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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Entertainment
Gemma Jones

Graham Skidmore dead: Blind Date's Our Graham's death confirmed

The voice of ITV's Blind Date, Graham Skidmore, has died aged 90.

Fondly referred to as "Our Graham" by Liverpool legend Cilla Black, Graham's voice was familiar to fans of the show throughout the 1980s and 90s. He was heard (but not seen) on the show for 17 years, between 1985 and 2002.

Graham actually died in December 2021 but the latest journal from actors' union Equity brought it to light as it confirmed the death. The voice artist had vascular dementia for the last decade of his life and spent his final years living in Kent.

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Cilla would often drop the line "well it's over to our Graham for a quick reminder" during the show, treating the audience to a recap of what the contestants had said. He was dropped from the ITV hit show after a 17-year run, with Tommy Sandhu taking his position in 2002.

Despite his long stint on the dating show, in 2002 he held an interview with The Mirror where he admitted that he only met his co-host on two occasions. He said: "I never really got the opportunity to know Cilla. I was tucked away in a little box saying 'Or will you pick contestant number two?' She said hello when we passed in the corridor but that was it. I've never been to her house and I wasn't invited to the big Blind Date wedding."

Graham was also the voiceover on Shooting Stars with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer. He was also said to have been in a St Trinian's movie, a Style Council video with Paul Weller and was in the background of Eyes Wide Shut, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Before his television career, Graham owned a launderette, a corner shop and did up flats before going on to do voiceover work.

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