Cilla Black has hit out at BBC boss Greg Dyke for squandering licence fee payers' money by diverting it from public service programmes and going for outright commercial winners that can hurt ITV in the ratings.
At the launch today of the newly revamped Blind Date, the ITV star said it was inappropriate to use licence fee payers' money to chase big audiences in the style of Mr Dyke's ratings-hungry BBC.
"I can understand why ITV [would need big audiences] because they have to satisfy their advertisers. But I cannot understand why the BBC is so competitive in that way," said the presenter.
"You can't really knock ITV because they have got advertisers, but we all pay our tax to fund the BBC."
She added: "I haven't said anything to Greg. The last time I saw him he told me, 'I don't half miss the TV on Saturday nights!'."
The new series of Blind Date begins on October 12 in a 6pm slot.
The series - the 18th - will feature a new "date or ditch'" option in which contestants will have the chance to stick with the person they have chosen, or gamble and go with the remaining unseen contestant.
For the first time, one of the contestants will be eliminated after only two questions. The new format also includes Big Brother-style video diaries filmed on the date by the contestants themselves.
"It's not cruel," insisted Black. "All the new things they have done are really great. It's a whole, funky new idea."
