Makers of TV dating show Take Me Out deny ‘fix‘ claims

THE makers of the hit television dating show Take Me Out have denied claims that contestants are told who to pick.

Female participants claimed that programme makers wanted them to turn men down to “make better television”, according to a newspaper.

The popular ITV Saturday night show, fronted by comic Paddy McGuinness, sees a single man attempt to impress 30 women, who switch off their light if they do not like him – or keep it on if they do.

The newspaper quoted several sources, all of them unnamed.

One said: “Some of the girls were asked to keep their lights turned on even when they were not interested in the man on offer.

“The whole thing is totally misleading, and leaves a lot of people feeling humiliated and exploited afterwards.”

Programme makers Talkback Thames rejected the claims. A spokeswoman said: “We strongly refute any claims that we tell the contestants how to act or how to respond – turning a light on or off is entirely up to them.”