The elegant suite at the Midland Hotel in Bradford's Forster Square appeared to be hosting a business conference as groups of eight men and women sat anxiously in front of official-looking desks.

That is, until a leather-clad lad got up and started doing karate kicks across the room.

For this was the place where it paid to be wacky as the Blind Date team came to Bradford yesterday in search of yet more eager contestants looking for love and five minutes of fame.

Now in its sixteenth year, the dating show still pulls in the crowds and has kept its top ten position in the TV rankings. And researchers are now nearing the end of regional rounds for the next series, talking to 14,000 hopefuls across the country.

One of the first to arrive at the Bradford qualifiers was 19-year-old Stacey Smith, a hairdresser from Keighley, who was dared to apply by her friends.

"When I told them I had an interview, they were really shocked," she said. "They said it was the height of desperation.

"I have done similar interviews when I was Keighley's Deputy Gala Queen last year. They ask you about your hobbies and things. They're obviously looking for a good personality and a sense of humour. But I'm just me and it they don't like it they can lump it."

And that is more or less what the programme-makers are looking for, according to researcher Rob Smith.

"The best thing is to be yourself," he said. "We get people coming in who say they are mad, complete nutters, but when you ask them what they've done, they can't think of anything.

"You get to know fairly quickly if people will be OK. The bottom line is that they could be appearing on the sofa with Cilla in front of the audience and there's got to be some banter."

But he is quick to add that does not mean contestants have to be outrageous or over the top.

Successful applicants from yesterday's interviews will go forward to a second interview in Manchester next week. If they pass that stage, they will become one of 192 contestants to go on air.

But senior researcher Sarah Allen said she had so far been impressed with the Bradford romantics.

"We have had some good people today and we've had such a fantastic time in Yorkshire. We did have a young guy on from the Bradford/Halifax borders before who was a picker. He was really nice - a typical Yorkshire lad."

The new series will be filmed from March and screened from Autumn.

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