Celebs Go Dating to return as socially-distanced spin-off

E4 reality series Celebs Go Dating is launching a socially-distanced spin-off.

Famous singletons will be set up on a series of dates either remotely from their homes, or outdoors while following social-distancing guidelines.

Celebs Go Virtual Dating will be shorter than the original series, with five 30-minute episodes airing in summer.

The show, which started in 2016, sees matchmaker Paul Carrick Brunson and life coach Anna Williamson attempt to match stars with members of the public.

The pair will pick apart the celebrity’s dating histories and give tips when it comes to romance.

Tom Read Wilson, who holds the job title of junior client co-ordinator, will once again be on hand to make sure the Celebrity Dating Agency is ready for its guests.

Rob Beckett will also return to deliver the voiceover.

The likes of Towie stars Joey Essex, Ferne McCann and James “Arg” Argent, Geordie Shore’s Charlotte Crosby, Hollyoaks actress Jorgie Porter and Outnumbered star Tyger Drew-Honey have appeared on previous series of the show.

The series is produced by Lime Pictures, the production company behind Hollyoaks and The Only Way Is Essex, with Extra chewing gum.

Brunson said: “I can’t wait to throw the agency doors ‘virtually’ wide open. This series will be an exciting experiment to see how our celebs deal with dating as well as the added restrictions they wouldn’t normally have to navigate.”

Williamson said: “I’m so excited to get the agency back up and running.

“We are really intrigued to see what dating looks like during this time, and looking forward to seeing how our date-ees handle dating in lockdown.”

Vivienne Molokwu, Channel 4 commissioning editor, said: “Diversifying funding models to create quality content is more important than ever to E4 and we’re excited to be working with the brand Extra to see how celebs navigate the dos and the definitely do nots of romance, relationships and possibly rejection in this brand new dating landscape.”

Lime Pictures’ head of unscripted content Sarah Tyekiff said: “We are so excited to bring Celebs Go Virtual Dating to people’s screens.

“It’s a really interesting time to see how everyone is dating during lockdown and our brave celebs are going to let us in on how they are doing it all wrapped up with the hilarious voiceover magic of Rob Beckett.”

The celebrities taking part will be announced in due course.