Ep 1: The Sugar Daddy

This show contains adult material and swearing. You have been warned. Are you bored of modern dating?

Being shown the same people half your friends have already matched with from the same app you keep deleting and downloading over and over again, and going on the same boring dates to that bar near your house, which, let's be honest, you only go to so you can make your usual quick escape. Whatever we're doing is clearly not working, So it's time to change the narrative on how we find love. It's time to start looking for love in

Will I find that special someone?

Or while listening back to myself on these dates, convinced me that I should just quit dating for good and instead hang out with my adorable dog, dissecting my dates and listening in on all the cringiest moments will be my friend Roz.

Every time I hear a bad dy, I go in and call my boyfriend. I'm like, thank God and my friend Dan okay, the deadest flirg I've ever heard of my life.

Who won't be giving me an easy ride?

Honestly, if you had said that to me on a date, I would have walked out.

My friends think I'm mad, But how bad can it really be?

It's time to find out.

I'm Grace Campbell and this is twenty eight dates later.

Hi Grace, Hi ros, how are you?

I'm feeling nervous about this whole process.

To be honest, I feel.

Like nervous and you, Grace Campbell, do not work well together. How long have we known each other? How long have we been friends?

I don't know, like fucking oh my god, it's you been years now, and.

In all that I have known you once to be nervous or like even talk about being nervous.

I know there's a huge misunderstanding about me because I get so nervous, especially around like gigs and dates, and so I'm just nervous about the amount of people that I'm gonna meet and I don't know, some of them are maybe going to be freaks.

So we are both going out, Well you're going on twenty eight dates and I get to listen to them all, which I'm actually just cringing for you so bad. But like, how are these going to be different? Because I know, like obviously, you know we've gone on a night day before, like you do meet guys on night days, So how is this wilder? How is this different?

Love that?

Thank you just for firstly clarifying that I've got game, which I do because I don't want anybody listening to think that I don't have game, because I.

Do, Grace Desperado Campbell.

I've just gotten into like such a routine with my dating, which is what you've witnessed. I'll go out, I'll meet a guy, I'll have sex with him, I'll wake up and I'll never want to see him again.

And it literally this is literally the night out we had.

So you know the vibe.

I am single and I'm a bit bored of my dating life, and so I thought the so called right ways of meeting people just haven't been working for me. So I'm going to try some unconventional ways of finding love.

So you're telling me I can live my dating life vicariously through you.

You can? Yeah, this is your mail.

Was that's what you're going to do? Because I have been in a heterosexual, monogamous relationship trap since I was probably seventeen, all right, take fourteen. God, I've actually never gone to a dating app in my life, which.

I know it must be nice, it must be fucking nice.

And like you said, I started getting too long term relationships before there was even dating apps. I'm like a relic. Okay, So like what apps are you using? Are using apps? What's going on?

Well?

There are, first of all, so many apps I'm using in this that I have never even heard of before. So for this day I use an app called Seeking right now?

Sorry? Is this Seeking Arrangements?

Yes?

Okay, this is an app I do know, Like, Grace, isn't this not for like when you, like, I don't know, like you're looking for sugar daddy or something. Yeah?

Why why wouldn't I be looking for sugar daddy?

I need to stop being.

Sugar daddy.

I'm just going to relate there, Grace Cander, You'll be the worst sugar baby ever. I'm sorry, I missed the days when the sugar Babes just released music. No, No Grace, Candle's a sugar babe. So I met this guy.

Okay, now, on Seeking, you have like usernames, which also feels very like twenty ten. But he referred to himself as the high end Bachelor. Right, okay, So when we sat down on the day, the first thing I asked him was why he'd preferred to himself as the high end Bachelor. I'm seeking, Thank you so much for me, So tell me why are you called the high end Bachelor?

So use that site?

Yeah?

Well, dating, yeah, it's obviously the other means for it. King Yeah, yeah, some people use it.

For other means, but for me, it's more very busy lifestyle, always flying.

What do you do?

But spoiled?

Really really?

Wait what you're a trust fun baby?

Yeah?

Okay, it never worked because my pictures are quite out there on the Let's be honest, I'm not I haven't gone all of the pictures.

You have sunglasses on there?

Why is that so just a thing with our friend? We're always out in glasses and were always taking pictures of each other.

It's just the way it is, right, You're perfect. You're both NEPO babies. I know. I love that he's just actually briefly honest. He's like, yeah, I'm just a trust fun baby. I'm spoilt.

So on his profile, it says that he's a chivalrous gentleman seeking a philanthropist.

Don't you mean that sounds like me?

I could be a philanthropist.

I could be like Julie Cooper and the OC, like a really really rich wife who just does fundraisers and is secretly laundry money.

I was actually just gonna say secretly swindling all the money. Yeah yeah, yeah, So this lad I'm obviously looking at his profile now, like he kind of looks.

Like he does look a bit like Pitpull.

Yeah, he's the lad you see in the club, like just hanging around the ladies toilet.

Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, he's always got the bottles in the club.

Yeah, that is his vibe. And he's also like not to be rude, but like you know, he's in his forties. That's quite a lot older than me.

And also like I've never gone a date with someone that old before. But he's quite like, like you know, in his pictures, he's got like a Cardier bag to suggest he's just into Cardier. He has the vibe of like I'm on a private jet.

So like Grace, if he doesn't work and he's loaded and he travels around the world, what does he do with his time?

Well, that's why I asked him. I was like, something's not quite adding up here.

Like casinos, like my spars, they poke up.

Okay, probably there four times a week.

I'll go there because I go Look, if I go to a nightclub, it's five grands the way my friends party, So forget that.

When I used to go a few years ago, I was.

Used to have like three girlfriends, four girlfriends out of date at the same time, and I was just to take Really then you all knew about it.

Was it just sort of right, three serious.

Girlfriends at the same time.

Yeah, and they'd all stay with me as run the house at the same time.

Would you take all of them?

Yeah?

Right? Did they enjoy it?

Yeah? They were quite submissive in the sense of chilled. Didn't ask for too much.

Oh my god, So like, can I just took a video fucking fain your face?

Just then? Was going through so many different modes.

So I was like, Okay, yeah, like he goes sixteen or four times a weekplace book or like whom I should whatever? And then he was like, no, wonder if he just oh was he keeping three or four girlfriends on the goal? Like serious? Not even just like hanging out with three or four girls? Serious girlfriends?

Who has the energy, who has the time?

Grace? You wouldn't fit into that, he said, They're all submissive. You know, I know, I know you'd be plotting everyone's escape. You'd be like having a ring against him.

I mean at that point, I was like, obviously, this is not someone that's a potential suitor for me. But I'm also obsessed, Like I'm like fascinated by what he's telling me because some of it I'm just like, Oh, you so could be lying. You so could have not had three girlfriends at one time.

Yeah, no, he could completely be a liar. But I'm also like, what are the girls getting out of it? What is he offering? Like why is he on that site? He's going on a date with you? But like what is the end goal for him?

Well, I think it's that he had arrangements with them.

I guess where he's giving them a bit of a salary. Which you know, like there's a part of that that like appeals to me loads.

Because I was saying this to my mum the other day.

I was like, you know, I do really want my next boyfriend to be really rich, and she was like, I don't know how I've raised a daughter like to like say that. But you know what, I just have sex with someone a few times and then they're giving me a chunk of money a month, Like that would be really nice. I could take my friends on holiday, Like I get it.

Well, I did hear Rupert muradoch.

Just I'll tell you something for free. I am Rubert Murdoch's worse nightmare.

This lad. Is this just his life style? Like this is just his life goal to have a lot of women.

No.

At one point he was telling me about how much she's dated.

Just really excessively done for the playboy life. Just to give you an example, I dated over a thousand women in three years, a different one everything.

Say that again.

So over three year, a three year period, I dated a different woman every single night, over a thousand women.

How did you have the time.

Job?

No? I still doing stuff.

I was literally gimming three o'clock in the afternoon getting ready at five, leaving at seven, getting too.

Where were you meeting them?

Central? All apps? But I thought, let me do a little test here. I wanted to test all the star signs the day.

I want to test all the age groups within legal reasons limits.

And then I've done all the different.

Cultures as an experiment.

Yeah, that period, I wanted to just iron out a lot of things that were bugging me.

That's we should go to him for a carriage reading. At this stage, he should have his own fucking podcast. I can't even say. I can't even say, like, oh, what, what is this an experience? Because you're pretty much doing the same thing. No, I know, I know he went on a date on that average and not a great maths like pretty much every single day for three years.

But do you think that means that he would be amazing in bed?

No?

No, yeah, no, I agree.

Maybe he's lying. Maybe he's lying. I just find this highly suspicious. Although he did go on a date with you, so maybe he's He's probably just like anyone.

Anyone, you know what.

He was giving me very strong Dan Bulzarian vibes like he had very poker casino always got loads of women with him.

So sorry, this is the guy he's like. Maybe he's like viral on Instagram for a work. He's like the most rageous photos.

He's always on a yacht of like beare women and guns.

Just traveling all over the world, loads of hot women around him, and continued.

Yeah, that's he was giving me that kind of vibe of that kind of man, flashy with money, loves having hot women around, loves being at the table in the club before the bottles and the gray goose, whatever you want. He just gave me that vibe.

A lot of people get money, men can't handle it. And I think to be a man, you got I have not just money. Your mind is the most important. That's got to be in check. You've got to be physically in check to a certain degree. I'm not saying you'll be a supermodel. We've got beefs, yes, healthy. I might only be forty one, but I've got the mindset of a ninet year old. I've got the experience of

Greece, I'm actually just like I thought he was conveying himself to nineteen year old. He's like, you need to have a sharp mind, you need to have a sharp body, you need to have a obviously being us to have a sharff dig Like, oh my god, He's like, I'm like a ninet ye old, Like that is not a good reference.

What are you doing?

I don't know, Chris, I'm just like astandish. Have you found this guy?

No? I know, but this is this is what I think that whole world of sugar daddies is full of. And it's a world that we're not exposed to ever, do you know what I mean? Like, I don't go to clubs like that anymore. I used to go to clubs he goes to when I was sixteen and using a fake ID, and I said to him, I was like, I would be hell on a night out because I would probably get in a fight with one of your friends who was probably being like misogynistic or something.

We would not it would not go well. And also I would not.

Get let enter the club because I wouldn't be wearing high heels and I never brushed my hair, Like I'm your.

Idea of how And he still went out of the date.

Yeah, so obviously he was talking loads about like his money, but as you are as well, was we're both girl bosses. So I was asking him about what I could do maybe with my money, and asking him advice, as.

I always do and I meet rich people. If I was going to invest in one thing, what do you think it should be?

It depends on what you got to invest Tell me what you got, tell me what you want, and I'll tell you what to do. Okay, So I believe in life.

Look, if you have your base sorted, which is a property, Yeah maybe some investment property were one, two, three or four five, whatever, You got all your materialistic crap out of the way, your watches, whatever, whatever. Once you've got that out of the way, whatever you earn, it's for yourself.

You didn't give you any advice. He basically just said, once you're rich enough to get anything that anyone ever really wants this day and age, all you need.

Your watches, your cars, your property. Once you've got that, it's like, thanks, mate, didn't think of that.

I'm great now. I honestly thought he was going to be like, you need to invest in this company right now. They're heart. Well, there was no advice.

I want someone to tell me to do that. I want to be told where to invest with my money.

There were moments, yeah, when this just felt like I was on a date with one of my dad's friends.

I honestly can tell Grace, Like from knowing your dad online and meeting a few times. You're like, I you do not think your dad would be friends, isn't I?

No, that's true.

No, that's true.

That is true. This guy is very not my dad's band.

My dad hangs out with like.

Politicians and like yeah, and then ex footballers.

Only friends friends are ex politicians, ex footballers, and like some like he's a bit of a star fucker my dad.

So like for those who may not know who your dad is, and like I'm saying that because I'm from Ireland and I'm not up with UK politics, I don't know who your dad was before, so I know is now I'm like, who was playing him in love? Actually that's what I wanted to know.

He had a show actually based on him, wal bluesy based name which called The Thick of It, which then became Deep in America.

But his name is Alice the Campbell. That's my dad, and he worked for Tony Blair, who.

Was obviously the Prime minister here for a long time, has worked in the Labor Party and now he's just a very very outspoken person.

In the UK.

He's always going on the news shouting about the current government and he hates Brexit and he loves the round about that.

But he's actually becoming just very known for being my father.

But the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree because you're well known, known for going on dates with sugar daddies, So like, I want to know you went on obviously you're kind of trying to be a sugar babe. He's a sugar daddy. Like what would be the arrangement if you were to date him? Like did he offer you money?

At one point he sort of said this thing, but I couldn't really figure out if it was like him using as an example or if he was actually offering me ten thousand pounds a month. If it's take round a month, thank you, thank you, that would be great holiday.

That's thank you so much.

You should come out with me for a night just I'll give you my number later.

Yeah, well, but I think I'll show you my way and you could say, yeah, it's a load of bollocks, or actually I really like it.

I think I'll enjoy it.

I don't know why. I'm just getting the creep so bad. Listen to that, like so ten grand for what?

No, and also real listening to that, he is basically saying to me, come out to the casinos.

If you like it, you'll get to tank around them.

But no, no, no, because he also said come home with me. So what does that entail?

You know what I mean?

Yeah, that's what I don't know, but that's what I mean. Like, don't with a sugar daddy, Like what is the deal?

Deal? Is it all different levels? Some sugar daddies just want you to go out and have dinner with the love, yeah, or they want more, like where's the line?

I think a lot of them want sex, is what I think.

We don't know about him. Maybe he just wants a few girls. Well he said they were girlfriends.

Though, no, he was definitely shagging those those definitely, Oh my god. I know, I know, with the mind of a ninety year old or whatever.

He said, he probably doesn't remember any of their names. No, I know, so great. I think the main question is have you got sugar Daddy out of your system.

I think, yes, I don't think that's a lifestyle that's quite for me because and I'm not going to generalize, but for the impression I got, I'm definitely way too opinionated and the opposite of subordinate for an arrangement where like there's that kind of transaction going on because I'm just too badly behaved in relationships.

Yeah, and I also think that how would you even tell your dad and your mom?

I know, well, I'd be like, listen, guys, you should be happy because you know, I found a sugar daddy, so don't need to financially spundle with you lot anymore.

Well, great, it's I can safe to say he's very honest. No, actually, sir, we don't know what he's being honest, Like he could completely be bullshering the whole thing. But I like how UPFRONTI is like being a trust fund baby, like having an easy life all that kind of stuff. He's not trying to have some like big package story that he's

Yeah, I agree, but maybe one day, Yeah, I'll be like checking in to a flight at an airport, right, and it'll be like British Airways, but I'm an economy or premium economy right. And then he's there and then he's like, I remember you had a.

Nice time with you. I'll upgrade your flight and I'll pay for you to fly business class.

Listen, if I ever see him in the airport, I'm gonna go up and say I know you.

Yeah, can you can you make him up grade? Please? Mate?

Unless he's listened to this, I think you're a really nice guy. I know I am in a long term relationship, but I can be I can be marals support. Yeah exactly, you can.

You can be at the other end of the phone.

Roles and when he does his podcast called one thousand Dates, I can be I can help him out. So grace your first date with a sugar daddy. How are you feeling about the next twenty seven dates?

Oh my god, that's such a big number us.

Well, look, Lisa's not nine hundred and ninety nine, that's true.

And my Sugar Daddy he had to really go through the trenches a lot more. But I do feel I'm in the trenches.

Twenty seven left, like I don't know how you're going to top Sugar Daddy.

I don't know, Rose. I feel like we are going to top it next time on twenty eight dates later.

Honestly, if you.

Had said that to me on a day, I would have walked out, since before you would have finished the sentence, I'd have walked out.

I was really popular. I was the poshest girl of I was. I was popular for a poshcar.

You around me.

I'm a savage.

Can help it. Twenty eight dates Later is produced by Novel for iHeartRadio. For more from Novel, visit novel dot Audio. The series is presented by me Grace Campbell, with help from Roz Pursu and Dan Whyde. The producer is Diggory Way. The executive producer is Claire Broughton. Our editors are Mithilly Raw and Max O'Brien. Production management from Sharie Houston and Charlotte Wall. Willard Foxton is our creative director of Development.