The Exeter Express & Echo is hoping to spread a little love in the city, with its own version of cult dating show Street Mate.

As with the old Davina McCall show, Street Date - as the Echo version has been named - helps singletons to find a possible love match under the watchful eye of a camera, and then sends the chosen pair out on a date.

It is hoped the new feature will attract younger readers to both the paper and its website, and reporters Naomi Harris and Liz Taverner have already been out match-making.

Filmed by multi-media journalist Alice Klein, the pair went in search of a female singleton willing to take part, eventually picking a hairdresser called Amy.

The group then went in search of a good-looking guy, finally choosing Steve who agreed to go on a date.

Alice said: "We all used to watch Street Mate on TV and decided to film our own version and put it on the web to attract younger users.

"We plan to start doing it once a month and then maybe once a week."

After filming the search, edited footage is posted online at thisisexeter.co.uk, and footage of the resulting date is then posted the following week.

Details are also published in-paper alongside the Echo’s Looking for Love section.

However, the course of true love doesn’t always run smoothly, and the first filmed coupling hit a snag when chosen male Steve pulled out, having met somebody else.

A couple who got the Street Date treatment in a dry run without the cameras have been out on a date, though, which went well.