Blind date: ‘I got a bit too impassioned about short shorts’

Stu on Richard

What were you hoping for?
Someone with a good heart and a cheeky smile.

First impressions?
Handsome and polite; nervous but quietly confident.

What did you talk about?
Yorkshire, Gladiators, and living your best authentic life.

Any awkward moments?
During one of my rants about a city he misheard “too wide” as “too white”.

Good table manners?
Flawless. He insisted on sharing his chips, and bought the cocktails.

Best thing about Richard?
He seems to genuinely care about people, and has an admirable drive towards changing things for the better.

Would you introduce him to your friends?
Yes. We occupy very different social circles, but I think they would like him.

Describe Richard in three words
Genuine, warm, determined.

What do you think he made of you?
I flew off on a few niche tangents, so maybe a bit scatty.

Did you go on somewhere?
We went for cocktails and carried on the conversation for another hour.

And… did you kiss?
No, but we swapped numbers on the tube home.

If you could change one thing about the evening, what would it be?
I got a bit too impassioned about short shorts and their role in LGBT equality.

Marks out of 10?
8.

Would you meet again?
Yes. I didn’t necessarily get romantic energy, but I think we could be good friends.

Richard on Stu

What were you hoping for?
Someone who looks at me the way they do when they spot their luggage on an airport carousel.

First impressions?
A bit shy and nervous.

What did you talk about?
What Dartford is famous for and how the best job in TV must be choosing the music for Homes Under The Hammer (leaky toilet? Cue Abba’s Waterloo).

Any awkward moments?
Nothing springs to mind. The conversation flowed.

Good table manners?
No obvious faux pas.

Best thing about Stu?
That he wants to set up funding to support LGBT asylum-seekers through his football team.

Would you introduce him to your friends?
Certainly – life’s too short to be a chump.

Describe Stu in three words
Really quite decent.

What do you think he made of you?
Chatty, northern, tall.

Did you go on somewhere?
We did, for a cocktail.

And… did you kiss?
No we didn’t.

If you could change one thing about the evening, what would it be?
It wouldn’t have been a school night.

Marks out of 10?
A solid 8.33.

Would you meet again?
We’ve exchanged numbers, so why not?

• Stu and Richard ate at Searcys Brasserie, London N1.

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