BBC reboots gameshow ‘Blankety Blank’ after 20-year hiatus

Blankety Blank

The BBC in the UK is rebooting veteran gameshow Blankety Blank by ordering a 10-part run.

The format, which sees a panel of celebrities helping contestants by filling in missing blanks, will return to Saturday nights on BBC One for following a Christmas special that aired in 2020.

The 10 x 35-minute show is being produced by Fremantle-owned UK prodco Thames and has been commissioned by Kate Phillips, the BBC’s director of entertainment. Executive producer for Thames is Christopher Barber and the commissioning editor for the BBC is Kalpna Patel-Knight.

Phillips said: “Blankety Blank has it all – ridiculous questions, unpredictable celebrities, bizarre prizes and, in [host] Bradley [Walsh] a very funny and much loved host. I can’t wait for everyone to watch and start filling in those blanks.”

The format is based on NBC’s US gameshow Match Game and first debuted on the BBC in the UK in 1979. It then moved to commercial rival ITV during the 2000’s before returning for the Christmas special last year.

That one-off saw 6.3 million viewers tuning in, making it the most watched entertainment programme across all channels on Christmas Day.