Hold My Hand, the first dating show to use British Sign Language (BSL), aims to reveal deaf culture and identity in a way never seen before. Presented by deaf identical twins Heroda and Hermon Berhane, the series exclusively features deaf contestants or children of deaf adults (Codas). The twins hope to bust myths about deaf people and showcase their community's authenticity.
The show arrives after a 2023 collaboration with Tinder found that 71% of 18- to 24-year-olds would not feel confident dating someone who uses BSL as their primary language. With 150,000 BSL signers in the UK, including 87,000 deaf individuals, the Berhanes stress that BSL is just another language requiring curiosity and openness.
Hermon Berhane noted that deaf people cannot hide behind words, making them more vulnerable and expressive. The twins, who have over 125,000 Instagram followers, admitted the small deaf community meant they sometimes knew contestants, requiring them to pretend otherwise. The three-episode series includes an LGBT+ instalment and features rounds like 'this or that' about sex preferences.
Heroda Berhane described deaf people as very open, blunt, and honest, hoping hearing viewers realise they are the same as everyone else. LumoTV CEO Camilla Arnold said BSL has been treated as an afterthought for too long, and the show flips that. The series lands just before Valentine's Day, with producers believing it has mainstream potential.
