Blind Date was renowned as 'the world's premier TV dating game' and came to New Zealand screens on the evening of Monday 30 October 1989 at 5.15pm on Channel 2 (now TVNZ 2).
Hosted by Dave Jamieson and Suzy Aiken (now Suzy Clarkson), Blind Date emphasised the value of witty responses over physical appearance, with contestants seated in a 'hot seat' and questioning three hidden prospective dates before choosing a match for a blind date. Successful couples received 'dates' to exotic destinations as prizes.
Blind Date was primarily recorded in front of a live audience at TVNZ's Auckland studios, produced collaboratively by Fremantle International under Australian TV executive Richard Becker and Concept Television Productions under Australian TV producers Michael Boughen and Wayne Cameron - under the banner of Fremantle-Concept Productions (NZ) Limited - for TVNZ.
Initially screening on Channel 2 at 5.15pm weeknights, Blind Date was followed by a 15 minute spot for the early evening newsbreak and the regional news programmes in Auckland (Top Half), Wellington (Today Tonight), Christchurch (The Mainland Touch) and Dunedin (The South Tonight). With the discontinuation of Top Half and Today Tonight at the end of the first week of December 1989, TVNZ opted to shift Blind Date to the prominent timeslot of 5.30pm.
Coinciding with the launch of a new Grundy/TVNZ game show, Wheel of Fortune, in February 1991, Blind Date was moved from 5.30pm to 6.30pm, then 6pm within a month while reruns of the cult classic, M*A*S*H, filled the 6.30pm slot.
Blind Date concluded in August 1991, having been in production for approximately two years.
Relive the unforgettable TVNZ trailers that publicised the grand premiere of Blind Date in October 1989.
Special thanks to the NZ Analogue Archive (via Instagram) for the use of these clips and although the clips themselves are stitched together, I would like to apologise to you all for the quality of the picture and sound.