Hold My Hand- UK’s First BSL Dating Show

A contestant on the UK’s first British Sign Language (BSL) dating show says he hopes it teaches people about the deaf community – and shows they can “have banter” too.

Oliver Scott is among the first to take part in the new series, Hold My Hand, which follows deaf or children of deaf adult (CODA) contestants as they navigate dating through BSL.

The 27-year-old from Norwich tells BBC Newsbeat, through an interpreter, the show felt “refreshing” after always questioning “why couldn’t I be a contestant on something like that” when watching other dating shows.

It is the latest from LumoTV, a deaf-led streaming platform, and is presented by deaf identical twins Hermon and Heroda Berhane.

Created with the deaf and signing community, the three-part series aims to highlight deaf culture and identity in a way that isn’t widely seen on screen.

Oliver grew up in a deaf family where BSL was his first language so he “didn’t feel the need” to get a hearing aid or a cochlear implant.

He says he often thought about what it would be like to be on a TV show, but worried about how it would work.

“We’d say it’s impossible because of the communication, everybody talking, the different games are quite fast-paced, the gossip, the drama,” he explains.

“How would I get to know people? It might be quite difficult.”

However, he says he had a “fantastic experience” on Hold My Hand and felt he could “genuinely get to know a girl better”, while having “a bit of banter”.

Back in 2022, model and dancer Tasha Ghouri became the first deaf contestant on ITV dating show Love Island.

Oliver says Tasha is a “brilliant representative” of somebody that uses a cochlear implant – a small electronic device that helps her to hear – within mainstream media.

However, he feels its important to show that deaf people have different communication preferences.

“They might see Tasha and think she speaks very well and think all deaf people are the same, and that’s not the case,” he says.

“I prefer to use British Sign Language. That is my first language. So I think we need more reflection of British Sign Language users in the mainstream.”

Oliver hopes people can learn more about the deaf community by watching Hold My Hand, and also challenge some misconceptions.

“We can be naughty, we can be mischievous, we can be cheeky, we can have fun, we can have great banter too,” he says.

“It’d be really nice to expose hearing people to that too.”

Across wider media, he feels representation has been improving but he would like to see a deaf BSL user on a “mainstream reality show”.

Teri Devine, associate director of inclusion for the charity Royal National Institute for Deaf People, says Hold My Hand is a “huge milestone” for representation of the deaf community.

“It really matters. Everybody wants to see somebody that’s like themselves,” says Teri.

“So if you see somebody on television that’s a deaf person that’s going on a date, you think: ‘Oh, actually I can do that’.'”

Teri adds that it can also help people find their “role models” which can encourage them to feel like “they can achieve anything they set their minds to”.

The environment in which a date takes place can also make a difference for a deaf person, Teri explains.

She says places which are quieter and brighter so the deaf person can see their date’s face and read their lips can help make navigating dating easier.

There has been increased representation of the deaf community in recent years on television, including actress Rose Ayling-Ellis becoming the first deaf contestant to compete, and win, Strictly Come Dancing in 2021.

Ayling-Ellis also made history when she became the first deaf person to host live sports coverage on TV as one of Channel 4’s hosts for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

– Hold My Hand is available to stream on LumoTV and YouTube