Formats Unpacked: Chicken Shop Date

Hey,

I can’t believe Formats Unpacked is almost five years and we’re only just getting around to unpacking today’s format. It’s an incredibly popular format that has propelled the host to stratospheric heights of celebrity. Her current position must have been unimaginable when she first launched the series as a student which is a testament to what a good format and sticking at it can do.

Doing the unpacking is Nimi Raja. Nimi, who previously unpacked The Graham Norton Show, is a strategist by trade, having worked for the likes of The Guardian, Google, Balmain & Augustinus Bader. She is obsessed with the power of entertainment to drive behaviour change and having built her experience in development over the last ten years has just launched her own production company, Lola6.

If you’d like to talk to us about helping you make great formats, get in touch - we’d love to help!

Over to Nimi…

What's it called? 

Chicken Shop Date - video series.

What's the format?

It likely needs no introduction, but just in case—now entering its 11th year on YouTube—Chicken Shop Date is exactly what it says on the tin. Sort of.

The format follows the now-renowned Amelia Dimoldenberg—armed with her signature deadpan wit—as she meets a celebrity, in a chicken shop, for a date.

Originally conceived as a student project, the series has since redefined the celebrity interview format, cleverly subverting the traditional late-night show dynamic, where male hosts historically flirted with female guests. Roughly 40 minutes of footage is condensed into a sharp, 5–7 minute episode.

Only the funniest, most awkward, and flirtiest moments make the cut, interwoven with strategically placed B-roll of food preparation and the ever-unimpressed chicken shop staff at work. Guests can approach the date as sincerely or ironically as they like—Dimoldenberg adjusts accordingly (as seen in the now-iconic Andrew Garfield episode).

A guest appearance on Chicken Shop Date has become a badge of honor in its own right, and Dimoldenberg’s rise has been nothing short of stratospheric. Its continued success over more than a decade is a testament to the power of the format.

What’s the magic that makes it special?

The show's success lies in its unwavering commitment to authenticity, which manifests in several ways:

First, there’s Dimoldenberg herself—it’s hard to imagine anyone else pulling this off. Her quirky personality, adaptability, and absolute dedication to keeping the format as unscripted as possible make it work.

Then there’s its organic origin. Chicken Shop Date wasn’t born from a calculated, scripted growth strategy but rather as a student project that gained a cult following on its own.

The show also embraces the natural awkwardness of a first date. Guests aren’t prepped beforehand, and Dimoldenberg deliberately avoids interacting with them in advance, ensuring the tension and reactions are as genuine as possible. This dynamic means no two episodes are ever the same.

And perhaps, most importantly, it doesn’t try to appeal to everyone for the sake of views. Chicken Shop Date is unapologetically itself. Not everyone gets it, and that’s exactly the point. From its tone and style to its setting and sharp edits, it stays true to its niche.

Favourite episode?

Cher. At 77, sitting in a chicken shop, expressing genuine disdain at the thought of chicken nuggets—yet just as comfortable with the format as 29-year-old Dimoldenberg.

Similar formats?

Hot Ones. Carpool Karaoke, at a stretch—both place celebrities in unexpected settings where you’d never normally see them.

Thanks Nimi!

Make sure you follow Nimi on LinkedIn.

Over on our other newsletter Attention Matters, we’ve just wrapped up our STAY HUMAN series on how to avoid the B2B zombie apocalypse. We’re about to kick off a new series on the importance of prototyping and piloting content before committing budget. It’s a common practice in TV and Radio but less so in content marketing. At a time when budgets are tight, testing should be a priority! So we’re going to give some tips on how to do it with all your content formats.

If you want to talk to Storythings about how we can help you develop a campaign that connects with humans, book a call by hitting the button above.

Here are two simple ways to get started working with Storythings:

• Our Formats Unpacked workshop will help you come up with lots of format ideas to prototype.

• Our 15-day story-finding sprint will help you find compelling stories about your company that will make you stand out and help your customers make better buying choices.

Both approaches have been tried and tested with some of the biggest brands, foundations, and arts organisations on the planet.

Thanks for reading. See y’all next time,

Hugh

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