Intention
NHS Blood and Transplant needed to shift donation behaviour among 18–34s — urgently. 12,000 new Black heritage donors were needed for sickle cell patients alone. The challenge wasn't awareness. It was making donation feel normal, achievable, and culturally relevant to an audience that had never seen themselves in this conversation.
The Response
We created Love Is In The Blood — a blind dating show set inside a real Brixton blood donation centre, fronted by Adeola Patronne. New donors were paired with repeat donors for a date lasting exactly as long as it takes to give blood.
By reframing donation through the universal language of dating, WOTC turned one of the most avoided public health asks into unmissable entertainment. Co-produced with Channel 4.0, YouTube-first.
Impact
12.5M total views delivered against a 6.3M booked target & 6.7M minutes watched on YouTube - every target city averaging more than double Channel 4's branded benchmark
85% felt inspired to donate after watching. 91% understood why it matters
98% positive sentiment across both episodes. NHSBT have since commissioned live donation drive events and a second series is in development
