Iconic TV show to return after 22 years - with Holly Willoughby lined up to host
Iconic British TV show Blind Date is reportedly set to return to screens 22 years after it last aired - with a huge twist
Iconic dating show Blind Date is reportedly set to return to screens 22 years after the late Cilla Black 's final episode. For months, it was rumoured the ITV show would be revived on the BBC. However, in a huge shake-up, the reboot will reportedly air on streaming service Disney +.
The ITV show originally aired on Saturday nights from 1985-2003, and saw hundreds of couples meet for the first time. Like most dating shows, many didn't last past the studio doors - but some made it all the way to the alter. Now, a new bunch of singletons will be hoping to find their perfect date.
A star studded line-up of female hosts are being eyed up to step into Cilla's shoes, including Holly Willoughby, Davina McCall and The Traitors ' Claudia Winkleman.
Although there will be some "modern twists" to the revival - bosses are said to be keen to keep some of the original features that viewers know and love. Of course, they couldn't get rid of the iconic sliding wall.
'Although there's likely to be some modern twists, the bosses very much want to keep the essence of the original," an insider told The Sun. 'There'll be key elements returning, including the famous sliding wall.
'Plus there will be a prize up for grabs of a wedding package, which echoes Cilla's famous gag whenever couples had enjoyed a successful date, and she used to ask, 'Do I need to buy an 'at for the wedding?''
However, it is unknown whether the show will provide a replacement for voiceover Graham Skidmore, aka 'Our Graham'.
The Mirror has contacted Disney + for comment.
It won't be the first time the show has been revived. In 2017, the show return on Channel 5, two years after the death of original host Cilla Black - with Paul O'Grady replacing the late host.
Melanie Sykes also joined the show as a replacement for 'Our Graham' providing the iconic voiceover. The show ran for four series until June 2019.
Original voiceover Graham died in 2021 at age 90, seven years after the death of host Cilla Black in 2015. Black died at her holiday home in the Spanish town of Estepona, aged 72.
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