Blind Date’s back! Paul on being Cilla
The show ran from 19852003, airing on Saturday nights, and reached a peak audience of 18.2 million in the 80s!
Cilla Black wasn’t the original host. Comedian Duncan Norvelle filmed a pilot episode but it never made it to air – producers thought he was too young.
Amanda Holden famously was a contestant in 1991. When Cilla asked, ‘If you could have a knees-up with anyone who would it be?’ Amanda replied, ‘Jack Nicholson because I like experience!’
Three couples got hitched after meeting on Blind Date and they all had their big days filmed for the show – Cilla went to them all!
One contestant, David Smith, bagged himself a date in 1997 but was stood up at the airport! He waited for his date to fly to Nepal but they never showed, so he had to go on the trip with the ITV film crew!
One of the more memorable contestants, Geoff Carter, turned up on the show in patchwork trousers and with his very own Sooty puppet. He still managed to bag himself a date!
TV presenter Jenni Falconer appeared on the show in 1994, aged just 18. But while she didn’t find love with her match, she admitted it was Cilla who ‘inspired me to get into television’.
Cilla didn’t want to commit to any more than six episodes because she was hosting Surprise Surprise at the same time. Blind Date ran for 373 shows!
In 1997, sassy Cilla unmasked an undercover journalist, who had been sent to write an exposé on the show for Cosmopolitan. Once Nicola Gill returned from her date, Cilla revealed she knew exactly who she was in front of the live audience!
In 2003, Cilla announced live on air that she was quitting Blind Date – even the production crew didn’t know!
The famous ‘Our Graham’ was voiced by Graham Skidmore and his face still remains one of the best kept TV secrets of all time!
Cilla said she only got the job as host because the producer thought she was the most ‘sexless’ person he knew. ‘My boss
said, ‘Who’s the most sexless and inoffensive person on telly?’’ Cilla explained. ‘Then he thought of me.’
Claudia Patrice sang her way through the show in 1989. It didn’t win her a man and she walked away alone!
There was one big fall-out on the show after a couple had been on their exotic date. When asked by Cilla, ‘How would you change our Jane?’ He answered, ‘Major plastic surgery!’ Ouch!
The late Tara Palmertomkinson appeared on the 1998 Christmas special and revealed, ‘I’m as mad as a fruit loop.’
In the final series boyband Blue took part and the lucky lady choosing between the four members opted for Duncan James!
Cilla’s phrases, ‘Do I need to buy a new hat?’ ‘Lorra, lorra laughs,’ and ‘What’s your name and where do you come from?’ were on everyone’s lips.