Naked Attraction is a British television dating game show produced by Studio Lambert and broadcast on Channel 4. Hosted by Anna Richardson, the show premiered on 25 July 2016 and has aired twelve series.[2][3] The series premise involves a clothed single person presented with a gallery of six nude potential partners, who are hidden behind differently colored booths that concurrently reveal themselves from the bottom up.[4][5]

Naked Attraction
Series title over images of naked bodies
GenreDating game show
Presented byAnna Richardson
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series7
No. of episodes65
Production
Production locationsThe London Studios (2016)
dock10 studios (2017–)[1]
Running time60 minutes (incl. adverts)
Production companyStudio Lambert
Original release
NetworkChannel 4
Release25 July 2016 (2016-07-25) –
present

Two special series titled Best Naughty Bits have aired from 18 May 2021 to 15 June 2021, and from 6 to 20 April 2022, whilst special titled All Out & Proud aired on 23 June 2022.[6] During its run, Naked Attraction has been the subject of numerous complaints to Ofcom for its full-frontal nudity, but Ofcom declined to perform an investigation due to the lack of sexual activity and the series' timeslot.[7][8][9]

Premise

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A clothed person is faced with six naked people who are initially hidden in booths. Their bodies and faces are gradually revealed through successive rounds, from the feet up. At each round, the chooser eliminates one naked person until only two are left, when the chooser also takes off their clothes to make the final choice.[10] The chooser then decides which person they wish to go out with, and the two (or, occasionally, three) then go for a fully clothed date.[11][12][13]

Production

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One contestant reported that each episode can take up to twelve hours to film, although the contestant choosing a date only has to disrobe for fifteen minutes. The resultant date takes place at 9 a.m. the next day. The picker has to have someone with them at all times to make sure they do not accidentally bump into one of the contestants, and if one of the contestants needs a toilet break, they must be escorted out by a member of staff so the picker does not see them leave their coloured booth.[14][15]

Contestants do not receive payment for participating, but standby contestants are given £75 for being in the room.[16][17][18]

Controversy

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Numerous complaints about the programme were made by viewers to the broadcasting watchdog Ofcom due to the full-frontal nudity that is featured in the programme. Ofcom chose not to investigate as there was nothing that breached their rules: the show was purely a dating show and did not contain any sexual activity, and was shown after the watershed.[19] This show caused controversy when it premiered in the United States in September 2023, due to the Parents Television and Media Council deeming the show “pornographic... a new low” and demanding that it be removed from the service.[20][21][22]

Transmissions

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Series

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Series Start date End date Episodes
1 25 July 2016 22 August 2016 5[23]
2 29 June 2017 8 September 2017 10[23]
3 24 August 2018 14 September 2018 10[23]
25 October 2018 29 November 2018
4 21 August 2019 18 September 2019 10[23]
9 January 2020 6 February 2020
5 10 November 2020 8 December 2020 10[23]
13 April 2021 11 May 2021
6 2 March 2022 30 March 2020 10[23]
23 June 2022
1 September 2022 3 October 2022
7 12 April 2023 24 May 2023 10[23]
6 March 2024 27 March 2024

Compilations

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Series Start date End date Episodes
NANB 18 May 2021 15 June 2021 5[23]
BoNA 6 April 2022 20 April 2022 3[23]

International versions

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The TV format was exported to Germany, Denmark, Italy, Finland, Norway, Poland, Spain, and Sweden, which have made their own versions of the show.[24] In September 2021, there were plans for a similar show in Russia, but it never reached production.[25] The Netherlands had a similar show, called Undress for love, which has changes in format, but the premise is similar. It ran for six episodes in 2018.[26] In the United States, it was released on HBO Max on 20 September 2023.[27][28]

Country Name Channel Premiere Presenter
  Germany Naked Attraction – Dating hautnah RTL II 8 May 2017 Milka Loff Fernandes
  Denmark Date mig nøgen TV 2 10 February 2019 Ibi Makienok
  Finland Naked Attraction Suomi Dplay+ 4 December 2020 Marja Kihlström
  Italy Naked Attraction Italia Discovery+, NOVE, Real Time 7 February 2021 Nina Palmieri
  Norway Naked Attraction Norge Discovery+, TVNorge 22 April 2021 Tuva Fellman
  Poland Magia nagości. Polska [pl] Player.pl, Zoom TV 3 September 2021[29] Beata Olga Kowalska [pl]
  Sweden Naked Attraction Sverige Discovery+, Kanal 5 7 June 2022 Sofia Wistam
  Netherlands Undress for Love RTL XL 2018[30] Lieke van Lexmond
  Spain Naked Attraction Max 21 May 2024 Marta Flich

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Binns, Simon (13 July 2017). "Naked Attraction on Channel 4 is filmed in these Manchester bars". Manchester Evening News. M.E.N Media. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Naked Attraction back for more X-Rated naughtiness". Digital Spy. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  3. ^ O'Donovan, Gerard (26 July 2016). "Naked Attraction: How low can this Channel 4 dating show go?". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  4. ^ "Naked Attraction host forced to intervene after contestant takes it too far". LADbible. 7 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Naked Attraction might air a celebrity special". Digital Spy. 16 March 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Naked Attraction gets first non-binary, pansexual star". Digital Spy. 25 October 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Channel 4 show Naked Education prompts nearly 1,000 complaints to Ofcom". Bracknell News. 12 April 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Naked Attraction viewer filed complaint over "nudity"". Digital Spy. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  9. ^ "250 people complained about nudity in Naked Attraction". Digital Spy. 12 September 2016.
  10. ^ Bryan, Scott (26 July 2017). "'Naked Attraction' Is The Most Utterly Stupid Dating Show On TV". BuzzFeed News.
  11. ^ "Naked Attraction laid bare: seven stars of the show on why they stripped off | Television | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Naked Attraction host reveals controversial new show goes one step further". Digital Spy. 3 April 2023.
  13. ^ "Naked Attraction is looking for people to be nude on TV". Digital Spy. 17 February 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  14. ^ Laws, Roz (28 June 2017). "Naked Attraction: What REALLY goes on behind the scenes". Birmingham Mail. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  15. ^ "Naked Attraction boss responds to US backlash". Digital Spy. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  16. ^ Greig, Finlay (1 November 2018). "Naked Attraction contestant reveals what it's really like to be on the Channel 4 show". i. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  17. ^ McCreesh, Louise (3 July 2018). "These BTS 'Naked Attraction' Secrets May Make You Think Twice About Applying". Bustle. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  18. ^ "Soz guys, Naked Attraction isn't any easier to watch..." Digital Spy. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  19. ^ Bosley, Kirsty (7 August 2017). "Ofcom won't be investigating Channel 4 dating show Naked Attraction". Metro. DMG Media. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  20. ^ Horton, Adrian (4 October 2023). "'A new low': explicit UK show Naked Attraction causes a stir in the US". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  21. ^ Hibberd, James (24 September 2023). "'Naked Attraction,' Brutal Full-Frontal Nude Dating Show, Quietly Added to Max". The Hollywood Reporter.
  22. ^ Culture, Sophie Lloyd Pop; Reporter, Entertainment (3 October 2023). "'Naked Attraction' is America's new guilty pleasure". Newsweek.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Naked Attraction". All3Media. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  24. ^ "What are Europe's strangest reality TV shows?". euronews. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  25. ^ "Любовь с первого… члена! Анна Седокова стала ведущей шокирующего реалити-шоу" [Love from the first ... member! Anna Sedokova became the host of a shocking reality show]. www.starhit.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  26. ^ Horton, Adrian (4 October 2023). "'A new low': explicit UK show Naked Attraction causes a stir in the US". The Guardian.
  27. ^ Suliman, Adela (2 October 2023). "Britain's full-frontal nude dating show sparks U.S. debate as it tops Max". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  28. ^ "Naked Attraction leaves American viewers stunned as it airs in the US". Digital Spy. 26 September 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  29. ^ "'Magia nagości. Polska' jednak w telewizji! Kiedy premiera kontrowersyjnego show dla golasów?" ["Magia nagości. Polska" on TV after all! When will the controversial show for naked people premiere?]. Tele Magazyn [pl] (in Polish). Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  30. ^ "Undress For Love". www.rtlxl.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 November 2021.
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