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Blind Date (British game show)

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Blind Date
Presented byCilla Black
Narrated byGraham Skidmore (1985-2002)
Tommy Sandhu (2002-3)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series18
No. of episodes356
Production
ProducerLondon Weekend Television
Running time60mins (inc. adverts)
Original release
NetworkITV
Release30 November 1985 (1985-11-30) –
31 May 2003 (2003-05-31)
Related
Take Me Out
Take Me Out: The Gossip
The Love Machine
The Love Machine: Love Bites

Blind Date is a British dating game show produced by London Weekend Television. An unscreened pilot was made with comic Duncan Norvelle as presenter but it was eventually hosted by Cilla Black, who already hosted the LWT series, Surprise, Surprise. Blind Date ran on Saturdays nights from 30 November 1985 to 31 May 2003.

Format

The show had a format similar to the show known in Australia as Perfect Match or in the US as The Dating Game. Three singles of the same sex were introduced to the audience. They were then questioned by a single of the opposite sex, who could hear but not see them, to choose with whom to go on a date. Before the decision 'Graham' (replaced on the final series by Tommy Sandhu), who was never seen, gave an amusing reminder of each contestant. The couple then picked an envelope naming their destination, although the "random choice" was fixed as all envelopes contained the same destination. The following episode showed the couple on their date, and interviews with them about the date and about each other. Locations ranged from Bognor Regis or a date in an ice cream factory to Anguilla or the Maldives.

Production

A pilot was shot in early 1985 fronted by comedian Duncan Norvelle. John Birt, LWT's director of programmes, and the IBA regulatory body had reservations about Norvelle's camp style. Black had seen The Dating Game in the US and enthused about it to LWT's Alan Boyd, who produced Surprise, Surprise and who made the Norvelle pilot. After two pilots starring Black, the series was commissioned. Thelma Pickles, an old girlfriend of John Lennon, worked as a producer on the show.

Popularity

At the height of its popularity in the 1980s, 18.2 million tuned in on a Saturday night. Black's scouse accent and her catchphrases became familiar throughout the United Kingdom. Viewing figures declined to 5 million by 2003.

Cancellation

The series ended in 2003 when, during the first episode - the first to be broadcast live - Black announced she was quitting the show. The production crew had not been told. Production was halted after the series ended; Trisha Goddard, Dale Winton, Paul O'Grady, Ant & Dec, Claire Sweeney and Jerry Springer were to be in line for her replacement but the show was cancelled. However, ITV briefly aired a similar show hosted by Davina McCall, called Love on a Saturday Night and since 2010, Take Me Out, hosted by Paddy McGuinness.

Famous contestants

Blind Date featured celebrities before they became well known. These include:

A Comic Relief special in 1994 had Mr Bean on the show. The sketch featured Rowan Atkinson as Bean, Barbara Durkin as Tracy, Bean's date and Cilla Black. The skit also featured Alan Cumming, in one of his earliest on-screen acting roles.

Transmissions

Original series

Series Start date End date Episodes
1
30 November 1985
4 January 1986
6
2
30 August 1986
6 December 1986
15
3
5 September 1987
19 December 1987
16
4
3 September 1988
17 December 1988
16
5
16 September 1989
27 January 1990
20
6
29 September 1990
2 February 1991
19
7
7 September 1991
18 January 1992
19
8
10 October 1992
27 February 1993
20
9
18 September 1993
15 January 1994
17
10
1 October 1994
25 February 1995
21
11
16 September 1995
24 February 1996
24
12
28 September 1996
8 March 1997
24
13
20 September 1997
14 March 1998
26
14
21 November 1998
15 May 1999
24
15
20 November 1999
13 May 2000
24
16
18 November 2000
12 May 2001
24
17
10 November 2001
30 March 2002
21
18
12 October 2002
31 May 2003
26

Specials

Date Entitle
25 December 1987
Christmas Special 1
25 December 1988
Christmas Special 2
29 July 1989
The Best of Blind Date 1
22 September 1990
The Best of Blind Date 2
9 February 1991
The Best of Blind Date 3
20 October 1991
Blind Date Wedding
21 December 1991
Christmas Special 3
1 February 1992
The Best of Blind Date 4
8 February 1992
The Best of Blind Date 5
1 May 1992
The Best of Blind Date 6
18 July 1992
Blind Date Telethon Special
25 December 1992
Christmas Special 4
1 January 1994
The Best of Blind Date 7
12 February 1994
The Wedding & The Best of the Rest
31 December 1994
Tenth Anniversary Show
13 September 1997
Blind Date Exclusive 1
21 March 1998
Blind Date Classics
14 November 1998
Blind Date Exclusive 2
20 June 1999
The Blind Date Wedding
25 December 2002
Christmas Celebrity Special (Part 1)
25 December 2002
Christmas Celebrity Special (Part 2)

References

  1. ^ Jennings, Luke (6 March 1994). "Independent on Sunday, 6 March 1994". The Independent. London. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  2. http://sentstarr.tripod.com/beatgirls/thelma.html
  3. Speight in Blind Date
  4. Revealed: The spot where tragic TV star Mark Speight's body hung undiscovered for six days
  5. Blind Date Christmas 1989
  6. Amanda Holden
  7. Biography Howard Griffiths
  8. Ed Byrne
  9. How Jenni played a Blinder; GMTV's Jenni Falconer may have got her big break on Blind Date but she still hasn't found love
  10. Blind Date Veterans
  11. Nikki Grahame
  12. Tara Palmer-Tomkinson

External links

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