The Undateables, Channel 4, review

The new series of Channel 4's The Undateables was eye-opening and brutally honest, says Sarah RaineyWhat do you lie awake worrying about at night? Work stresses? Mortgage payments? Utility bills? For some people, none of that matters. As the first in the latest series of The Undateables (Channel 4) reminded us last night, sometimes all you need is love.

This was about as far from the schmaltz of Love Actually as you could get, however, as the documentary about dating with disabilities returned for a third run. Charming, poignant but with a dose of reality, this followed three “extraordinary singletons” who let us into their worlds as they joined dating agencies in their quest for someone special.

Daniel, 25, was a 6ft 4in singer-songwriter and all-round good guy with autism. “I love to fancy her,” he told us of his date, Holly, who had mild learning difficulties. He was a bundle of energy – clapping, twirling, always smiling – and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to get teary-eyed when it turned out Holly liked him back (and he didn’t even need his crib sheet for “talking on the date”).

Mary, 44, a gold medal winner in the Dwarf Games, was frank, open and formidable in confronting stereotypes. “We can be a fantasy for some people,” she admitted. “I would like to be in love, real love.” After clothing advice from Reece, her teenage son, she went on a successful date with Jet, a personal trainer, which ended in a smooch on the street.

But it was Hayley, a 29-year-old nursery nurse, who had the most moving story. Born with a condition that fuses her bones together, she had had one date in nine years and described herself as a “beast” compared to her pretty sister, Amanda. But Hayley was funny and kind and held her own on her bowling date with Chris, a council worker who boasted he’d once shared a cheeseburger with Eddie the Eagle.