First class seating for a couple
 

I have flown business class a few times with my wife and we always get adjoining seats in the middle, the ones with a screen that retracts, I am thinking of upgrading one leg of our next flight to first class, it will be an A380 Manchester to Dubai or the return leg, do the middle two seats for example 1E and 1F have a barrier that can be opened so we can talk or interact

Yes, there is a divider that you can drop (if you are on one booking, the crew will have dropped it already for you before boarding).
You can certainly talk (and see each other enjoy the caviar and Dom Perignon…), but ‘holding hands’ will be a bit tricky as the minibar, the tablet etc are also in between the seats.
If you have the choice, don’t choose row 1 as it is a bit close to the shower / toilet suite. Rather take row 2 or 3.

Row 2 and 3 are preferable but it isn't much of a bother even if you take Row 1 as the F bar is right in front and that shields most of the noise.

It’s not so much the noise to me, rather everyone visiting the shower suite looking straight into your suite when they emerge (unless you have your doors closed, of course)

Thank you all for your help, I suppose it depends if me and the wife are talking when we fly lol

Could I ask a further question please, we don’t really drink and are not into caviar, our flight would be the EK18 flight the cost of the upgrade isn’t that much in the scheme of things, so what would be the advantage for us over business

F on the 380 is a pretty different experience, so if you haven't been in F it is worth trying out to at least once. The shower spa makes it quite unique imo. Rest of it is just J 'supersized', which I believe may not interest you much.

It's just a different level of service start to finish and more comfortable. If you're doing it on your flight from Dubai per your OP, you also have access to the F lounge there, which is at another level too -- even if you don't drink, the catering is much nicer and there are fewer people. The shower mentioned by jackiedada is a unique differentiator -- up to you whether that makes a difference.

After discussion with the boss we thought it better to do it on the return leg of our journey which would be EK21, but it appears that may be a two class aircraft, more thought needed

EK19 and EK21 don't have F, EK17 does. See if you can change flights or go for the flight to DXB.

Although not really relevant to this thread, I would like to add that the difference between J and F is much more on the 77W than on the A380. Sure, the 77W has not got the shower in F, but as the J offering is so ‘underwhelming’, upgrading on a 77W flight is much more worthwhile (at least for me).
The non-gamechanger F product on the 77W is identical to that on the A380 (apart from that shower). And as there are only 8 instead of 14 suites, I have sometimes found the service to be a bit more personal (with the exception of one flight where I was 1 out of 2 pax in F on the A380 and I had my own private FA).

I am in the other camp. Never flown the 'gamechanger F' so I do not have that experience. But even without the shower spa, I would choose the A380 F over the 'standard' F on the 777 (In fact I always choose the A380 over 777 on LH/ ULH routes when I have a choice irrespective of the class I am flying).
1. F on the 777 is not really private if you are seated in Row 2. People from J are right behind the curtain and when it is not completely pulled in, you can see them and they can see you (and sometimes they walk in to use the restroom). No such issue on the A380 - there is a galley in between with separate curtains for J and F.
2. No difference in the loos between Y, J, or F on the 777. Your F experience ends the moment you step out of the suites. In stark contrast, the restroom on the A380 feels like a football field. That in my opinion is an integral part of the 'F' experience.
3. There are 14 F suites on the A380 and a lot of the times they are not fully occupied. So better service, and typically never run out of meal choices.
4. Bar/ social area at the back of J (with wine/ champagne service from F). Good way to get away from the confines of your suite when you want to stretch your legs on an ULH flight. Nowhere to go on the 777.
5. Overall the A380 is a quieter plane and due to its size less affected by turbulence, so overall a better flying experience irrespective of the class of seating. So that's another reason to choose the A380 over the 777.

These are all valid points but the comment was referring to the contrast between J and F on the a380 compared to the 777.

777 J is terrible so being in F on a 777 is a lot better of an upgrade compared to going from J to F on the a380.

Yes, couldn't agree more.

It’s funny just how different people are, as I prefer 777 F! (Game changer first obviously, but even old 777 F over the A380)
- 14 suites is too many for an F product. If you’re flying on a second tier route then you might get a nice quiet cabin, but to LHR (or Australia or US) you might also get all 14 seats taken. Service can then be slow and it doesn’t feel exclusive enough. I was denied my choice of main course because it had run out by a couple of hours into the flight on a DXB-LHR a couple of months ago
- Row 2 on the 777 is my favourite F seat! I’ve never had anyone from J walk past knowingly and I love how cosy and private it feels. In contrast every F seat on the A380 feels exposed to multiple other seats when the doors are open
- The A380 is actually too quiet for me on overnight flights and I hate when trying to sleep hearing up to 13 other people doing dine on demand. The 777 background noise helps to drown out cabin noises

I suppose this merely proves how good EK F is generally that we’re reduced to this nitpicking :)