RTS Futures

I found out about the RTS Futures Career's Fair on Twitter, and thought that even though travelling from Manchester to London for it specifically might be extreme, you never know who you'll meet at these events. I found everyone at the fair to be very friendly, and had no issues striking up conversations with other visitors; after all, we were all in the same boat.

The Twenty Twenty Television production is that rare thing among dating shows – it wants audiences to like, not laugh at its lovelorn participants.

“The programme comes out of the docs department of Channel 4 so it’s not an entertainment programme, although it is entertaining,” said Sayers, who produces the series. “As much as it’s about love, dating and the funny, flirty, sexy things happening in the restaurant, it’s a documentary about people.”

“First Dates has this amazing way of tackling big topics and themes,” she added.

Now in its sixth season, First Dates captures the pursuit of love along with the sparks or burns that can emerge from being on a first date with a stranger. The series has seen many ups, downs, tears and laughter, so we've rounded-up some of the notable moments that have happened so far.

Scott proposes to Victoria

They met three weeks prior and immediately got on like a house on fire, proceeding to move in together. You've got to love the ring he gave her... one of a kind.

"Mists and mellow fruitfulness” means festival season in Bristol. This is when the city’s creative sector comes together to celebrate its talent and share a sense of belonging. 

A festival is all about entertainment. Those festivals with a specific focus on cultural groups often seek to inform community members of their traditions and involve elders who share stories and experiences. 

That couldn’t be a more fitting description for the creative-industry family that calls Bristol home. 

Ed Stafford is more than an adventurer. The first man to walk the length of the Amazon is also a film-maker of some repute. At an RTS Futures event, he presented a self-shooting masterclass illustrated by clips from his survival programmes.

In 2008, equipped with cameras from Ginger TV (the company that hired him), Stafford set out from the Peruvian Andes to begin a 9,700km quest to walk the Amazon.