Stand By Your Man
(Channel 5, 10pm)

IF YOU survived Paddy McGuinness’ Take Me Out, then it’s no Blind Date to learn that Channel Five is attempting to add a little romance to Friday nights with Stand By Your Man.

Hosted by former Westlife member Brian McFadden, who has an interesting track record in terms of affairs of the heart, and Freshly Squeezed’s Laura Jackson, the show seems to be following the script of Take Me Out. But the pair claim it’s about people who don’t want to be filmed flirting with strangers going about finding love in the 21st Century.

Really?

“Dating’s already a game, so Stand By Your Man isn’t a step that far from most of our weekend lives anyway. I look forward to encouraging the girls to put the guys through their paces,” Jackson says.

Each episode sees four men competing to win a date with one of 40 women. Most of the females have so far been unlucky in love – perhaps the prize for the best “worst first date” anecdote should go to 24-year-old Mel from Cardiff, who once had to cut a romantic evening short because she was so drunk. She threw up in the taxi home, and got into an argument with the driver – who turned out to be her new man’s dad. Meanwhile, 18-yearold Rhiannon says her worst date was with a suitor whose idea of wining and dining involved a trip to McDonalds for a takeaway, which she then had to eat sitting on a wall because he didn’t want her to mess up his car.

The guys will be expected to live up to their online personas as they arrive in the studio, ready to take part in the next rounds. In Pillow Talk, the men get the chance to chat to the girl of their choice (one foot on the floor at all times).

Hashtag Awkward covers the stuff posted on social media. Can the guys explain away some of their more embarrassing statuses and Tweets?

If they do, the reward could be the chance to find love and never have to face an awkward first date again. Personally, I suspect Brian has more chance of finding another boyband.

Celebrity Fifteen to One
(Channel 4, 8pm)

JIMMY Carr’s in for a busy few hours this evening – not only is he fronting crossover show 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown at 9pm, but beforehand, he’s a contestant on this numerically-titled quiz show.

But what are the chances of him earning a big wodge of cash for his chosen charity? Well, 15/1, actually, just like everyone else’s.

Comedian Jason Manford and feminist, writer and journalist Germaine Greer are also among the 15 well-known faces all competing to face quizmaster Adam Hills in the final round. Alan Carr:

Chatty Man
(Channel 4, 10pm)

Pharrell Williams, the multi- Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer, is one of the last to drop into the Chatty Man series to talk about being Happy with his career, and more, with Alan.

The host’s other guest this evening is singer Nichole Scherzinger. As an added bonus, she’ll be performing her latest track, Your Love, live.