Tara love! Comic is sidekick to Al’s Cilla in Blind Date
SHE has big shoes to fill and Irish comedienne Tara Flynn is hoping to do the role of ‘Our Graham’ justice after becoming Al Porter’s sidekick on Blind Date.
The actress has landed the part of the voiceover on the TV3 version of Cilla Black’s classic series and will feature with her witty one-liners when the show airs this autumn.
A fan of the original series with Black as host and Graham Skidmore as narrator between 1985 and 2002, Flynn auditioned for the show with the Blind Date theme tune playing in the background.
‘I just couldn’t audition without the music, it’s such a part of the package,’ Flynn told the Irish Daily Mail.
‘I have been biting my tongue for weeks about this I’m so excited. I never went out on a Saturday night without watching Blind Date.
‘When I heard this was happening, I thought, “I’ll fight people and roll around cliff tops for this gig”. They are impossible shoes to fill, so that’s why it’s good that it’s different. I have some great lines to come out with, though, and I can’t wait.’
Thousands of singletons applied to take part in the 12-part TV3 series, filming this week. Flynn, a founding member of the comedy singing trio The Nualas and star of RTÉ’s Irish Pictorial Weekly, insisted that she feels the pain of the blind daters appearing on the show.
‘I’ve had way too many [bad dating experiences]. I was single until 39, when I met my husband.
‘I am genuinely sitting there with my heart in my mouth feeling for these people.’
Al Porter was hired to front the gig in May, replacing Lucy Kennedy, who was originally lined up to anchor the slot after TV3 bought the rights to the show in 2014.
Flynn said Porter’s wit and banter with the audience is television gold.
‘I know Al very well from the comedy circuit and I think it’s so brilliant he’s hosting the show – he’s like the perfect host,’ Flynn said.
‘I’ll fight people for this gig’