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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.

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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