Colman and Ben Rate Blind Date 9/10, Plan Second Meeting

Q: In a famously tough dating column, what was the secret to this couple's rare success?

Their rare success came from something simpler and more durable than a dramatic “spark”: an immediate ease with each other, sustained by lively conversation, mutual curiosity and clear enjoyment of one another’s company. In The Guardian’s often hard-to-impress Blind Date format, Colman and Ben stood out because the date appears to have worked on every practical level. Both arrived with modest expectations — good conversation and a decent story — and quickly found exactly that. Colman described Ben as warm, chatty and genuinely interested; Ben praised Colman’s joie de vivre and sense of humor. Their talk ranged widely, from theatre and comedy to travel, coming out and even zombie-apocalypse scenarios, with neither reporting meaningful awkwardness. That matters because successful first dates often depend less on instant fireworks than on comfort, attentiveness and the ability to keep conversation flowing naturally. Their evening extended beyond dinner to coffee, tea and a train journey, suggesting neither wanted it to end. Both rated the date 9 out of 10, both said they wanted to meet again, and both regretted that work cut it short. So the “secret” was not a gimmick or a cinematic moment. It was a grounded connection: easy rapport, shared humor, reciprocal interest and enough compatibility for the chemistry to feel real rather than forced. In a column better known for mismatches, that made their date unusually successful.

1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 23

Colman and Ben both scored their London blind date 9/10 and said they want to meet again after an easy evening that stretched from dinner to coffee, tea and a train ride.
The pair described strong early chemistry, saying conversation flowed from comedy and travel to coming out and zombie apocalypses, with neither reporting any awkward moments.
Work cut the night short and they only hugged goodbye, but both said they would happily have stayed out longer for drinks if Ben had not needed to leave.
At the Bull and Last in NW5, each came away with a notably positive impression: Colman called Ben easy-going and engaging, while Ben said Colman would "slot right in" with friends.