'Take Me Out' axed by ITV after 10 years

Dating show Take Me Out has been axed, ITV has confirmed.

The dating show – hosted by Paddy McGuinness – has run for 11 series over 10 years, having first launched in January 2010. The last episode aired in December 2019.

An ITV spokesman told The Sun: “We’ve decided to say goodbye to Take Me Out."

Comedian and McGuinness, 46, later tweeted: “Hello friends. Well after 11 series, it’s time to say goodbye to Take Me Out. Eight weddings, six babies and a generation of youngsters who’ve grown up watching us on Saturday night TV.

“Over 10 years ago, ITV took a punt on myself and the show and for that I’ll be eternally grateful.”

He added: “What I’m most proud of is the success of Take Me Out put dating shows back on the TV map.

“Thank you to all the boys who braved the Love Lift and, most importantly, to the stars of the show, the girls. I’m going to miss spending my Saturday nights with you.”

Last year, McGuinness became a co-presenter of BBC car show Top Gear.

Read more: Paddy McGuinness had therapy to face fear of flying to film Top Gear

Based on an Australian show, Take Me Out sees 30 women compete for a date with one man who emerges from the ‘Love Lift’.

The man must win over the ladies in a series of short rounds and if they like him they keep their light on.

In the final round the male contestant turns off the lights of the all the women who have left their light on, leaving just one. The couple are then sent on a date.

The series saw McGuinness coin the catchphrase: “No likey, no lighty.”

The pilot episode saw the date take place in a bar, but couples are now sent on holiday to the ‘Isle of Fernando’, a fictional location in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife. A spin-off show Take Me Out: The Gossip began on ITV2 in 2012 – revealing what goes on between all the couples while away on their dates.

Over 110 episodes, including a celebrity special, Take Me Out has been responsible for at least seven weddings and five babies, thanks to its successful love matches.

Read more: Paddy McGuinness pays tribute to Charlie Watkins as his Take Me Out date airs

McGuinness said in 2018: “I am really proud. I met a little girl the other day whose parents were contestants and I sat there thinking, ‘This person would not be here if mum and dad hadn’t met on Take Me Out.’”

In 2017 contestant Charlie Watkins tragically took his own life shortly after filming Take Me Out. An inquest heard Watkins died after losing his dream job for taking time off to film the show.

This year ITV launched a winter series of its hit flagship dating series Love Island.