Meet the Undateables - Our Favourite TV Series is Back
Channel 4 is back with our favourite TV show The Undateables Already a smash hit with the previous 3 seasons the new series is more captivating than ever. We all know from experience how difficult the world of dating can be if you have a disability so it comes as no surprise that the nine participants have many challenges ahead. As always the choice of singletons is superb and one can only salute their bravery for stepping into the limelight to try to find love. Here are a selection of the young hopefuls who have stepped into our lives this winter courtesy of Channel 4.
Twenty-one-year-old student Alex is passionate about fast cars. But when it comes to love, he still has his L Plates on. He has autism, which can make him extremely nervous around new people, especially girls. Will his nerve hold out when he meets Eloise?
Daniella, who's 27, has Apert syndrome: a rare genetic condition that means she was born with the bones in her hands, feet and skull fused together. She's never had a boyfriend but could her first-ever date, with Guy at an indoor ski park, lead to a relationship, or will it prove to be a dry run?
Matthew, who's 31 and works as a professional artist's model, has a stammer that has made love hard to find. He has dedicated his life to buffing his body to perfection and is uncompromising on wanting to date a woman she is concerned with staying in shape.
Ali, 22, has achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. At 4 foot 2 inches tall he’s often the centre of attention on a night out, especially with women, but he’s never had a girlfriend, and only ever been on one date. He longs to find long term love, but he’s terrified of dating. When he meets Kirsty, will his nerves ruin his chances of a successful date?
Christina, has Down Syndrome, dreams of being a homemaker and wife, and she’s in a hurry. She’s determined to meet her future husband before her 30th birthday and she is already 29!. When she meets Matty will she move too fast and scare him off? Alec, Chris and Richard round out the dating squad and every Monday night the nation holds its breath and the Twitter hashtag #undateables goes wild.
Since the whole purpose of the disabilitymatch website is to help a community of UK disabled singles it is natural that we look at 'The undateables' project with a mixture of joy and trepidation. There is joy in seeing in seeing how previous participants have turned their lives around; Richard Jackman, who has Asperger Syndrome appeared on a previous series when he was at his lowest ebb and is now more confident in social situations, others like Sam Barnard have gone on to greater things. Sam who has Downs Syndrome recently starred in a Film and is actively involved in Skillnet an organisation to help young people develop skills through apprenticeship schemes.
On the other hand some critics worry that members of our disabled community are being put up on reality television as objects of amusement and that perhaps they are paying a heavy price for their 15 minutes of fame. I do not however subscribe to this view. I think Channel 4 have acted with delicacy and discretion and a big dollop of humanity. Disabilitymatch has been supportive of The Undateables from the onset and we think that this series is absolutely fantastic .