Blind Date will air its first ever lesbian episode this weekend on the same day as Pride in London
Blind Date will air its first ever LGBT episode on the day of Pride in London’s parade.
The hit show, which was presented by Cilla Black for 18 years before it was cancelled in 2003, historically featured one participant choosing a date from three people of the opposite gender.
But in its new incarnation – which started two weeks ago on Channel 5 – viewers will be able to see competitors from across the LGBT community.
And on Saturday, after what is set to be the biggest Pride in London Parade ever, the programme will feature LGBT contestants for the first time.
In the second block of the episode, you’ll meet Alice, a 29-year-old Celine Dion superfan who’s looking for lesbian love among the three ladies on the other side of the panel.
The Leeds native, who handles customer complaints for a frozen foods company, will have her pick as she becomes the first person to secure an LGBT date on the show.
There’s Steph, a 26-year-old digital content manager who loves dogs, Sarah, a 30-year-old civil engineering technician from Reading, and Jane, 31, a north Londoner who was born in New Zealand.
Jane causes a stir during the show when she tells Alice that her guilty pleasure is to “walk around the neighbourhood looking for random cats”.
Host Paul O’Grady responds by walking around the barrier and asking: “Did you say cats?
“And what do you do with these cats when you’ve found them?”
“Just give them a little stroke, Paul,” responds Jane, laughing.
“There’s a joke in there somewhere,” remarks Alice.
An episode featuring a man choosing from three other men to go on a date with will air later in the season, in the early autumn.
There are currently no plans in the works to hold a bisexual section of an episode, Channel 5 has confirmed.
A Stonewall spokesperson said: “We’re thrilled to see Blind Date welcome its first lesbian, gay and bi contestants – and just in time for Pride season.
“These demonstrations of inclusion are really welcomed by the community and show how far society – and lesbian, gay, bi and trans representation in the media – has come.
“Hopefully, we’ll see even more shows follow Blind Date’s lead, improving representation of LGBT people and helping viewers across Britain gain a better understanding of the diversity of the LGBT community.”
A Channel 5 spokesperson said: “We wanted to be inclusive with our contestants and having LGBT representation throughout the series was really important to us from the outset, alongside maintaining the spirit and warmth of the original and much-loved format.”
Watch a clip from the episode below:
