I’m Doing It For Cilla
With the blessing of Cilla Black’s family, Paul O’Grady has stepped into her iconic matchmaker role in BlindDate
It’s going down a storm with viewers – adding a hefty dose of nostalgia to our Saturday nights, Blind Date is back after a 14 year hiatus, this time with Paul O’ Grady at the helm, replacing host Cilla Black who passed away in 2015.
However, Paul admits it could easily have been someone else hosting the dating show, saying he wasn’t keen when the idea of him presenting the show was first brought up.
“I turned it down flat. I don’t do studio stuff anymore, I’m always out in the muck with my animals or crawling around in dog kennels. I also thought it was so synonymous with Cilla and such an iconic show.”
However, after some gentle encouragement from close friends, including Cilla’s children, Paul changed his mind.
“They said ‘Cilla would love you to do it, you’re the only one she’d want to do it’, so I thought ‘go on then’. I was very wary because Cilla’s so associated with it and it’s such an iconic show, I didn’t want to mess it up. It was her show.” Paul recalled. Indeed, Paul received the blessing of Cilla’s son Robert who says his mum would have been delighted. “Mum would have been very happy. If there was anyone she’d have wanted to do it, it would be him. BlindDate was always about the funny moments.”
When the show relaunched last month, Paul paid an emotional onscreen tribute to his friend Cilla, with a dash of his trademark Scouse humour describing Cilla as the “woman who gave me two heart attacks and broke my nose in a jacuzzi”.
The pair shared an enduring friendship over the years since meeting on the set of Parkinson back in 1998.
“We had the same roots, that’s how we connected,” explained Paul. “She was a good soul and always there for me, somebody I could rely on. We were so close. We knew what each other was thinking. We had a special bond.”
Known for their sense of fun, the pair used to holiday together regularly and invariably a lorra, lorra laughter would ensue…
“She was great fun to go out with, even though I had to keep an eye on her. Things used to happen when we’d go out and I’d always get the blame.”
Having launched in 1985, BlindDate quickly became essential Saturday night TV,
“Cilla was a good soul and always there for me, somebody I could rely on”
pulling in audiences of over 18 million at its height of its popularity. Now, in an age where the world of dating is dominated by social media and dating apps, Paul says Blind Date reminds us of a more innocent age of dating.
“In a way, BlindDate is like nostalgia now, it reminds you of the old days when people would actually go out to pubs and clubs to meet a potential partner.
“I can’t wait to see if we can find love.”