Blind Date is to return to TV after more than 13 years with a revamped version of the show airing on Channel 5 this year.
A source said the programme would revive “some of the most loved format points” while also appealing to a younger generation of viewers. It is expected to air on Friday nights, rather than its traditional Saturday evening slot.
The original Blind Date, in which contestants picked from three unseen potential partners with the help of only three questions, ran for 18 years. The lucky pair would then be sent on a holiday accompanied by a camera crew with often excruciating results.
Cilla Black presented the series from its first full run in 1985 until its cancellation in 2003, with the former singer’s catchphrases such as “lorra lorra laughs” becoming etched into the nation’s consciousness.
The format returned briefly in 2013 as part of a tribute to Black, who died in 2015.
The Sun, which revealed the news of the show’s return, named TV host Vicky Pattison, singer Olly Murs, and actors Georgia May Foote and Helen Flanagan as potential replacements for Black.
Blind Date joins a string of old TV formats to be revived in recent years. Channel 4 recently revealed it would be bringing back the Crystal Maze for a new series, hosted by comedian and actor Richard Ayoade.
David Walliams fronted a Christmas special of Blankety Blank in December, though no plans for a full series have been revealed.
Channel 4 also plans to resurrect its own dating show, Streetmate, this year, with Scarlett Moffatt taking on the matchmaking role originally played by Davina McCall.
The new series is being produced by So Television, the company behind The Graham Norton Show, and Stellify Media, which is part-owned by Sony Pictures Television.
