Graham Skidmore – known to millions of TV viewers as Blind Date’s “Our Graham” – has reportedly died aged 90.
The father of three read pithy round-ups of contestants’ answers on the long-running dating show between 1985 and 2002.
“Well it’s over to Our Graham for a quick reminder,” presenter Cilla Black said before throwing to him.
He was also the voiceover on Shooting Stars with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer.
Although the news has only just emerged, Skidmore died on 27 December after suffering from vascular dementia in his final 10 years.
His son Neil, 54, said his father had a “celebrity voice”.
He told The Sun: “He might not have wanted to be seen on screen, but he had a celebrity voice – a known voice.
“He loved it. I do event organising and had a show in London and got dad to do the voice over. People recognised him straight away.”
The family got involved in their father’s work, Neil said.
“As children we did TV adverts with him. We would go off and be a family for P&O travel and the Abbey National.”
Skidmore’s daughter, Catherine Johnson, 52, said her dad had wanted to be a doctor, but missed his final exams because of an ear infection.
As well as Blind Date and Shooting Stars, Catherine said her father was 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.
Read more from Sky News:
Kendrick Lamar makes blood-soaked plea for women’s rights in apparent attack on abortion ruling
The PR attempt to separate JK Rowling from Harry Potter and why it’s important
“At my wedding when he started talking people were turning round saying ‘I know that voice’, even though they did not know he was the voice on Blind Date,” she told The Sun.
“He was a marvellous man. He made sure other people were taken care of.
“He was very modest. He never really wanted his face to be seen – that’s why he liked doing the voice overs.”
