In a weekend which saw the Tory party’s post-referendum leadership battle recreated on BBC2 there was a distinct sense of déjà vu on Channel Five too, as Blind Date returned with Paul O’Grady as MC.
He proved the natural heir to Cilla Black – engaging but occasionally acerbic – and the innuendo-laden format was pleasingly unchanged, though sending the couples off for table tennis and “junkyard golf” on their dates seemed a bit austerity-era; I seem to recall weeks in Bali were more the order of the day in its ITV incarnation.
Cheesy lines
The contestants delivered the scripted cheesy lines well enough and didn’t seem to be too obviously using the show as the first stage in a reality TV career. And the facial expressions as the wall slid back and the selector finally clapped eyes on the trio of hopefuls (including their chosen date) were as revealing as ever.
A section where two prospective couples reported back on their trips to romantic (though still budget airline-friendly) locations rung the changes a bit. Cupid’s arrow hadn’t quite hit the target in either case, but they recounted it all with a winning self-deprecation which was a pleasant reminder that the format began in an era when reality TV wasn’t always a freak show or a bear pit. And they displayed an honesty our political masters would do well to adopt.
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