Matt on Holly What were you hoping for? An evening of good conversation. First impressions? Nice eyes and smile. What did you talk about? Music, travel (and Brexit), pizza toppings and films so bad, they’re good. Any awkward moments? My pizza turned up 45 minutes before hers did. I felt bad eating mine while she was still waiting. Good table manners? Impeccable. How long did you stay on the call? Three and a half hours. Best thing about Holly? I felt really at ease talking to her and she had some good to stories to tell. Would you introduce her to your friends? For sure. Describe Holly in three words Bright, bubbly and easy-going. What do you think she made of you? I’m not sure. She said I was the first person she had spoken to in a while who wasn’t a work colleague or family member. The time went very quickly and I think the conversation flowed pretty well. Any connection issues? Nothing that affected the vibe of the evening. And... did you swap numbers? We did! How did the call end? Positively. We gave each other homework: I have to watch Galaxy Quest and she’s got to watch Rubber. If you could change one thing about the evening, what would it be? To be face to face. Marks out of 10? Is it OK to give top marks? We have a lot in common, in tastes and outlook. Would you meet again? Lockdown dependent, I’d like to think so. Holly on Matt What were you hoping for? A nice chat with a like-minded person. I haven’t really interacted with anyone new for a year, so was looking forward to talking about something besides work or Covid. First impressions? What a good egg! We fell into conversation very easily. What did you talk about? Our “rebellious” teenage years, favourite zoos and aquariums, places we’ve been and want to go, whether modern or early modern history is better. We seem to be similarly nerdy about the same things. Any awkward moments? I somehow managed to lose an earring while sitting still at my own desk. Also there was a discrepancy between our pizzas arriving, so we were never eating at the same time. Good table manners? Fabulous. How long did you stay on the call? Three and a half hours. Best thing about Matt? His sense of humour. And his smile! Would you introduce him to your friends? Yes. Describe Matt in three words Interesting, funny, friendly. What do you think he made of you? I think/hope he liked me. He laughed at my terrible jokes and didn’t seem put off by my nervous babbling. Any connection issues? Nope. And… did you swap numbers? Yes. How did the call end? We agreed we’d had a nice evening and swapped WhatsApp details. If you could change one thing about the evening, what would it be? Being in person rather than on Zoom. Marks out of 10? 8.5. Would you meet again? Yes – if he’s keen.