The very idea of Blind Date without Cilla Black sounds, at best, a bit of an odd concept, and at worst downright preposterous, but Disney+ is set to give it its best shot with the unveiling of Irish reality TV star Maura Higgins as host of its upcoming reboot.
Higgins is no stranger seeking love on TV, having appeared on the 2019 series of ITV dating show Love Island, and she has also been on shows like The Traitors US and I’m A Celeb in recent years. Now she’s lined up for Disney’s reboot of the classic eighties dating show.
As with the original show, contestants will choose between three unseen suitors through a variety of interrogation and task setting, although Disney promises the revival will be “bigger, better, and bolder than ever.”
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The original Blind Date was a Saturday night staple on ITV from 1985 to 2003. An unscreened pilot was made by LWT with camp comic Duncan Norvelle on hosting duties, but scouse songstress Black, who already bossed Sunday night schedules of the era with Surprise Surprise, was ultimately preferred for the gig, which she quickly made her own alongside voice of the show Graham Skidmore, AKA “Our Graham.” Over the next 18 years the pair would send lucky winning potential couples on their first romantic liaisons everywhere from Bognor Regis to Barbados.
The show previously underwent a brief Channel 5 reboot in 2017, with another scouser, Paul O’Grady, taking on (the by then late) Black’s role and former face of Boddingtons Melanie “d’ya want a Flake in that, love?” Sykes voicing Skidmore’s parts, but that was axed in 2019.
Angela Jain, head of content, Disney+ EMEA, told Broadcast of the latest revival: “Maura is the perfect match for our version of Blind Date. Her distinctive straight-talking humour, coupled with her experience as a reality dating show contestant, means we know she has the gravitas plus the wit to bring Blind Date to new audiences. We’re very much looking forward to Maura helping our daters navigate their own journeys to find love as she steps into the famed Blind Date host role.”
Disney’s European unscripted lead Sean Doyle, a former Channel 4 commissioner, added: “It’s such a well-known brand in terms of the title, but it’s definitely time where we can be innovative with the format and with the casting. Dating shows have always been great for casting, but with Blind Date, I think we’re going to want people to really stay with the series over the 10 episodes.”
