Anyone a fan of Blind Date?

I was about 13 when Blind Date ended but I remember it being a laugh. My nan, mum and aunts, well a lot of my family were addicted but I reckon that by the time the 2000s came around, their interest in the show started to fade a bit.

I did watch the new-look show when it was hosted by Paul O'Grady and I liked it a lot. I especially liked that they also featured same sex couples which the previous show didn't. I know the Blind Date reboot wasn't as popular because most people preferred the older format with Cilla Black. But because I hadn't watched it as long as many others, I didn't have a particular attachment and was able to watch Paul O'Grady's Blind Date with fresher eyes I suppose.

We actually had a show in America called Blind Date. I think it started late nineties but didn't last very long. four or five years maybe. If the British one lasted alot longer it must have been real good! Ours may have been based off of the British show but I'm not sure. I didn't really watch much of it but I know people who did and they enjoyed it. And yes today you get tons of similar shows like that.

Blind date was compulsive Saturday night viewing. My mum especially loved it. The set up would be quite dated by today's standards but back then it was a lot of fun. Cilla Black was an absolute legend and I can't imagine anyone else being able to present the show with the same energy that she had.

And also why has no one mentioned 'Our Graham with a quick reminder?' The guy was to Blind Date what Dave Lamb is to Come Dine With Me.

I don't know this program but I can assure you that if such a show existed in India in the 1980s, it would have been to get married not to date! LOL!

And of course today such shows do exist and are produced in other countries!

I grew up in the Far East but whenever we came back to Britain to visit family, I'd be able to watch shows like Blind Date. I returned to Britain permanently in the late nineties and Blind Date was still very popular and I was soon hooked! So much so that if i was going out, I would record it so that I could watch it the next day while I was lounging around, trying to get over my hangover!

It was a right laugh and Cilla Black was an amazing host. It's true that Saturday night TV was epic in the late nineties, and I feel we took it for granted a bit. If only we knew back then that it wasn't going to last forever... TV today isn't bad but I wouldn't call it unmissable.

I wasn't really very outgoing during my teens and early twenties, and back then I even used to work Saturdays. So I definitely relied on great TV for a Saturday night as my main source of entertainment. And thankfully that was what we got (unlike now! 🙄) And one of the shows I really enjoyed was Blind Date. I would absolutely howl! It was dead funny. I could never wait until the following week to see how everyone got on.

I'm amazed that with all the models, actors, musicians etc. that were on, there weren't that many now famous people on it. Everyone just talks about Amanda Holden and Jenni Falconer so I suppose that was it. But I think it was quite mean of Cilla to expose the Cosmo journo the way that she did. I know that she accused the woman of depriving a genuine contestant of a place but oh please - with all those people in the media and entertainment industry, do you really think they were on the show looking for love? Of course not! They were just there hoping to get their big break. I remember reading somewhere that Amanda Holden only went on Blind Date for a bit of publicity as she was a drama student at the time.

But I do remember the Blind Date weddings. I think there were three altogether but I can't remember if the last couple's wedding was televised. I do remember all the fuss whenever there was a wedding. It was almost like there was another royal wedding!

I'm amazed though at how long Blind Date lasted. Nearly twenty years. There's a chance it could have gone on longer if Cilla hadn't decided to quit when she did. But maybe by that time things were starting to get a bit stale anyway. TV shows generally have a shelf-life as with many other things. But I still have fond memories of Blind Date and enjoy watching repeats every now and again.

I don't know if it was possible to dislike Blind Date! I remember watching the very first episode, and even though I don't remember the first couple to go on a date, I do remember that when the screen went back and the couple saw each other for the first time, my dad mistakenly thought that they had won a wedding rather than a date! My mum had to correct him but of course today, funnily enough, such shows do actually exist - although I've never actually watched them and don't care to as it's not my kind of show any more. But I did enjoy Blind Date and back then it was something of a novelty because we'd never ( I believe anyway) had a series like it before, although I know that both America and Australia had their own versions of the show long before we did.

There are certain contestants that still stand out in my mind, and on the occasions that I do come across old episodes, it's amazing how much I remember - even though I'll have only watched it once before many years ago! I remember the journalist that Cilla exposed (read about it here - https://nostalgiapie.wixsite.com/nostalgiapie/post/ten-jaw-dropping-tv-moments)

But I didn't see Amanda Holden's much talked about appearance but I think I vaguely remember Jenni Falconer's. Nor did I get to see Cilla's shock announcement that she was leaving the show when it first aired. But I do remember one of the brothers of Jason Orange from Take That appearing - Justin or Dominic, I'm not sure - and he picked a girl who had already snogged Jason! And they say the show wasn't fixed!!! Doesn't matter if it was - it was still great fun, and yes it does take me back to the days when TV shows, whether on a Saturday night or not, was just all round better.

I have watched the shows that Egg Yolk mentioned that are similar to Blind Date and enjoyed them a lot. But as Sherbette said, you can't beat Blind Date!

Also - loved Cilla Black. She was an amazing host. R.I.P Cilla ❤️

Like most people in Britain, my family were Blind Date mad! Everyone from my great-gran to my toddler cousin were watching it every Saturday night. And that's the thing about the show - despite the slightly saucy nature of the show, it was actually great family viewing (or they wouldn't have shown it at that time!) and a right laugh.

When we were at an age when we started to go out, we would usually arrange to do that after Blind Date had finished. That's how much we liked it! So a bunch of us would be getting ready in someone's bedroom, drinking shandies and watching Blind Date - it definitely got us in the spirit for a great night out. And I have to admit, I did enjoy it slightly more when the couple who went on a date didn't get on. They were even more hysterically funny then even though they clearly didn't mean to be. 😂

As Egg Yolk has said, there have been similar types of dating shows since Blind Date which I've watched and enjoyed but for me, nothing beats Blind Date.

Ah Blind Date, I loved that show. I think the show hosted by Cilla actually ended around 2002 or 2003, so it lasted beyond the 90s. But by then it had got a bit old hat so I can understand why Cilla was no longer interested in hosting the show. I haven't actually seen it myself but I know there was a revamped version of the show hosted by Paul O' Grady but I'm not sure if it's still running.

Blind Date reminds me of the days when Saturday Night telly were boss and definitely worth staying in for (although we did quite often choose to go out!) I were about 13 when it first started and I know it were must-see TV for everyone. There were a lot of fanfare for the show when it first started. There were also Christmas specials so we got to see Blind Date on Christmas Day!

At the time, as far as I know anyway, there really weren't another show like Blind Date, and I think that Blind Date were the precursor for shows such as Dinner Date, First Dates etc.