Claudia Winkleman is tipped to take on the role of cupid in a fresh take on Blind Date.
The 52-year-old presenter has swapped out overseeing brutal murders on the Traitors to helping sexy singletons find love. Holly Willoughby’s hubby Dan Baldwin plans to breathe new life into the classic love-match show.
The iconic dating programme originally ran on ITV from 1985 to 2003 that saw Cilla Black playing matchmaker. After more than 20 years off air, the show could be making a comeback on the Beeb following the successful reboot of Gladiators and Wheel of Fortune.
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Chatting on BBC Radio 4, Dan dropped some major hints about a possible revival. He said: “You always look at old shows that are no longer on television.
(Image: Getty Images)
“You are always coming up with new ways of bringing back a show. There is nothing wrong with that because those shows were great for a reason.
“As well as coming up with new ideas, we’ve always got one eye on what could come back and what could be a hit like Gladiators is. Another one that you’d like to see back, Blind Date, are we ready for that?
“What a Saturday night that was. I’m thinking Blind Date with Claudia Winkleman on BBC1, how about it? “. It’s hard to say if Blind Date would succeed without the late Cilla Black at the helm – after she sadly passed away in 2015 at the age of 72.
(Image: ITV)
Even her co-star and show announcer Graham ‘our Graham’ Skidmore couldn’t help bring it back following his death in 2021. Attempts were made to revitalise the show by Channel 5 in 2017, with the late Paul O’Grady (a close friend of Cilla) as the host.
But the show struggled to hit home with viewers and did not fare well, reports the Mirror. While the show was met with reasonably positive reviews from critics, the show failed to find an audience and was quietly axed.
In 2020, an inside source disclosed to the Daily Star: “After a number of series on Channel 5, it’s been decided that it’s time to ditch it. Execs loved reviving such an iconic show, but it hasn’t gone as well as they hoped. Everyone involved is sad to see it go.”
(Image: Battersea Dogs & Cats Home)
The rebooted version was partially led by model Melanie Sykes, who lent her voice to the dating show. Blind Date initially came to a dramatic end in January 2003 when Cilla shockingly declared her departure on live television during the first-ever live programme.
She caught the show producers off guard when she said to her audience: “Over New Year I thought a lot about what I wanted to do in 2003, and decided that it was the right time to move on from Blind Date.”
The star added: “All good things come to an end and the show deserves to finish on a high and be remembered as a success. Now I’m looking forward to a year filled with exciting new challenges.
“I have had great fun for 18 years and would like to thank everyone involved in the show.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
