| Blankety Blanks | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Graham Kennedy’s Blankety Blanks |
| Genre | Game Show |
| Based on | Match Game |
| Directed by | Alan Catt |
| Presented by | |
| Narrated by |
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| Theme music composer | Jack Grimsley |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Bill Mason |
| Producer | Tony Connelly |
| Production locations |
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| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network |
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| Release | 24 January 1977 – 3 February 1997 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Blankety Blanks is an Australian game show based on the American game show Match Game. It was hosted by Graham Kennedy on the 0-10 Network from 1977–1978.
Panelists were Ugly Dave Gray, Jon English, Noeline Brown, Carol Raye, Stuart Wagstaff, Kate Fitzpatrick, Noel Ferrier, Dawn Lake, Barry Creyton, Mark Holden, John Paul Young, Peggy Toppano, Bobby Limb, Peta Toppano, Belinda Giblin, Abigail, Trevor White, Nick Tate, Tommy Hanlon Junior, Wendy Blacklock, Delvene Delaney, Jacki Weaver, Gloria Dawn, Joy Chambers, Col Joye, Debbie Byrne, Ros Speirs, Wendy Hughes, Bob Moore, Ray Burgess, June Salter, Joe Martin, Jane Kean, Iain Finlay, Tony Bonner, Marty Rhone, Joy Westmore, Julieanne Newbould, Cornelia Frances, Joanne Samuel, Mike Preston, Johnny Pace, Harriet Pace, Syd Heylen, Joe Hasham, Sheila Kennelly, Megan Williams and Linda Kerridge.
Blankety Blanks had a two-season run from 1977 to 1978. It was screened at a rate of five, thirty-minute episodes each week, stripped across an early evening timeslot. In Sydney and Melbourne, it was broadcast in the 7pm timeslot across both seasons.[1][2] It was a ratings success, beating the flagship current affairs programs Willesee At Seven on the Seven Network and A Current Affair on the Nine Network, and on occasions achieving ratings in the low 40s. It was only after this ratings success that Network Ten revealed Kennedy was paid an unprecedented $1 million per season.[3]
In 1978, Kennedy won a TV Week Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television. When Kennedy had a bout with pneumonia, announcer Don Blake was forced to host the show for an episode.