Blankety Blank: Bradley Walsh’s beloved gameshow reboot strikes the right tone

REVIEW: TVNZ take note. The BBC have found a way to dust off an old gameshow format and breathe new life into it – irony.

Our state broadcaster certainly could have done with infusing a dose of it into its truly terrible Give Us a Clue reboot, while the UK’s Channel 4 have had the best of both worlds for the past decade by giving audiences both the original Countdown and the hilariously anarchic 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

To be fair, there have been quite a few attempts to revive ‘80s staple Blankety Blank over the past 25 years.

Paul O’Grady’s alter ego Lily Savage had two short-lived stints as host, while a David Walliams-led version never got past a Christmas Special.

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Now though, they seem to have found their man in The Chase’s Bradley Walsh, the format and tone providing the perfect opportunity for him to deliver his sometimes cutting-remarks, self-deprecating streak and cross-generational appeal.

Debuting on TVNZ 1 tonight, Sunday at 7pm (and screening daily in that timeslot until Thursday), this is still the same old Blankety Blank older viewers will remember being helmed by Terry Wogan and Les Dawson at a time when British quiz and game shows formed a sizeable chunk of our weekly viewing options.

An adaptation of the US show Match Game, contestants have to try work out what the missing word in a sentence or phrase is and hope that their answer is the same as an assembled celebrity sextet.

While it always provided an opportunity for double entendres and dad jokes and for the stars of soaps, sitcoms and the stage to showcase their personalities, they now take the mickey as much out of the host and the show, as they do themselves and each other.

“University Challenge? More like University Challenged,” comedian Jimmy Carr pithily notes during the opening episode when Walsh suggests their 3-up, 3-down seating arrangement makes them look like they’re on another more high-brow, long-running show.

But while the posers offer plenty of opportunities for less-than-serious answers (“Sometimes when I can’t get to sleep at night, I fiddle with my…” or “I used to be able to touch my toes, now I’m lucky if I can touch my…” two of the most egregious examples), the panel (yes, even Carr and Johnny Vegas) manage to keep their answers above board, Carr bringing the house down when he suggests “taxes” for that first one (referencing his well-known past issues with the UK equivalent of the IRD).

And while much is made of Walsh’s age as a running gag, the best zingers are reserved for the rather paltry nature of the show’s prizes.

When a contestant suggests that he’s wearing a Hawaiian shirt because that’s where he’s hoping his winnings will take him, Carr helpfully suggests he should be aiming his sights lower.

“You do realise this is Blankety Blank – the furthest you’ll be going is Scarborough.”

This is a show where second prize, in many cases, feels more lucrative than the top one.

Walsh himself seems more enthusiastic about giving away £750 than a cast iron and stoneware cooking set with additional oven gloves, while even the “biggest prize in Blankety Blank history” (“What, a three-litre kettle?“ enquires Vegas, seemingly only half-joking) inspires more guffaws than awe.

Not that bothers a prospective winner of the indoor sauna, luxurious towel set and outdoor inflatable hot tub

“I’ll never get that in the car,” she frets.

“I think you will – it’s inflatable,” Walsh rapidly responds without missing a beat.

Blankety Blank debuts tonight (Sunday) on TVNZ 1 at 7pm, before screening daily at the same time until Thursday. Episodes will also be available to stream on TVNZ+.