Oti Mabuse hosts ITV’s latest dating show

Oti Mabuse slips into Cilla Black’s high heels to bring Saturday night dating to ITV, only this time there’s a lorra lorra singing…

The former Strictly Come Dancing regular has swapped glitter balls for Cupid’s arrows as Oti takes the reins of ITV’s brand-new dating show Romeo & Duet, created, and produced by Goat Films.

Oti Mabuse:

“I think it’s people coming together for a common love. The common factor is love. It was nice for me to see how the audience actually got into it and were really supporting the contestants and wanting them to come down the stairs. [They wanted] the screen to open and [see them] sing a great duet.”

With her irresistible warmth and enthusiasm, Oti leads the musical matchmaking as single love seekers stand on a breathtaking balcony and are serenaded by potential love matches that they can hear, but not see. The seven-part prime-time series gives its singers just one song to entice a singleton down from the balcony. Only then will the two come face-to-face for the first time.

The newly formed couple will then head off on a duet-date to learn a duet, before returning later in the show to perform that number in the ultimate romantic love battle; a singing competition against the other couples to be crowned the winners.

The late Cilla Black hosted Blind Date for nearly 20 years on ITV.

The crowd’s chosen couple then gets whisked off for another date to see if love can truly blossom.

Throughout the series, Oti is joined on stage by musical director Vikki Stone and her sensational live band Vikki Stone & The Heartbeats, who provide the perfect soundtrack for each sizzling performance.

Oti Mabuse:

“I cannot sing! [But] the thing I love about this show is it’s not about singing. You don’t have to have a great voice, you just have to connect with the person that you’ve matched with. It’s not a talent show. It’s just coming together and having a good time.”

Romeo & Duet, ITV, STV, UTV, tonight at 7 pm