New dating show commission for BBC Studios invests in indie Mettlemouse Entertainment – The Honesty Box (w/t) for Channel 4

Channel 4 has commissioned The Honesty Box (working title), a nine-part reality dating experiment for E4. Produced by Mettlemouse Entertainment, supported by BBC Studios and co-produced by GroupM Motion Entertainment, the show will test whether honesty is the key to finding true and lasting love.

Mettlemouse is a global independent production company based in London, headed by Sarah Tyekiff, in which BBC Studios has a minority stake.

The series brings together a group of singles in ‘Truetopia’, a sunny and romantic paradise where truth and honesty reign supreme. Ready to try a new approach, each single signed up for this radical new dating experiment knowing they would be put to the test, in the hope that it would lead to true love. To encourage complete transparency in their new relationships, there is a prize pool of £100,000, but only if the daters are willing to be open and completely honest about their true feelings.

Every day, daters will face The Honesty Box—a new piece of software with improved AI—to answer probing questions about their feelings. If The Honesty Box detects cheating, it could affect their newfound relationship… and the prize pool.

Singles will be guided through the experiment by host Vicky Pattison. Vicky will be joined by motivational speaker and Married at First Sight Australia alum Lucinda Light, who will encourage each dater to discover their inner truth.

Vicky Pattison said: “I’m thrilled to be working with Channel 4 to host this brilliant new dating experiment. It really brings ‘true love’ to life. I can’t wait for daters to settle into Truetopia and share every twist and turn. I hope beautiful, honest love stories blossom.”

Lucinda Light said, “Having gone through my own radical journey of finding love, I feel deeply for our courageous singles. I am passionate about the importance of truth and authenticity in building strong relationships. My goal is to guide our divine daters in making meaningful connections by encouraging them to share openly and honestly with each other, especially when they come face to face with the Honesty Box at Truetopia.”

Steven Handley, Head of Reality and Entertainment at Channel 4, said: “We all love reality drama but we can be left wondering whether couples really like each other or are just acting for the cameras. That’s why I’m delighted to commission The Honesty Box (w/t), Mettlemouse’s innovative take on the dating show that will test how our singles really feel about each other and how brutally honest we’re willing to be to find everlasting love.”

Genna Gibson, Channel 4’s editor-in-chief, said: “Relationship experts say honesty and trust are key to finding love, but wouldn’t it be better to keep some of the uncomfortable truths a secret in those fragile early days? The Honesty Box will test how much it pays to be honest at the start of a new relationship and explore whether total honesty makes for a more lasting bond.”

Mettlemouse CEO Sarah Tyekiff said: “Everyone has experienced a relationship destroyed by lies and deceit at some point, and our cast is no exception. To change that, they are bravely taking on our new social experiment, The Honesty Box – the world’s most honest dating show, where we explore whether being honest from the start is the best foundation for love. We can’t wait to see if anyone finds the true love they so desperately seek.”

GroupM Motion Entertainment UK Head of Formats & Entertainment, Martin Oxley added: “The honesty of love on TV is constantly being challenged from all sides, so we couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of The Honesty Box with Channel 4 and the incredibly talented and experienced team at Mettlemouse. The fact that this show has been commissioned through the incredibly creative Contestable Pot process makes us all the more excited about what’s to come.”

Honesty Box was developed by Mettlemouse with Editor-in-Chief Mel Bezalel. It was commissioned by Head of Reality & Entertainment Steven Handley and Editor-in-Chief Genna Gibson. Mettlemouse is executive produced by Shaun Parry, Becca Walker and Ali Haddon-Cave. Martin Oxley, Head of Formats & Entertainment (UK) is executive produced by GroupM Motion Entertainment.

The Honesty Box is commissioned following a competition for independent production companies for Channel 4’s Contestable Pot, led by Channel Executive Art Sejdiu, to find innovative formats to launch during peak times with support from GroupM Motion Entertainment. Following the success of that round, The Contestable Pot has been re-opened to find more daring, audience-grabbing, genre-bending formats to define the channel. Producers can find out more here.

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About Mettlemouse Entertainment

Mettlemouse is a globally focused independent production company based in London, supported by a minority stake in BBC Studios. Led by a team of trusted and passionate creatives with a passion for television and a proven track record of delivering international hits, the aim is simple: to develop and produce the next generation of bold, innovative and ‘must-see’ unscripted content.

About BBC Studios

BBC Commercial Ltd’s principal commercial arm, BBC Studios, generated revenues of £1.8 billion last year and profits in excess of £200 million for the third year running. Able to seamlessly move ideas from mind to screen and beyond, the business is built around two operational areas: Content Studio, which produces, invests and distributes content worldwide; and Media & Streaming, with BBC-branded channels, services including bbc.com and Britbox International, and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. The business produced over 2,800 hours of award-winning British programming last year for a wide range of public and commercial broadcasters and platforms, both in the UK and internationally. Its content is internationally recognised across a wide range of genres and specialisms and includes world-renowned brands such as Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who.