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Paul O'Grady is going to be the host of the new 'Blind Date'

A pretty good choice, no?

Paul O'Grady is going to be the host of the new 'Blind Date'
16 March 2017

Move over Take Me Out , because the nation’s OG dating game show is coming to reclaim it’s throne, this time with silver-haired, small dog-fancier Paul O’Grady at the helm.

That’s right, continuing the theme of  old shit getting a reboot in 2017, Blind Date is set for a timely return to the our screens this year.

The show will feature LGBT contestants for the first time since its launch in 1986.

"With no chance to swipe left, send a selfie or message back, the class of 2017 must break with modern-day dating convention and rely on their basic instincts to find the chemistry,” a statement from the channel said.

Mr. O’Grady will take over from his late friend Cilla Black, who passed away as the result of a stroke in 2015, as the host of the show.

The original version of the show took three contestants of the same sex who would be introduced to the home and studio audience. A contestant of the opposite sex would then ask the trio questions without being visible to them and then pick one to go on a date with based on their answers, at which point a sliding wall would reveal both parties to each other.

The new show will keep the sliding wall, audience and questions, but will now include “thematic twists”.

Ben Frow, director of programmes for Channel 5, said: "The reaction to the news that Blind Date is returning has been phenomenal and demonstrated the depth of love and affection for the nation's favourite dating show.

"Paul is the perfect choice to bridge the old and the new, capturing the essence and charm of a series that became staple Saturday night family viewing in living rooms up and down the country, whilst attracting and appealing to a whole new generation of TV viewers."