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Recipe for success - the Chicken Shop Date moments that created a YouTube star - Published When someone says "we need to talk", it often means one thing - it's time to break up. After Amelia Dimoldenberg announced on Thursday her hit YouTube series Chicken Shop Date would be turning off the fryers after one last series, some fans were begging for a second chance, while others agreed it was time to move on. Over more than 10 years and 100 dates, Dimoldenberg's awkward flirting, deadpan silences and willingness to overshare has made her channel an unmissable stop for any celeb, single or not. Before one last slurp on an orange soda, BBC Newsbeat looks back at some of the talk show's most iconic moments. 'If someone says chicken girl, do you turn around?' Chicken Shop Date grew out of a youth club project and interviews Dimoldenberg conducted with south London grime artists as a teenager for The Cut. She's spoken about how hard she had to work in the early days to persuade guests to come on the channel. Nearly five years into her series, in 2020, she bagged her first big name outside the rap scene: Oscar-nominated actor Daniel Kaluuya. During the date, Dimoldenberg admitted she would turn around when fans shouted "chicken" at her in the street. Allow YouTube content? This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. Her interview with the Get Out star pulled in five million views - a fraction of the audience she'd go on to attract, but evidence her hard work was clearly starting to pay off. It laid the foundations for even bigger names to join Dimoldenberg, with Sir Paul McCartney, Lando Norris and Shania Twain among those placing orders. 'What's your name again?' Forgetting your date's name can be a guarantee that there won't be a second one. But in Dimoldenberg's case it created one of Chicken Shop Date's most memorable moments. During a 2023 date, she discussed marriage proposals with Jennifer Lawrence. When Dimoldenberg said she wouldn't know how it felt to be engaged, the Hunger Games star looked the host in the eye, and began: "Phoebe." "Did you just call me Phoebe?" Dimoldenberg responded. "Yeah." "Amelia." The pair burst out laughing, but it wasn't the only time her date was caught thinking about someone else. Pop star Sabrina Carpenter, who appeared on Chicken Shop Date in 2024, didn't forget the host's name, but did confuse the show with Hot Ones - the YouTube series where celebrities eat progressively spicy chicken wings. In a sign of her own rising stardom, Dimoldenberg took on the chilli challenge in the same year. 'It's been vibey' The spice in this series was reserved for the guests - some more than others. After a couple of red carpet run-ins where there seemed to be palpable chemistry, actor Andrew Garfield's appearance on Dimoldenberg's show set the internet alight with speculation of genuine romance. When he appeared on Chicken Shop Date, Garfield conceded it had been "vibey" between them for a while, although for some viewers the encounter didn't live up to expectations. The following year, Dimoldenberg insisted the pair were just friends. Garfield wasn't the only guest to seem to really hit it off with the host. Singer Billie Eilish was especially flirty, giggling after complimenting Dimoldenberg's body. And after rapper Aitch came on the channel, rumours circulated it had kindled a real-life relationship, although neither ever confirmed this. Dates that jiggle jiggle It was the clash of two interviewing titans - the master of the strategic pause and the queen of the awkward silence. But when Louis Theroux met Dimoldenberg the big takeaway wasn't a new, personal revelation. It was a viral rap. During the pair's 2022 date, the Chicken Shop Date host reminded the documentary maker of the time he spat some bars on his BBC series Weird Weekends, when his quest to become "the first white, middle-class gangsta rapper" took him to New Orleans in the US. Allow YouTube content? This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. Despite the 20-year gap, Theroux was able to recall an impressive amount of Jiggle Jiggle, his rap about his love of red wine and the struggles facing the very tall owner of a compact car. Music producers Duke & Jones added autotune to a TikTok clip of the moment, turning it into a viral sensation that's had almost 84 million views since it was uploaded. Theroux eventually teamed up with the duo to record a new version of the song. So, a second date? Unlucky in love Dimoldenberg hasn't had much success when it comes to second dates - but that doesn't stop her asking. She's been turned down by artists from Central Cee and Digga D to Rosalía. But she succeeded in talking her very first Chicken Shop Date, rapper Ghetts, into a second outing to mark the 10th anniversary of the show in 2024. "When I was 17, I thought that I might meet the love of my life on a date in a chicken shop," she wrote in her farewell statement. "Since then, I've spent my entire twenties sat across from the most incredible people, people I'd always dreamt of meeting. "All of them charmed me (some more than others), and I definitely charmed them." With one final series in the pipeline, there's still hope for some rekindled connections. Related topics - Published1 day ago - Published26 September 2025
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