Blind Date (British game show)
A dating game show revived after cancellation.
Blind Date is a British dating game show that originally aired on ITV from 1985 to 2003, hosted by Cilla Black. It was revived in 2017 on Channel 5 with Paul O'Grady as presenter, and a further reboot is planned for Disney+ in 2027 hosted by Maura Higgins. The show is notable for its long-running popularity and for launching the careers of several celebrities.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Dating game show
- Presenter
- Cilla Black; Paul O'Grady
- Announcer
- Graham Skidmore
- Tommy Sandhu
- Melanie Sykes
- Theme music
- Laurie Holloway
- End theme
- Paul Masterson (1996–1999)
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Series
- 18 (ITV); 4 (Channel 5)
Facts from the source article.
Format
The show's format resembled that of Perfect Match in Australia and The Dating Game in the United States. Three singles of the same sex were introduced to the audience, and a single individual of the opposite sex asked them questions while hearing but not seeing them, ultimately choosing one for a date. Before the decision, the unseen announcer "Our Graham" Skidmore gave an amusing reminder of each contestant; Skidmore was replaced in the final ITV series by Tommy Sandhu, who had appeared as a contestant in the late 1990s. The chosen couple then picked an envelope naming their destination, and the following episode showed their date along with interviews. Locations ranged from Bognor Regis or an ice cream factory to Anguilla or the Maldives. In the final original series (2002–03), a "Ditch or Date?" twist was added, allowing the picking contestant to stick with their choice or gamble on the remaining unseen contestant. Other modernisations included a revamped theme tune, new logo and opening titles, and a different studio set. A behind-the-scenes companion show, Blind Date: Kiss & Tell, aired on ITV2 hosted by Sarah Cawood and Brendan Courtney. In January 2003, a special live episode was broadcast, during which Black surprisingly announced her resignation.
History
A pilot titled It's a Hoot! was shot in early 1985 with comedian Duncan Norvelle as presenter, but LWT's director of programmes John Birt and the Independent Broadcasting Authority had reservations about Norvelle's camp style. Cilla Black, who had seen The Dating Game in the US, enthused about it to LWT's Alan Boyd, the then Controller of Entertainment. Gill Stribling-Wright produced both pilots and the first three series. Thelma Pickles, an old girlfriend of John Lennon, later worked as a producer. The theme music, resembling the jazz standard "Soft Winds", was composed by Laurie Holloway and remixed by Sandhu for the final ITV series. In 2009, Des O'Connor revealed he had unsuccessfully pitched the idea to Thames Television after watching the Australian version. At its peak in the 1980s, 18.2 million viewers tuned in. The show won the Lew Grade Award at the British Academy Television Awards in 1995. By 2000, it was not among the top 30 UK shows, ranking 45th in ITV's top 50 with 9.6 million viewers. The first episode of Series 17 in November 2001 had seven million viewers, a drop from the previous series. Black reportedly gave an ultimatum to move ITV's football programme The Premiership, later denied. In 2002, a revamp was reported, and producers denied Trisha Goddard was being lined up to replace Black. Talks began with Black for a further two series through to 2005, and she told The Sun she would never quit.
Celebrity contestants
Blind Date featured several celebrities before they became well known, including Nina Wadia (1988), Mark Speight (1989), Amanda Holden (1991), Ed Byrne (1993), Howard Griffiths (1993), Ortis Deley (1994), Jenni Falconer (1994), Tommy Sandhu (late 1990s), and Nikki Grahame (2002). A Comic Relief sketch from 1993 featured Mr. Bean as a contestant, with Rowan Atkinson, Barbara Durkin, and Cilla Black. For Red Nose Day 1999, Black presented a live studio version with Lenny Henry choosing among Twiggy, Helena Bonham Carter, and Elle Mcpherson. The first episode of the revamped eighteenth series in October 2002 featured the boy band Blue, and a 2002 celebrity Christmas edition included Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and Alex Sibley. In 2021, Alison Hammond revealed she had turned down an appearance.
Weddings
Three Blind Date weddings took place as a result of contestants meeting on the show, watched by millions. Sue Middleton and Alex Tatham met on the show in 1988 and married in October 1991 at St Michael & All Angels Church, Pelsall, with the service broadcast a day later to 18 million viewers. Cilla Black attended with her husband Bobby Willis. They returned for the show's 10th anniversary special, celebrated 25 years together in 2013, appeared on The Big Fat Quiz of Everything 2019, and renewed their vows in October 2024. Lillian Morris and David Fensom, an elderly couple, met in October 1993, got engaged quickly, and married in February 1994 at Tiverton town hall register office, with a blessing at St Mary’s Church in Hemyock. Fensom wrote a book titled Number Two, Please - The Story of a Blind Date Wedding. Anna Azonwanna and Paul Pratt met in September 1993 and were sent to Zermatt, Switzerland. In a 1997 special episode, Pratt proposed from the studio audience; they married in October 1998 in Barbados, with LWT paying for the wedding and honeymoon. Another wedding resulted in 1997 when Darren Walker proposed to ex-girlfriend Kellie Cooper after watching her on the show. On 29 December 2001, contestant Hannarle Davies proposed to Mark Ackerell after their date to Vienna, though she later admitted it was a joke.
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