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 individual 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" Skidmore (replaced in the final ITV 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, as well as interviews with them about the date and each other. Locations ranged from Bognor Regis or a date in an ice cream factory, to Anguilla or the Maldives.
In the final original series (2002–03), the format was tweaked; the "Ditch or Date?" twist was added to the show, allowing the picking contestant to stick with the person they have chosen, or gamble on the single remaining unseen contestant. [5] In January 2003, to try to improve dwindling ratings, the show broadcast a special one-off live episode. Also, a behind-the-scenes companion show, called Blind Date: Kiss & Tell was produced for ITV2 and hosted by Sarah Cawood and Brendan Courtney. [6]
History
Production
A pilot, as It's a Hoot!, was shot in early 1985 and 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, the then Controller of Entertainment. Gill Stribling-Wright produced both the pilots with Duncan Norvelle, and Cilla Black, and once the show was commissioned produced the first three series. [1] Thelma Pickles, an old girlfriend of John Lennon, worked as a producer on the show in a subsequent series. [7] The distinctive theme music for Blind Date has a strong resemblance to the jazz standard "Soft Winds" and was composed by Laurie Holloway. It was remixed by Sandhu for the final ITV series. [8]
Popularity and decline
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 show won the Lew Grade Award at the British Academy Television Awards in 1995. [9]
The series was not one of the 30 top-rated UK TV shows of 2000 and was ranked 45th in ITV's top 50 list with 9.6 million viewers. 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. This was around a million fewer than tuned in to its debut episode in the previous series. [10] Black was responsible for ITV shifting its football programme, The Premiership , to make way for the new series in a prime-time slot. The broadcaster reportedly gave in to Black's ultimatum "move the Premiership football programme or I quit". [11]
In April 2002, it was reported that the series would be revamped; [12] later in September, producers deined that Trisha Goddard was being lined up to replace Black as host once her two-year exclusive contract with Granada and ITV finishes at the end of the year. [13] However, a month later, it was reported that talks had began with Black to settle a deal for a further two series, running through to 2005. [14]
Viewing figures had declined to 5 million by 2003. [15] The final episode in May 2003 was seen by 2.9 million viewers. [16]
Cancellation
The series ended in 2003 when, during a special one-off live episode on 4 January 2003, Black announced she was quitting the show. [17] [18] The production crew had not been told. A change in the show's format was one of the factors in her decision to leave the show. [19] Production was halted after the series ended; Trisha Goddard, Dale Winton and Paul O'Grady were to be in line for her replacement [20] 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 at the time. [16]
However, ITV briefly aired a similar replacement show in 2004 hosted by Davina McCall, called Love on a Saturday Night , and from 2010 to 2019, Take Me Out , hosted by Paddy McGuinness.
Revival
A planned Irish revival of the format, hosted by Lucy Kennedy on TV3, was dropped by the broadcaster in June 2015. [24] It was later picked up with comedian Al Porter announced as the host in May 2017. [25]
In February 2017, it was announced that Blind Date would be returning but would now be aired on Channel 5 fourteen years after being cancelled. [2] On 16 March 2017, Paul O'Grady was announced as the show's new presenter who replaced Cilla Black since her death in August 2015 [3] and Melanie Sykes provides the voiceover. [4] The revived series began on 17 June 2017 and received mainly positive reviews. [26] Unlike the original version, the revival features both mixed and same-sex couplings. This version ran for four series until June 2019. Viewing figures were initially positive, with a peak of 2 million viewers tuning in for the premiere episode; [27] however, in the fourth series had fallen to below a million. In March 2020, it was reportedly axed by the network. [28]
Cosmopolitan controversy
A contestant named Nicola Gill came on the show, claiming she was a temporary secretary, when she was actually a journalist for Cosmopolitan . When Black found out about this, she exposed the truth about Gill's deception on the show, leading Gill to get booed by the audience. On top of that, when Black asked if she had a boyfriend, Gill denied it only for a caption to reveal that not only did she have a boyfriend, but was also engaged to be married in June. Her date was later brought back and offered a second chance, but as the one choosing from the three girls. [45]
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