Blind Date's biggest controversies revealed: The closeted contestant, the serial sexist and the undercover journalist - as the show gets a reboot

Daily Mail​

a day ago

ITV dating show Blind Date dominated Saturday night television from the mid Eighties until the early noughties, with television viewers gripped by the colourful cast of characters who were in pursuit of love - or at least five minutes of fame.
The cult classic British television show, which kicked off with a jaunty two-note theme tune, was presented by host Cilla Black and her sidekick Graham, famous for his 'quick reminders'.
The format was simple; a 'picker' would choose from three potential suitors, all of whom were sat behind a screen, based entirely on the answers to their three questions.
And like many TV shows born in a different era, it hasn't aged well. There was the man named Adam who 'only dated size eights' and was 'disappointed' when the woman he had picked turned out to be a brunette, not a blonde.
Another contestant, Charlotte, savagely left her date David on a plane to Nepal with only the camera crew for company when she ditched him at the last minute.
However, one of the most memorable moments was when an undercover Cosmopolitan journalist Nicola Gill was found out and exposed by Cilla, leading to the famous saying: 'She's a journalist ladies and gentleman, not a Blind Dater!'
The show was officially cancelled in 2003 before it was taken over by Channel 5 under the realm of the late Paul O'Grady in 2017, after Cilla passed away following a stroke at home in Spain.
Fans of the show were let down a second time after it was scrapped again in 2020 - but now it's set to make a sensational return to screens 22 years after it last aired.
The new Disney+ version will reportedly take place on a tropical island, just like ITV's Love Island, hosted by Maya Jama - with contestants battling it out for a dream wedding on golden sands.
Here, we look back at the most controversial contestants who ever graced Cilla's sofa during the show's heyday...
1998: THE UNDERCOVER JOURNALIST WHO WAS BUSTED BY CILLA
When Cosmopolitan journalist Nicola Gill, then 27, was tasked with going under the radar in 1998 to report on the show's inner workings, she came undone in front of a live audience - after Cilla was tipped off.
Gill pretended she was a secretary and plucked innocent Paul Mankelow out of the three men behind the screen for a date.
However, when the couple regrouped with Cilla on the sofa following their rendez-vouz, the veteran entertainer revealed to viewers she knew exactly what Nicola had been up to.
Cilla announced to a shocked live audience and TV viewers at home: 'Well Nicola, I have to say I've got more than a little surprise for you.
'Cause I know what you're at and I feel awfully, deeply saddened by this. You don't work as a temporary secretary.
'I know for a fact that you're actually an undercover journalist and you've robbed somebody of coming on a proper Blind Date. You work for Cosmopolitan magazine...
'It's just a shame you tried to pull the wool over our eyes... but you didn't!'
When Nicola Gill, then 27, told the Blind Date team she was a secretary, she strolled through the auditions and onto the set to pick date Paul Mankelow...
Gill, still a journalist, wrote a piece about her strange television encounter after the event and described the awkward moment Cilla revealed she knew her real job as 'TV hell'
It turned out that Nicola was not single - in fact, she was engaged to be married months after the show aired.
Many years later, journalist Nicola wrote about what it was like being found out while sat on Cilla's Blind Date sofa.
She wrote in The Telegraph about the moment in 2015: 'Paul looks stunned. I feel sick. The studio is spinning. The audience is booing. [...] All I can do is keep smiling, mumble about the fantastic time I've had and wait for this TV hell to end.
Now a mother, Nicola is still plying her trade as a journalist.
In 1994, flamboyant Count Roberto Luigi Michieli, then 29, wowed Cilla - and viewers with his red coat-tails, mahogany tan and perfectly coiffured hair.
His plummy accent was in stark contrast to the host's Liverpudlian drawl, much to the audience's delight.
Roberto quipped he was worth 'millions and millions of Lira', to which a waspish Cilla replied 'Worth zilch!'.
Still partial to a regal coat! Count Roberto gave a twirl of his colourful tails in 1994 - and years later was still wearing a variation of them
The Venetian appears to still reside in the UK, although he enjoys frequent trips back to Italy
The aristocrat, who's family hail from Venice and go back five centuries, later confirmed that he was in fact gay - and Cilla's dating prowess would never have worked on him.
He also revealed that he divided his time between Italy and Jersey, where he would spend six months of the year.
Now? According to the Count's Instagram page, he continues to enjoy a privileged life living in the UK, but frequently returning to his native Italy, with photographs of Venetian gondolas and glamorous soirees.
THE COUPLE WHO DIDN'T END UP WALKING DOWN THE AISLE
Teacher Andrea Tongue, 26, met RAF dental assistant Piers Liron, 31, on the show and sparks flew between them.
They announced their engagement in 1997, after he got down on one knee and presented his bride-to-be with a diamond and ruby engagement ring.
It was reported that Cilla Black was top of the guest list after the loved-up couple invited her to celebrate their big day.
Andrea and Piers broke up less than two months after they first got engaged
Things were looking up, with Andrea reportedly planning on giving up her job in Shropshire to move down to Piers' base in Fife.
However, less than two months after they got engaged, the couple broke up, according to the Evening Standard.
Before meeting Andrea, Piers was married to an RAF nurse and the pair had a daughter together.
A MATCH MADE IN HELL
Although things seemed to go well from behind the curtain, things soon changed when Adam saw Debs - the girl he picked - for the first time.
He said: 'When the screen went back when I first saw Debs, I thought she had a nice figure which is good because I only date size eights.'
He added: 'But she wasn't blonde so I was a bit disappointed.'
Adam said he was disappointed because Debs wasn't blonde and said he only dates size eights
Adam thought that Debs was very interested in him and was confident that she 'fancied him' despite making his shocking first impression of her.
He said: 'After the show, Debs and I went for a meal and she kept stroking my leg so I knew she fancied me. But I didn't pursue it because with a face like hers, I knew I'd live to regret it.'
When the pair were invited back onto the show, Cilla found out that Adam had been flirting with another woman during their date.
The Liverpudlian presenter told Adam to 'shut up' multiple times, before adding: 'I've had enough of you now,' when he tried to edge a sentence in before the show finished.
1989: THE DATER WHO MADE SOOTY A THIRD WHEEL
When Cheshire's Geoff Carter arrived on screen wearing patchwork trousers and accompanied by a Sooty puppet, 1989 audiences couldn't get enough of his colourful charm. When asked what he was looking for in a woman, he said: 'Same as me with long hair.'
Neither could Birmingham-based contestant Cheryl...although she was more than a little shocked by the watching crowd's reaction when she plumped for 'number three'.
Nearly 34 years later, Carter clearly thinks of his time on Blind Date fondly, even reappearing, this time wearing a more sober outfit, in 2013 on a celebration of Cilla Black's career, hosted by the late Paul O'Grady, who also fronted a re-birth of the TV classic.
In 2024, his Instagram account is littered with images from his travels in South East Asia and his X bio sees him describing himself as an: 'International Traveller, film maker for YouTube.Cook, Artist. Dj. and all round top banana.'
The former dater now travels the world, sharing his adventures with fans on social media.
2020: A LOVE ISLAND LOVE TRIANGLE
Cali went on Blind Date in 2020 where she picked former Love Island star Alexi Eraclides, from Essex, to take on a date.
The pair jetted off to South Africa while elsewhere on the show, 'mummy's boy' Barry matched with Cherry and they went to Cuba on their date.
However, the drama kicked off when both couples returned to the studio and presenter Paul O'Grady found out Cali and Barry were secretly seeing each other.
After Cali and Alexi relayed their date back to the audience, Paul said: 'A little birdie told me that this is not the end of the story is it?'
He then welcomed back Barry, who sat in-between Cali and Alexi on the sofa.
Cali said: 'Me and Barry started talking and we kinda just bumped into each other in the corridor'
Barry then left Kelly his number in her changing room as they were staying in the same Travelodge.
When Paul asked Alexi how he felt about the situation, he said: 'I knew she wasn't innocent anyway.'
Barry described Cali as 'an absolute sweetheart' and Cali said he was 'lovely,' adding 'I think it's the [Irish] accent!'
The pair had even tucked into a breakfast at the hotel where their mothers met for the first time.
Paul said: 'This is all getting a bit much for me, I'm too old for all of this.'
DITCHED ON HIS DATE TO NEPAL
In 1997, David Smith, 27, was ditched before leaving the studio when his date Charlotte Harrisson refused to fly to Nepal, according to the Evening Standard.
He was filmed in the aeroplane alongside a picture of Charlotte on the seat, poking fun at the fact that she didn't want to go.
He said: 'She never turned up, looks like it's a blind date for one.'
He decided to go on a the paid once-in-a-lifetime trip to Nepal and enjoyed sightseeing the South Asian country on his own.
David visited temples, jungles and even rode on an elephant during his solo trip alongside the camera crew.
While sipping on a coconut, he joked: 'This has been such a perfect date, the perfect and you've been the perfect company, here's to you Pearl,' as the camera panned to an elephant.
'It feels like she's missed out on a great experience and I'd just like to say a big thank you to everyone for going, it was just fantastic,' he said.
Cilla replied: 'Aw, what a nice person you are!'
THE ONLY CONTESTANT EVER TO WIN A DATE TWICE
Jon Wiltshire, then just 20, impressed Cilla first time around with his unique leather hat - covering his billiard ball-smooth bonce - in 1996.
However, his date didn't feel the same as the show's host, branding him a 'complete nerd'.
When the celebration show aired in 2013, the 5' 5" dater was back in the chair...and won the chance of a romantic tete-a-tete again.
Clearly a fan of popular television shows, he also cooked up a storm on Channel 4's Come Dine With Me.
Now working as a children's author, artist and lecturer and living in Leeds, the quirky three-time television star also has his own YouTube channel.
He's the founder and director of Art Camp, a successful children's art childcare company in Yorkshire that's been running since 2019.
Singer Claudia Patrice from London was determined to use her 1989 appearance to show off her pipes and sang her way through much of the show.
The then student donned a black PVC and orange ensemble for the appearance and told Cilla she was 'a bossy person' who liked organising her fellow students as well as discos, fashion shows and gigs.
She was the show's first black contestant - and proved a huge hit with viewers, later coming back to perform 'He's a Tramp' on the show.
The singer lists an illustrious set of names she's worked with on her website including Kylie Minogue, Chaka Khan and Jocelyn Brown - as well as recording her own songs.
Now based in Dubai, Patrice works as a singer/songwriter and producer - while performing at concerts around the world.
Perhaps not the first place a vicar might look for love, Simon Gatenby unsurprisingly didn't find it in a London television studio.
What he did find was ex-kissogram Polly Anderton - who turned into a lasting friend.
The trendy man of god continues to wear the dog collar and once described himself on X as a lover of; family (enthusiastically), God (doggedly), soul & funk (passionately), Bolton Wanderers (religiously), malt whiskey (experimentally) & life generally.
After Blind Date was accused in 1995 of being too sexy for a Saturday night family audience, Cilla hit back - and used Simon's appearance as an example.
Responding to the criticism from the Independent Television Commission, the star said: 'We had a vicar on recently and I do not think you could get members of the clergy on the show if it was as raunchy as that.'
When Cilla Black died in August 2015, he tweeted that he'd been in touch with his former date, writing: 'RIP Cilla! Polly and I had a good phone chat last night reminiscing!..."another make up job after the break"'
Reverend Simon has been at the same church, on the fringes of Manchester, since 1993.
Alex and Sue Tatham, both now 59, tied the knot in 1991 in front of millions of viewers after meeting on the classic dating programme hosted by Cilla Black in 1988.
The pair say they are still as happy as ever more than three decades later and have renewed their wedding vows at the church where they were wed in Walsall.
Reminiscing about the magical day when he and Sue became 'Britain's first reality TV star couple' Alex described his wife was 'as beautiful as ever.'
The couple, who now live in Streatham Hill in London and have two children said they occasionally still trot down memory lane to watch the moment they met.
Sue said: 'I remember the TV show of course and we often watch it back all these years later.
'I was one of the three people hoping to be chosen and my legs were shaking.
'We had to sit on these high stools and there was this big booming voice coming from the other side of the screen, which sounded charming and when the screen was removed my initial reaction was 'box ticked' - he was quite fun and he enjoyed my answers so I knew we'd have a good time on the date.
'When Alex asked me to marry him he also asked me to move to London and I said yes to both questions.
'We have been blissfully happy and raised two wonderful children in Emily and Charlie who both got married themselves this year in beautiful ceremonies.'
Lillian Morris and David Fenson tied the knot in 1994 in Tiverton, Devon
OAPs Lillian and David Fensom got engaged after only 12 days - and married just four months later.
And the show's host was, once again in attendance, buying another hat, this time in forest green satin, to attend the nuptials in the couple's native Devon.
David went on to write a book in 1996 about the couple's experiences on the LWT programme. The pair have since both died.
Paul Pratt, 43, and Anna Azonwanna, 42, from Wanstead, north-east London, met after both going on the hit ITV show 22 years ago...
Paul plucked up the courage to propose to Anna on the programme five years later and the couple jetted off to Barbados 12 months after to wed - and Cilla even attended as the guest of honour.
The pair were both struggling students when they answered the show's call for new contestants in early 1993.
Southampton marketing student Paul decided to put himself forward alone - and Anna agreed to try out with friends.
They both sailed through the auditions - with Anna pretending to be a clown and a ringmaster to impress ITV bosses - and were placed on the stand-by list.
When they appeared on the show Anna, who was studying business administration at Luton University (now Bedford) was the question master while Paul was one of three potential dates.
But he managed to get Anna interested when he cheekily claimed that he would be 'a tiger because I always catch what I aim for' when she asked what animal he would be.