It beat some stiff competition to the title, but Love Actually has been hailed as the perfect first date movie. The 2003 classic, which starred Hugh Grant, Colin Firth and Keira Knightley, beat other popular rom-coms such as Notting Hill and Dirty Dancing to the top spot.

In what could be termed a no-brainer, The Exorcist was hailed as a complete no-no on a date, with the heart-breaking Schindler's List coming second on the Do Not Watch list.

The research also found it takes just two of weeks, or until approximately the third date, before daters ditch the expensive restaurants in favour of a night in front of the television.

Other films to make the top ten best date night movies were Dirty Dancing, Pretty Woman, Bridget Jones Diary and Titanic.

Some of the other worst films to watch on a first date were Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Nightmare on Elm Street and any Star Wars movie. It seems there's no chance of things getting hot and spicy after a Girl Power fix either, as the Spice Girls movie made the 'worst' list too.

In the corner? Johnny and Baby only made it to third place in the poll

Around one in ten of those who took part in the study said a lousy choice of film would be cause to abandon plans to meet up for a second date.

One third of those surveyed admitted to having their first kiss with a new partner in front of a TV date night.

The lifestyle study of 2,000 daters also found women wait until the fifth date to suggest a night in front of the TV with men being a little keener and offering it as a third date activity. 

The research, commissioned to celebrate the first airing of TalkTalk's new Date Night TV, also found that one in six people also admitted to feeling awkward and embarrassed if their partner suggests television with lots of sex scenes or steamy romance.

 

BEST FILMS

1. Love Actually
2. Notting Hill
3. Dirty Dancing
4. Pretty Woman
5. Bridget Jones' Diary
6. Titanic
7. Forrest Gump
8. When Harry Met Sally
9. Groundhog Day
10. There's Something About Mary

WORST FILMS

1. The Exorcist
2. Schindler's List
3. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
4. Nightmare on Elm Street
5. Star Wars trilogy
6. The Terminator
7. Die Hard
8. Spice World
9. Basic Instinct
10. American Pie