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Blankety Blank first appeared on screens in 1979 and has had several hosts over the decades.
Bradley Walsh, 2021-Present
Bradley Walsh was recruited to host the reboot of Blankety Blank when the BBC revived it in 2021.
He had previously hosted a one off festive special of the format in 2020.
He fits in filming alongside his work on ITV's rival quiz show The Chase and BBC's Saturday night smash Gladiators.
(Image: BBC)
Since its launch in 1979 Blankety Blank cemented itself as a viewer favourite. Based on the American show called Match Game the mix of well known celebrity guests, and original host Terry Wogan's banter, made it appointment TV.
While the show offered an array of prizes the one that became most coveted was the Blankety Blank cheque book and pen which was awarded to all contestants no matter how well they did on the show.
The format is a simple one for people to follow at home. The host reads out a sentence to a contestant and the celebrity guests write down what they think the contestant will say to fill the space. It has led to many cheeky and innuendo laden interactions over the years as some of the statements took a saucy twist.
Even a change of presetner in the shape of legendary comedian Les Dawson didn't diminish people's appetite for the show and the original format ran until 1990. Since then it has had several revivials. Most recently in 2021 when, following a one-off Christmas special in 2020, the BBC rebooted with with The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh at the helm.
But what happened to all the previous presenters of the show when they left? Express.co.uk takes a look back at the stars who have helmed the programme.
Terry Wogan, 1979 - 1983
The original host of Blankey Blank Terry set the bar for all that followed. He made the show his own and his narrow microphone (made from a radio ariel) became iconic.
His compelling commentary on the Eurovision Song Contest, a role he began in 1971 on radio, was beloved by fans of the annual competition. He had also started presenting his own chat show on Saturday nights a year before he left Blankety Blank and in 1985 it became a thrice weekly weeknight show on BBC One which ran until 1992.
Since 1980 he was a figurehead for the BBC's annual fundraiser Children in Need and continued as main host through to 2014. Sadly in 2015 ill health meant he couldn't present the show although he did appear in a pre-recorded sketch.
In 1993 he began hosting the breakfast show on BBC Radio 2 which he continued to present until December 2009. Not yet ready to hang up his headphones he returned to Radio 2, beginning on 14 February 2010, to host a live weekly two-hour Sunday show recorded in front of an audience featuring live musical performance and guests titled Weekend Wogan.
His final briadcast was Remembrance Sunday 2015 after declining health due to cancer forced him to step down. He died on 31 January 2016.
(Image: BBC)
Les Dawson, 1984 - 1990
Les Dawson stepped into Terry Wogan's shoes in 1984. While he also adopted the iconic long skinny microphone as part of his hosting style his comedy background saw him peppering the show with more jokes and innuendo.
He remained wth the show until its 1990 cancellation. His career could have taken a very different turn that year as when Richard Wilson turned down the part of Victor Meldrew in the BBC sitcom One Foot In The Grave, he was considered for the role, but Richard changed his mind.
Despite losng out on that part he kept busy following the show's cancellation. In 1991, he starred in Nona for the BBC. Performing in drag, he was cast as a 100-year old, compulsive eater in a Buenos Aires household.
He also made regualr guest appearances on TV and wrote novels.
Sadly he would die just three years after Blankety Blank's cancellation. On 10 June 1993 he died suddenly from a heart attack, during treatment for a heart complaint at St Joseph's Hospital in Longsight, Manchester.
(Image: Getty)
Paul O'Grady, 1997-2002
Paul O'Grady's drag alter ego Lily Savage took over Blankety Blank hosting duties for a BBC revivial from 1997 until 1999. He then took the show to rival ITV presenting Lily Savage's Blankety Blank from 2001 until 2002.
The star was allowed to ad-lib on screen rather than following a script which led to some riotous moments. However this period coincided with his attempts to shake off the Lily persona and become known in his own right. He went on to host a very successful chat show sans drag first on ITV and then later on Channel 4.
A lifelong animal lover he was a huge hit presenting ITV's For The Love Of Dogs following events at Battersea Dogs home. So taken was he with the inhabitants he even adopted some of the pooches himself.
Alongside his presenting work he also undertook some acting roles including appearing in three episodes of Holby City. He wrote several books and hosted numerous documentaries - usually with an animal theme. He also had his own BBC 2 radio show for several years.
Sadly, having suffered many heart attacks since the early 2000's he died "unexpectedly but peacefully" at his home in Kent on 28 March 2023, aged 67, from sudden cardiac arrhythmia.
(Image: BBC)
David Walliams, 2016
Little Britain star David Walliams took the helm for a one of revival of Blankety Blank in Christmas 2016.
He didn't get a chance to make an impact on audiences as he only hosted one show but he was a regular and much loved face on telly at the time.
He was a judge on Britain's Got Talent and he would remain with the show until 2022. In 2015, 2018 and 2019, he was recognised at the National Television Awards as Best Judge for his involvement in the series.
In 2022 it was announced he would be joining Australia's Got Talent as a judge for the show's tenth season alongside fellow Britain's Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon, and Australian actors Kate Ritchie and Shane Jacobson.
However in November 2022, controversy erupted regarding leaked disparaging comments made by Walliams about contestants, and it was reported he had decided "to bow out after a ten-year run", and that he wished to leave the show "on a high after a wonderful time".
Since 2008 he has also had a successful career as a children's author with several of his books being adapted for stage and screen. He has sold over 50 million books worldwide.
(Image: ITV)
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