Blind Date (UK game show)

Blind Date
Genre	Dating game show
Presented by	Cilla Black
Voices of	Graham Skidmore (1985–2002) Tommy Sandhu (2002–03)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	18
No. of episodes	373 (inc. 10 specials)
Production
Location(s)	The London Studios
Running time	45 minutes (Series 1–4) 50 minutes (Series 5) 60 minutes (Series 6–18)
Production company(s)	LWT
Distributor	ITV Studios
Release
Original network	ITV
Picture format	4:3 (1985–2001) 16:9 (2001–03)
Original release	30 November 1985 (1985-11-30) – 31 May 2003 (2003-05-31)
Chronology
Related shows	Blind Date: Kiss & Tell Take Me Out The Love Machine

Blind Date is a British dating game show produced by London Weekend Television. An unscreened pilot was made with comic Duncan Norvelle as presenter^[1] but it was eventually hosted by Cilla Black, who already hosted the LWT series, Surprise Surprise. Blind Date ran on Saturday nights from 30 November 1985 to 31 May 2003.

Blind Date returned on 16 October 2013, to celebrate Black's 50-year career in the entertainment industry. This special one-off was part of another programme, The One and Only Cilla Black, presented by Paul O'Grady.^[2] Blind Date producers brought back three of the show's most memorable contestants who were still single, giving them a second chance to win a date.^[3] However, the couple's date was not shown.

Blind Date is to return for a one-off special in December 2016 hosted by Louise Redknapp.

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 asked a question 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 'Our 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. 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.

In the final series, the format was tweaked; the "Ditch or Date?" twist was added to the show.^[4] Also, a behind-the-scenes companion show, called Blind Date: Kiss & Tell was produced for ITV2 and hosted by Sarah Cawood and Brendan Courtney.

In 2003, the show was broadcast live to try to improve dwindling ratings.

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.^[1] Thelma Pickles, an old girlfriend of John Lennon, worked as a producer on the show.^[5] The distinctive theme music for Blind Date has a strong resemblance to the jazz standard "Soft Winds".

A notable outtake occurred in a later series when Cilla momentarily forgot the name of the announcer.

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. The first episode of Series 17, on 10 November 2001, was reportedly watched at 19:00 GMT by seven million viewers – 32% of the audience. Although, this was around a million fewer than tuned in to its debut episode in the previous series.^[6] This was likely to state that its popularity was on the wane.

Viewing figures declined to 5 million by 2003. The final episode in May 2003 was seen by 2.9 million viewers.^[7]

Cancellation

The series ended in 2003 when, during an episode on 4 January 2003 (the first to be broadcast live), Black announced she was quitting the show.^[8][9] The production crew had not been told. Production was halted after the series ended; Dale Winton and Paul O'Grady were to be in line for her replacement^[10] but the show was later cancelled. ITV had been refused permission to make changes to the format by Columbia, the US company which owned Blind Date.

However, ITV briefly aired a similar replacement show in 2004 hosted by Davina McCall, called Love on a Saturday Night and since 2010, Take Me Out, hosted by Paddy McGuinness which is still airing.

Famous contestants

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

• Mark Speight (1989)^[11][12][13]
• Amanda Holden (1990)^[14]
• Howard Griffiths (1993)^[15]
• Ed Byrne (1993)^[16]
• Jenni Falconer (1994)^[17]
• Ortis Deley (1995)^[18]
• Nikki Grahame (2003)^[19]
• A Comic Relief special in 1993 had Mr Bean on the show. The sketch featured Rowan Atkinson as Bean, Barbara Durkin as Bean's date Tracy, and Cilla Black.
• A 2002 celebrity Christmas edition featured Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and Alex Sibley (2002)^[20]

Weddings

During the show's history, three Blind Date weddings took place and were watched by millions of television viewers. Black was a guest at the weddings.

• Sue Middleton & Alex Tatham (1991) – met on the show in 1988, married in October 1991 and celebrated 25 years together in 2013^[21]
• Lillian Morris & David Fenson (1994) – they married in February 1994 in Tiverton, Devon^[22]
• Anna Azonwanna & Paul Pratt (1998) – met on the show in September 1993 and married October 1998 in Barbados.^[23] The other couples also attended the wedding with Cilla.^[24]

On 29 December 2001, the episode saw contestant Hannarle Davies from Essex propose to Mark Ackerell from Buckinghamshire; after they fell in love on their date to Vienna, Austria.^[25]

Minor controversy

A contestant named Nicola Gill came on the show, claiming she was a temporary secretary, when she was actually a journalist for Cosmopolitan Magazine. When Black found out about this, she exploited the truth on the show, leading Gill to get booed by the audience, and her date to go away in total shock. Her date was later brought back on a different episode and offered a second chance, but as the one choosing from the three girls.

Transmissions

Series

Specials

Ratings

Series 14

Series 15

Series 16

Series 17

Series 18

References

External links

• Blind Date (UK) at the Internet Movie Database
• Blind Date (UK) at BFI
• Blind Date (UK) at UKGameshows.com