Bradley Walsh has confirmed that he won't be returning to the BBC revival of Blankety Blank, citing a schedule that he says leaves him physically without time for the show.
Walsh's packed television commitments
Since 2009, Walsh has hosted the ITV quiz show The Chase, which airs daily. Earlier this month, he appeared in the spin-off The Chase Around the World. He also presents the BBC revival of Gladiators alongside his son Barney Walsh, a show that has become one of the BBC's biggest hits of the decade and will return for a fourth season next year.
Additionally, Walsh is heading on tour with The Prat Pack, alongside comedians Brian Conley and Joe Pasquale, and EastEnders actor Shane Richie. The tour begins in September and features a modern take on the Rat Pack with music and comedy.
Why he is stepping away from Blankety Blank
Speaking to the Radio Times, Walsh explained: "The thing is we're just doing Gladiators. I get a week off and then I go to rehearsals for the live Prat Pack show. I take The Prat Pack back on the road for a month, and then I would normally go straight into Blankety Blank. But at the moment, what I'm going to do is I've got other stuff which I can't announce at the moment. We're working on a couple of dramas and scripting, and I actually physically do not have the time."
He added: "I just don't have the time, which is sad because I've loved Blankety Blank. It's been one of my favourite shows, and it's been brilliant. Blankety Blank has been brilliant. It really makes me laugh. It's the most fun you can have in the studio, and I just cannot at the moment work on it. I just have not got the time. I would normally go to studio in October, but I'm all taken up in October and November, so I just haven't time to do it. Maybe next year."
History of Blankety Blank
The original series was hosted by Terry Wogan from 1979 to 1983, then Les Dawson from 1984 to 1990. After a seven-year break, Paul O'Grady (as Lily Savage) hosted from 1997 for two years. After another two-year gap, it moved to ITV in 2001, running for just over a year as Lily Savage's Blankety Blank. The only new episode before Walsh's revival was a 2016 one-off Christmas special hosted by David Walliams on ITV. The show, based on the American game show Match Game, has contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity panelists to fill-in-the-blank questions.
