David Wigglesworth Brings Brutal Truth to Modern Dating in His First 4creative Campaign

When Channel 4 briefed 4creative on its newest reality format 'The Honesty Box', the ask was clear: go big, go bold, and don’t hold back.

With a dating show that straps contestants to a lie detector, subtlety wasn’t on the menu – and for David Wigglesworth, it was the perfect first campaign in his new role as  executive creative director and creative partner.

Speaking to LBB, David shares how the team channelled shared horror stories, a love of cultural satire, and a little creative mischief into a full-throttle campaign that exposes the absurdity of modern dating… one liar at a time.

LBB> What was the original brief from Channel 4 for promoting 'The Honesty Box', and how did 4creative choose to interpret it?

David> With 'The Honesty Box' landing on E4, our job was to make a loud, unapologetic splash. The brief was simple: launch it big. No polite nudges, no gentle winks, this had to be a punch through the noise and into the group chat.

Thankfully, 'The Honesty Box' came with a proper twist: a dating show with a built-in lie detector. Bold. Beautiful. It is a reality series where you can’t fib your way to a second date. In a world where dating apps let you catfish your way through dinner – age, height, even marital status is up for grabs – this format makes truth the priority. We loved it.

At 4creative, we always try to plug into the cultural conversation, not just about what people are watching but why they’re watching. And here, we saw a real opportunity to lean into modern dating's tangled mess of half-truths and outright nonsense. So we created a campaign that exposed absurdity – using humour, of course.

We created and assembled a gloriously grotesque chorus of liars – people you’d swipe left on purely for their audacity – and then boxed them up in the launch film. A satisfying, cinematic mic drop for the truth. Because in this show, lying’s not just frowned upon – it’s caught on camera.

LBB> This is your first campaign as ECD at 4creative – how influential was your role in setting the creative direction?

David> I’m incredibly humbled to be in this role. 4creative has a legacy of properly iconic work, shaped by an embarrassingly talented bunch of people. So I came in with a healthy dose of reverence – and a slightly unhealthy dose of excitement. My plan was to build on what already made 4creative brilliant… just with a little more humour added to the mix.

This campaign felt like the perfect starting project. From the early stages, working closely with Dan, Andy, Sophie, and Simone, we knew what we had to do: take aim at the mess that is modern dating, specifically the carnival of deceit that dating apps have become. We weren’t here to play it safe – we were here to expose the liars and enjoy doing it.

I’m a firm believer that the best ideas come from true collaboration. That was especially key on this project. To get to a script that felt truly funny and culturally sharp, we needed input from all sides. Everyone brought something – from horror stories to smart observations – and we alchemised all that into something that felt distinctively Channel 4.

Beyond the film, the campaign flexed across platforms – from Snapchat filters to creator collabs to beer mats in actual pubs. Each piece was designed to hit one of three phases I laid out from the start: first, highlight the problem – dishonesty in dating; second, present 'The Honesty Box' as the antidote; and third, keep the conversation going. Stir the sloppy pot, basically.

LBB> What were the key creative considerations for crafting a tone that's equally punchy, provocative and humorous with a non-judgmental and inclusive feel? Was there ever a risk of it feeling too cynical or harsh?

David> The truth is, on any given job I never set out to make something ‘funny.’ That’s never the brief in my head. The goal is always to find the most honest insight – and if it makes us laugh (or wince), that’s usually a good sign that we’re onto something real. In this case, the team landed a brilliant cultural truth right out the gate: It’s time dating got honest. That was the spark. And we knew instantly: this needed to be humorous – because the only thing more painful than modern dating is not laughing about it.
So many people have horror stories from dating apps – lies about age, height, jobs, pets that turn out to be borrowed. So, our aim was to hold a mirror up to it — not to judge, but to say: ‘You too? Yeah, same.’

Tone was everything here. We weren’t out to mock individuals – we were exposing behaviours that have somehow become completely normalised. That’s where the chorus of liars came in: over-the-top, yes, but uncomfortably recognisable. And set to a beautiful, soaring soundtrack, just to turn the screw. It was never about cruelty. It was about catharsis.

The right director is always key. For me, that was Jeff Low – someone I’ve worked with many times and who just gets how to balance emotional discomfort with laugh-out-loud moments. He has this gift for making you feel seen and slightly attacked, all while giggling.

Ultimately, the campaign had to stay true to 'The Honesty Box' itself. The show’s premise is bold but hopeful, and we wanted the campaign to feel the same – provocative but never cynical, cheeky but never cruel.

LBB> The campaign blends sharp cultural commentary with light-hearted wit – why do you think humour was the right tact for this spot?

David> Because the alternative was crying into a lukewarm pint while doom-scrolling dating apps. Modern dating already feels like a tragicomedy – so humour wasn’t just appropriate, it was honest. Not to sugarcoat it, but to help people feel seen in the chaos.

Satire gave us permission to be bold, but still inclusive. We weren’t pointing fingers – we were holding up a mirror in a dodgy pub toilet. The goal wasn’t just to get laughs, but to create that moment of ‘oh god, same.’ And once you’ve got that, people are much more open to the truth underneath.

LBB> The campaign is very much in line with 4creative’s legacy of irreverent, culturally savvy work – how conscious were you of continuing that creative tradition, especially under new leadership?

David> Very. Channel 4 was born to poke the bear – to be a gloriously disruptive force in British broadcasting – and 4creative has always matched that energy with work that doesn’t just sell shows, but shifts culture. Stepping into the role this year, I felt the weight of that legacy… but also the freedom of it.

Our 'Altogether Different' ethos is a gift. It gives us permission to lean into the weirdness, the contradictions, the noisy bits of the UK that other brands might quietly sidestep. We’re not here to wallpaper over culture, we’re here to prod it, laugh at it, occasionally dance with it in a car park.

That tone – cheeky but thoughtful, bold but never hollow – is baked into the bones of Channel 4. My job is to keep feeding it. And I’m lucky, because that appetite for properly brave, creatively feral work runs deep. Alex Mahon champions big, unapologetic thinking; always pushing for work that doesn’t just enter culture but puts a big fat thumb print on it.

So yeah, I’m conscious of the tradition. But I’m mostly excited by what we can do next with it. Let it evolve. Stretch it sideways. Make it sing in new, strange keys.

LBB> Were there any particular insights or cultural observations – either from research or personal experience – that fed into the scenarios and characters featured in the film? And how did you decide how far to push the exaggeration without losing relatability?

David> Absolutely – this one was built on shared experience. The creative process at Channel 4 is incredibly collaborative, and a lot of the richest material came out of conversations: people swapping dating horror stories, wild app interactions, lies so messed up they were almost impressive. And all of that fed into the characters. We didn’t need to make much up – reality had already done the heavy lifting.

Katie Jackson, our chief marketing officer, really champions a ‘what if…’ way of thinking, which gives us the space to stretch ideas further, push the satire and break it a bit. But the trick was always in the calibration – making sure it stayed on the right side of ridiculous. Because the comedy only really lands when the audience sees themselves (or their mates) in the madness.

Yes, the liars in the film are heightened – but they’re also painfully familiar. That’s where the relatability lives. If someone watches the spot and laughs while quietly reliving their worst online dating experience, job done.