Vicky Pattison and Lucinda Light: ‘The Honesty Box’ Interview

Vicky Pattison and Lucinda Light welcome a cast of singles to a radical dating experiment. The daters arrive in Truetopia, a sunny and romantic paradise, in pursuit of true love. However, there is just one rule: Do Not Lie

While the daters explore romances with their matches, they are regularly tested by the dreaded Honesty Box – a state-of-the-art lie detection system asking probing questions about their true feelings. If they tell the truth, it could impact their newly formed relationships but if they lie, it will reduce the £100,000 Trust Fund.

Lucinda guides the daters as Truetopia’s very own Sincerity Coach, encouraging each of them to discover and share their inner truth. And at the dramatic Truth Terrace, Vicky reveals the Honesty Box results to the group. But can the singles work out who has lied and cost them money from the Trust Fund?

What do you love about The Honesty Box?
Vicky: It feels fresh, and I do like Channel 4 for that. Making TV that’s organic, and something new, because honestly, the market is a little bit saturated in terms of reality TV and it takes a lot for people to sit up and take notice these days, and I think we’ve found that formula with The Honesty Box.

Lucinda: It’s sharp, it’s funny, it’s deep. It’s got it all. It’s such a rollercoaster!

How would you describe the show?
Vicky: For me, The Honesty Box is the perfect mix of Love Island, The Traitors, with this gorgeous First Dates theme running through. You have bikini-clad babes and hunks in a gorgeous villa looking for love, which is a format we are familiar with, but then you add this AI technology element that forces them to be honest and face their feelings. It makes them show their vulnerable side, put themselves out there in a way that a lot of reality TV shows don’t make you do, which of course is our real desire, to get them to forge honest connections. You can’t play the game and just pretend to be in a relationship to stay in the show. If you’re fake, the Honesty Box will expose you.

While all this is going on everybody’s also trying to build the Trust Fund – the pot of money they can potentially win at the end. Throughout it all you’ve just got these beautiful moments. They’re real people, people who are multifaceted and there is more to people than what you might see, whether it’s a gorgeous bikini bod or whatever. I think, because of that, it is very unique and very special. I think it’s a reality show with heart, if that makes sense, and a bit of spice, which we love! But also, I think it really challenges people to be honest and it challenges what we think of when we think of reality TV. It brings something new.

What are your roles in the show?
Lucinda: It’s a beautiful complementary mix between Vicky and me. She’s the most incredible host—grounded, gracious, and whip-smart—truly the scaffolding that holds the entire show together. And then there’s me: the Sincerity Coach, barefoot no less, playing the role of a bit of a soul mama. Sleeves rolled up, I’m right there in the heart of Truetopia, facilitating powerful exercises that draw out honesty, spark vulnerability, and help our cast lean into each other. The connection accelerates so quickly—it’s incredible to watch. And the best part? They’re all so up for it. It’s magic.

Vicky: You’re the honesty catalyst, Lucinda, I think!

Lucinda: These gorgeous humans (and trust me, they are gorgeous!) signed up for this experiment fully aware of what they were stepping into. They knew we’d be holding them to their highest, calling out their truths—and their untruths—with the help of cutting-edge AI technology that’s 88% accurate. And they’ve shown such courage. I love providing a non-judgmental space where honesty can truly thrive. Vicky, meanwhile, is the ultimate matriarch—she hosts and holds it all together with such strength and grace. We make a great team.

Why do you think we need another dating show when there are so many around at the moment?
Lucinda: Few of them are holding people to absolute account and to their honesty and to deep authenticity, and really fessing up to who they are. Let’s be honest, people are really good actors. We’re so used to fakes out there in the field. Romance, showmance, all of that stuff. You can’t escape your own truth. I think some people don’t even know they’re lying. They’re so used to it. I think sometimes some of the Truetopians would come out of that Honesty Box going, “What? I didn’t even know I was lying? It just cuts through all of that crap and really brings people into deep alignment, quite quickly.

What did you make of the Truetopians when you first met them?
Vicky: I was obsessed with them, to be honest! I think the casting was perfect. Again, as somebody who’s watched so much reality TV over the years, for me, they were just great TV characters. It’s a really nice eclectic mix of people who’ve been on one side or the other of dishonesty in dating. They all wanted to take part in an experiment that would help them find an honest relationship. You get invested quickly. You want to invest in a character, you want to like somebody, you want to watch it, but you also want a bit of up and down. Do you know what I mean? And there is that. There’s a little bit of drama, there’s a little bit of spice. Some of the people in there have edge. They’re multifaceted.

Lucinda: They’re up for the journey of growth. I would say that a lot of them have that growth mindset. They’re up for growing and being on the experiment. They knew it was about truth, and I think that’s another piece that really sets it apart. It’s something that is quite special and holding people in a way that’s not dragging them down, or making anyone the villain.

What exactly is the Honesty Box and how does it work?
Vicky: It’s a room with AI technology that registers everything, your body movements, heart rate, even your eye movements and knows if you’re lying. Every couple of days, all of the Truetopians will get asked to spend time in the Honesty Box and they’ll get asked questions. It will basically be about something that’s happened in actuality in Truetopia or it might be about past relationships, or an opinion that they have that might be somewhat divisive. They’re given the opportunity to tell the truth, and they have to make that really important decision between protecting the relationship with a little white lie or protecting the Trust Fund and trying to be the honest best version of themselves. So you see a couple of them really struggling with that journey. 

Lucinda: And then there are some who are just genuinely honest souls—you can feel it. They move through the whole experience without being caught in a single untruth. It’s beautiful to witness. Of course, like life, we see the full spectrum. There are also those who’ve become so accustomed to bending the truth—it’s almost second nature. It’s not always conscious; it’s just what they’ve learned to do to feel safe or accepted. But the beauty is, in this space, there’s room for all of it—with compassion, curiosity, and a real invitation to grow.

Vicky: Totally—and then there’s the occasional one who’s like, “Okay… maybe that was a little white lie.” That’s where the magic of the Truth Terrace comes in. It’s this brilliant moment where the group, as a kind of truth council, votes on who should face the Honesty Box. You can literally feel the energy shift—some sink into their seats, others start energetically campaigning, like, “It’s definitely not me!” It’s playful, revealing, and so very human.

Lucinda: Yeah, absolutely. Or there’s the occasional one that goes, “Oh, that was a bit of a white lie,” because the Truth Terrace happens. The Truth Terrace is where they choose who’s going into the Honesty Box and whose lie will be revealed. Everybody, as a collective council, says, “All right, we are going to choose you because of this,” and they do a bit of a vote. You can see some of the ones who have told lies just sink into their seats or energetically pitch their case like, “Absolutely, it’s not me.”

What impact do you think the Honesty Box had on the Truetopians? 
Vicky: It straightened people out. I think there were a few who got with the programme really quickly, and by their own admission, there were some people in there who actually weren’t liars. They were just habitually lied to. We’ve all been there as well. There were some people who never were really scared of the Honesty Box because for them it was just really natural to be so open. But there were people who I think have gone through life lying as second nature, and that took a second for them to change, for a leopard to change its spots.

Were there any moments during filming that brought you to tears?
Vicky: Oh, yeah. I cry all the time!

Lucinda: For me, it’s the tender moments. Somebody really sharing about a family bereavement, that story brought a lot of us to tears. There were some really beautiful vulnerable stories of past experiences. Why they are who they are. For me, as the Sincerity Coach, I couldn’t help but just feel and go there with them and have some cries.

They get to write notes to people outside of their match who they’d like to explore a connection with, how awkward was it when they were reading those out?
Lucinda: It’s a bit awks-and-dorks! Also, we really encourage them to follow their heart, be true to themselves and pursue connections that feel true. So there is a normalising in Truetopia about if your match doesn’t feel quite right, well, nobody’s off the table. We set that up to be fair game.

Vicky: We try to definitely make it a really safe space to be able to do some switcheroos. You fall fast in there. It’s a pressure-cooker environment and some people took to it a bit better than others, I think definitely. But for me, I was so awkward. I’m loyal as a dog, so whoever I’d have got matched with as soon as I got in there, I would’ve just been like, “Oh, we’re getting married.” I would’ve just committed instantly. But some of the swaps make sense. But then, some of them are really awkward where it’s like, “No, thank you.”

Is honesty always the best policy in your own life?
Lucinda: I think when it comes to the big stuff, honesty really matters. Sure, the occasional white lie might slip through—sometimes to protect ourselves or someone else—but I think it’s important to check in with ourselves when that happens. At the end of the day, we all want someone we can trust. I do my best to offer that, and I hope for the same in return. But let’s be real—it’s not always easy to be impeccable all the time. We’re human.

Vicky: No one’s perfect. I’m a people-pleaser. I just want everyone to have a nice time and be liked and stuff like that, so I’m definitely guilty of some white lies here, there and everywhere. But not on the big stuff. 

Would you like to do a second series?
Lucinda: Absolutely—and third, fourth, fifth seasons and beyond… into eternity! We’re dreaming big, and the idea of this becoming a global franchise—starting with Australia and going even further—is so exciting.

Vicky: I would love it! I know it’s hard to get people invested in new formats. I understand that people have their favourites, and we’ve mentioned there’s a lot out there, but I would implore people to give it a chance. It’s different. Give it a chance, because then we will get a second series, and I think it’ll only get better and better!

The Honesty Box starts Monday 28 April at 9pm on E4.