25 dates in one night. Welcome to the world of speed dating

Ella Fitzgerald's velvety voice floats through the air, singing Someone To Watch Over Me, only to be abruptly silenced by the high-pitched squeal of a whistle. The next sound is that of clattering feet as 50 people run to the nearest seat.

It's not musical chairs, but a game of the adult kind. Welcome to the brave world of speed dating, where people searching for love are lured by the promise of meeting a potential partner within three minutes.

Hands up, I am one of the above. In the last five years, I've run the emotional gamut of singledom. I've been through the 'I'm OK on my own' phase; the 'Please God, let me meet someone' phase; and finally the 'It will happen when it happens' phase (yeah, right!). I've done 'em all.

And while each stage had its highs - a marriage proposal - and lows - he was eating fish and chips at the time - love keeps giving me the slip.

Well, no more! After hearing about a friend's love-at-first-sight experience at a speed dating event, I couldn't wait to join up. A few clicks on the Internet plus a bargain fee of £20, and I've bought myself 25 arrows for Cupid's bow.

I'm not shy, but on the night of the event, I get butterflies - not the nice fluttery ones: these fellas are going berserk.

One nerve-calming vodka later and I take my seat alongside the other glammed-up women. With the 25 nervous men in a row opposite, it feels like a kids' party - I half expect some jelly and ice-cream to appear.

Instead, Mario, the organiser, explains the rules. You get three minutes to talk to your 'date', then a whistle blows and the guys move on to the next table. We're all given a form so you can mark down who you fancy and those who you would rather snog Jimmy Savile than go on a date with.

And so the strange courting ritual begins. Ian* is my first, and he's very nearly my last. A cocky 23-year-old, he squints at the obligatory name tag on my top. 'It's too dark to make out your name,' he says, pulling his chair closer. 'And I want to get a better look at your boobs...'

Like fast motorways, speed dating should have warning signs. Danger: Sad man ahead. I thank my lucky stars when the whistle blows.

'Well, Hell-lo sailor,' I think to myself as David* sits down in front of me. Tall, and handsome in an underplayed way, he's definitely my cup of tea. Not only does he have a wicked sense of humour, he's an actor. An employed one. Result!

180 seconds fly by as I try to find out as much as I can about him, and I can tell the feeling is coming right back at me by the unmistakable crackle of chemistry in the air.

Now, the whistle is my enemy - I'm gutted when it blows. Will David forget all about me by the time he gets to the gorgeous blonde creature, four tables down? Grrrr!

That's something I hadn't thought of before - being so excited about chatting to 25 men in one evening had made me completely forget the competition.

Hmmm, perhaps it's tactic time - would telling a few white lies about the other girls be so bad? But when I see similar expressions of hope on their faces, I realise that we're all sailing on the same love boat - or ship of fools - depending on how the night turns out...

And it turns out surprisingly well - there's Christian*, a cheeky Italian who starts taking the mickey within the first 30 seconds (always a good sign) and Peter*, who cuts straight to the chase by telling me he wants to snog me. Well, it would be rude not to, wouldn't it?

When the final whistle blows, I am having a riot, but suffering from serious fling fatigue. I head home with a big smile on my face, but that night have a nightmare where I'm a figure skater, dressed in a gold sequin leotard, skating as if my life depended upon it for the judges sitting in the dark...

Bing! I'm awoken by the sound of the 'results' arriving on my email. My heart races as I open it - I've got four matches! And yes, one of them is David. Wonder if he needs to practise any kissing scenes?

*Names have been changed to protect the innocent (and the not so).

In the mood for love?
Check out xdate they run speed dating nights all around the country. Tickets vary between £15-£25, and you pay for your own drinks.
Speed date even run specialist evenings - including Jewish and gay/lesbian.

Have you tried speed dating? Talk about men, dating, sex and more with fellow iVillagers on the How to do Dating message board. Take a look at some of the LIVE discussions taking place on the board right now: