Dating show Take Me Out is reportedly returning to screens seven years after it was cancelled by ITV. The show used to be hosted by Paddy McGuinness, but production are said to be hoping for a "glamourous female" to take Paddy's spot.
Emily Atack, Olivia Attwood and I'm A Celebrity 2026 star Leomie Anderson are among those rumoured to land the presenting gig.
Format and History
Between 2010 and 2019, when the show first aired, a single man would be presented to 30 women who could turn off their lights if they did not want to go on a date with him. Over successive rounds, the man would talk to host Paddy so that the women could learn more about him, and at the end, he would pick one of the women with their lights still on to take on a date.
Throughout the show, Paddy would also update audiences about what happened with the couples who previously went on dates. Producers at Fremantle are thought to be thinking of getting someone like Bad Boyfriends host Olivia Attwood or Rivals star Emily Atack to host the show, formerly produced by Talkback Thames, should it return. This would be part of an attempt to gain new audiences.
Producer Ambitions
A source told The Sun that producers wanted to bring the show back because it was "absolutely huge" during the 2010s. They added: "Execs at Fremantle, the production company behind the reboot, want to ensure it has the same cheeky tone as the original."
As such, "Emily and Olivia's quick wit and timing" made them frontrunners. Love Island host Maya Jama was also thought to be "perfect" for the role, but the source warned that her connection to the villa-themed dating show was giving producers pause.
The source said talks were taking place between production company Fremantle and streamers such as Netflix, who also air shows such as Love Is Blind, and that any reboot "could take a number of forms". Production teams were said to be particularly excited that the original series focused on women taking control and was both "gentle" and "comedic", meaning many felt it wouldn't need much work to fit a modern audience.
Catchphrases and Legacy
When Paddy was the host, he coined a number of catchphrases on the show, including "No likey, no lighty" and a series of commands to "let the [object] see the [object]", such as "let the apple see the pie" or "let the sausage see the roll".
The show was so popular, it ran for nine years and 11 series. It also led to several spin-offs, including celebrity specials, one episode for over-50s and a special episode for emergency service workers.
Dating shows are incredibly popular at the moment. Love Island has been running on ITV since 2015, rebooted after an initial run in 2005 and 2006. Channel 4 have been airing First Dates since 2013 and there are many iterations of global blind dating show Love Is Blind. There are also plenty of celebrity dating shows such as Celebs Go Dating and Celebrity Ex on the Beach.
