About this season
Blankety Blank is a British comedy game show based on the 1977–1979 Australian game show Blankety Blanks. The British version ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC One, hosted first by Terry Wogan and later by Les Dawson. Regular members of the celebrity panel on this version included Kenny Everett, Lorraine Chase, Gareth Hunt, Gary Davies, and Cheryl Baker. A revival fronted by Lily Savage was produced by the BBC from 26 December 1997 to 28 December 1999, followed by ITV from 7 January 2001 to 10 August 2002. This version was produced by Grundy, then Thames.
Episodes (20)
1. Episode 1
Aired 7 January 2001
Lily Savage returns with Blankety Blank after a 17-month absence from the screen - yet this time, it's with ITV. Lily welcomes five celebrities new to the quiz to usher in the change, with only Keith Duffy having appeared before.
2. Episode 2
Aired 14 January 2001
Lily welcomes four celebrities brand new to the panel: Jayne Middlemiss, Billy Murray, Steve Penk and Stuart Miles. Among the contestants is Tom Roberts, a man who took part in the D-Day landings.
3. Episode 3
Aired 21 January 2001
It seems as if Lily's finally starting to get the show's "gentle innuendo" format, noting that questions give the temptation to say "something rude". However, it's not long before she's telling the teatime audience of her inauspicious past
4. Episode 4
Aired 28 January 2001
Lily deals with one contestant who lives in cemeteries, and another who got married in secret without letting her family know. Meanwhile, Sherrie Hewson decides she doesn't understand the programme, and declares she shouldn't be on it.
5. Episode 5
Aired 4 February 2001
Lily introduces another edition of the quiz show, in which contestants include a jelly wrestler, and a girl who can fit her entire fist in her mouth.
6. Episode 6
Aired 11 February 2001
Lily offers a star prize of a week's holiday in Sri Lanka, but can celebrity panellists including Leslie Grantham and Adele Silva help the contestants to win it?
7. Episode 7
Aired 18 February 2001
Lily is in a particularly jaded mood as a game threatens to "take all night", and many of the quiz elements are revealed as ones she hates.
8. Episode 8
Aired 25 February 2001
Dermot O'Leary makes his sole Blankety Blank appearance on a show full of pretend people: there's the stylised comic persona of Harry Hill, fictitious glamour model Gayle Tuesday, and, of course, the show is presented by Lily herself.
9. Episode 9
Aired 4 March 2001
Kevin Woodford and Nadia Sawalha make their second appearances as panellists on the show, and are joined by four guests new to the programme - including Nadia's sister, Julia.
10. Episode 10
Aired 11 March 2001
Chaos reigns when Liz Dawn and Donald Sinden can't understand the questions, and Bradley Walsh becomes obsessed with Lily's short skirt.
11. Episode 11
Aired 25 March 2001
Lily introduces more contestants and celebrity panellists to the quiz, including the sole appearances of Troy Titus-Adams and David Easter.
12. Episode 12
Aired 8 April 2001
Sherrie Hewson is having a nightmare with her answers, while Lily admits she's "not in the mood". However, elderly contestant George is on hand to make Lily laugh against her will.
13. Episode 13
Aired 22 April 2001
Contestant Chris Keeble is in luck when he reveals one of his ambitions is to meet Gail Porter - Gail makes her sole appearance on the panel this week. Also making his only guest spot on the show is Sid Owen.
14. Episode 14
Aired 29 April 2001
Giggly contestants and an emboldened panel help provide the fun in this edition of the show.
15. Episode 15
Aired 6 May 2001
Junior Simpson, Kerry Katona, George Layton and Debra Stephenson all make their sole appearances on the panel. Louise Jameson, who had appeared twice in the Les Dawson era, also makes her only guest spot on Lily's version.
16. Episode 16
Aired 13 May 2001
Lily has laughs with some lively contestants, including a girl who claims to be a relative of Mary Tyler Moore, and the elderly Nat Shine, who brings his own sense of fun to the show.
17. Episode 17
Aired 20 May 2001
Making their sole appearances on the panel this episode are Fiona Dolman, Jane Cox and Derek Fowlds.
18. Episode 18
Aired 27 May 2001
"Let's get this over with, we're not here to enjoy ourselves." So says Lily, introducing another edition of Blankety Blank, with a star prize of a trip to St. Lucia.
19. Episode 19
Aired 3 June 2001
The penultimate episode of the series sees old hands in Roy Barraclough and June Whitfield joined by newcomers Sarah Cawood and Ed Bryne.
20. Episode 20
Aired 10 June 2001
Lily sees out the series with some unruly contestants and the sole appearances of Michael Starke and Natasha Hamilton.