

Hey, there. Are you all right?

Well, tonight we are staying at this lush hotel,

which we haven't done yet. We haven't stayed in an hotel yet.

Yeah, the size of that bad boy.

She doesn't know anything about tonight. It'd be a nice surprise for her.

Some there, a few there.

See, look? How romantic am I?

As well as preparing a bed of roses, Travis is putting pen to paper.

My feelings for you...

..have grown.

Me and Travis, we're really happy at the moment.

We're always having little skiffs here and there,

but we do that because we like each other.

There's that fire there, that passion and everything. I don't know where it's going to go.

I just love the excitement of where we are now.

I have no idea what is happening tonight.

Travis is keeping very quiet about everything.

All he's told me is that I need to pack an overnight bag.

-Hello. How are we doing?

-Are you OK?

-Look at you.

-Are you all right?

-You look nice.

-Oh, so do you. You look really nice.

-Mwah.

-Cor, you...

-I'm a bit nervous.

-Why's that?

-I don't know what we're doing.

-Do you even know where we're going?

-Course I do. Here we go.

-What is this?

-What do you mean? An hotel.

-What have you done? You always...

-I got a hotel.

-Yeah.

-What...?

-Oh my God. Are you being serious?

-Do you like it?

I just can't believe that you'd do this.

I got you a little card as well.

-You're all right, aren't you?

-You know me.

Oh, my gosh. OK.

"To my love, you've changed my life in so many good ways."

"My feelings for you have grown so much."

Oh, you're so cute.

You are so cute.

It does make me a bit nervous when he says he has surprises and things like that,

but he has just gone all out.

I can't believe he's done something so romantic.

It just makes me feel like... amazing. Absolutely amazing.

I'm literally on cloud nine right now.

Oh my God!

-Who's done that?

-SHE LAUGHS

-What do you reckon? What do you reckon?

-You are, literally, so cute.

That's not bad, is it?

You know, the reaction on her face was priceless.

I hope she enjoys this evening anyway. I was looking forward to going out with her,

and spending the night with her as well. That'll be nice.

-What do you reckon?

-Let's not waste any time.

-Ooh.

-I'm joking.

-Come on, girl. It's not bad going, is it?

Don't you look cute. Mwah!

Their first night away together.

Travis and Amanda have come a long way since the start of the year.

This year has just been a massive rollercoaster, you know?

I started this thing just thinking it was a bit of fun,

just not really thinking I was going to meet someone

I could actually say is my perfect match.

I just never, in a million years, thought it would be this good.

I don't think I could not be with her, you know?

She means a hell of a lot to me.

She's just a fun girl to be around as well, you know?

I just think next year is going to be even better.

I just can't see why we can't get closer.

-I'm definitely looking forward to next year even more than this year.

-2013 is going to be our year.

I just know it. I know it.

We follow more couples taking part in The Year of Making Love.

I'm speechless.

-I'm happy. Please let him be happy, too, or this is going to be brutal.

-If you was a car door, I'd slam you.

-Whoo!

-Great body, attractive face.

-I didn't expect to be with someone good looking.

-I've got a little bit of the jitters.

-Whoo!

-I'm really nervous.

-I can't stop smiling. Look.

-He thinks he's got loads of banter - but he's not got that much.

-The bubble's burst.

Tonight's going to decide it for me.

I feel sad now. I'm not going to wait five months.

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