Fred Sirieix pens love letter to Britain for Bloomsbury

“First Dates” star Fred Sirieix is scheduled to publish Seriously British: A Frenchman’s Love Letter to Britain with Bloomsbury this September. The forthcoming title has been dubbed “a love letter to all things British” inspired by Sirieix’s 30 years living and working in the UK.

Katy Follain, head of Bloomsbury General, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Ben Dunn at DunnFogg, on behalf of Encanta Talent Management. It will be published on 12th September and supported by an extensive marketing and publicity campaign throughout the autumn. 

Seriously British will see the “First Dates” star explore some of the generalisations the French have of Britain, from bland food and over-politeness to undrinkable wine and miserable weather. Bloomsbury said: “With his trademark wit and flair, Sirieix will turn these ideas on their head, celebrating the things he loves most about Britain.”

Follain said: “This is a book that’s close to my heart, having also arrived in the UK from France 30 years ago. It’s been such fun working with Fred on identifying the cultural, historical and political differences between the two countries.

“I’ve been so impressed by his understanding of human nature and his powers of observation, which I’m convinced stem from years of being the sharp and professional maitre d’ that he is. He brings all this knowledge, lived experience and insight to the table, and the result makes for a fascinating but also charming and funny read about this unique love/hate relationship between the French and the British.”

Sirieix commented: “I came to the UK more than 30 years ago, and absolutely fell in love with everything British, from the food to the humour – even the rain! I realised that the ideas I had of Britain growing up in France were completely wrong, and that the French and the British have far more in common than I thought.

“I am thrilled to be working with the wonderful team at Bloomsbury to set the record straight in Seriously British and bring my two countries closer together.”

Sirieix is a maître d’ who worked at Michelin-starred restaurants including Le Gavroche and Galvin at Windows before finding fame on Channel 4’s hit reality show “First Dates”. He has since presented a number of programmes including most recently “Gino and Fred’s Road Trip” and has appeared on shows such as “I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here” and “Celebrity Gogglebox”.