The Saturday night TV shows of the '90s that we were all glued to

If you believe that The Wheel, Saturday Night Takeaway and The 1% Club are the epitome of Saturday night television, then you either weren't around in the '90s or have forgotten about that era.

Forget Ant and Dec and Michael McIntyre, the big names back then were Cilla Black, Noel Edmonds and Jeremy Beadle. They dominated our TV screens with their light-hearted weekend entertainment.

We also had a healthy dose of drama from shows like the American lifeguard series Baywatch, which catapulted Pamela Anderson into stardom.

Here, we reminisce about the best Saturday night prime-time shows of the '90s that kept us glued to our seats - and quite frankly, made us consider staying in rather than going out, reports the Mirror.

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Blind Date

Forget Love Island or Married At First Sight, the original TV dating show remains unmatched. Hosted by legendary Liverpudlian singer and TV presenter Cilla Black, the ITV series started back in 1985 but continued throughout the '90s, with the final episode airing in 2003.

Three singles of the same gender were presented to the viewers. A single contestant of the opposite sex, who could hear but not see them, posed a question.

The contestant who caught their interest would then become their date, following "our Graham" (Graham Skidmore) who, unseen on camera, provided his amusing "quick reminder" of each hopeful.

The dating pair selected an envelope which revealed their date destination, with the ensuing episode showing them during the date and providing interviews about the experience and each other. Not all matches were successful, yet Cilla found cause to don her hat when Sue and Alex Tatham tied the knot in 1991.

Alongside Blind Date, Cilla was also known for hosting Surprise, Surprise, a show that aired on Sundays.

Baywatch

From the rainy UK, we were whisked away to the sun-soaked beaches of LA with this weekly American drama that aired globally from 1991. The show followed the glamorous lifeguards as they patrolled the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii.

It famously starred David Hasselhoff, known as The Hoff, and Pamela Anderson in her iconic red swimsuit.

Despite consistently negative reviews, it became the most-watched television series worldwide, attracting a weekly audience of over 1.1 billion viewers. This earned it a reputation as a pop culture phenomenon and a frequent target for parody.

A movie version starring Zac Efron was later released.

Noel's House Party

In comparison to Ant and Dec's budding careers, Noel Edmonds and Mr Blobby were already delivering pranks and laughter from Crinkley Bottom between 1991 and 1999.

As a successor to the Noel Edmond's Saturday Roadshow, it retained some of its regular features like the 'Gunge Tank', the 'Gotcha Oscar' and 'Wait Till I Get You Home'. Numerous celebrity guests were introduced as Crinkley Bottom residents.

Despite undergoing several changes, the show's popularity began to wane, but in 2010, Noel's House Party was named the best Saturday night TV show of all time.

You've Been Framed

First aired in 1990, viewers contributed their funny home videos to this ITV programme. Those whose clips were shown received £250.

We loved nothing more than laughing at Auntie Joan's skirt being blown over her head by a gust of wind or little Jimmy tumbling off his skateboard.

Jeremy Beadle hosted the show until 1997. Its format is based on the Japanese show Fun TV with Kato-chan and Ken-chan (1986), which also inspired America's Funniest Home Videos (1989).

Lisa Riley, Jonathan Wilkes and Harry Hill later took over as presenters.

Beadle's About

Like Cilla, Jeremy Beadle was a staple of Saturday night TV during the '90s. Viewers could also catch him on ITV's prank show Beadle's About, which ran from 1986 for a decade.

The show, which was either loved or loathed by viewers, featured unsuspecting members of the public falling victim to practical jokes captured on hidden cameras. Many of these pranks involved secretly swapping someone's car or van for an identical one, which would then be blown up or dropped from a great height, much to the owner's horror.

After a few minutes, Beadle would appear in disguise and interact with the stunned victim before gradually revealing that it was all a practical joke. While most found it amusing, there were instances when the prank backfired.

Gladiators

This show was brought back by the BBC last year and quickly became popular with new audiences. However, Gladiators had been entertaining children of the '90s and their parents for decades prior.

Originally presented by Ulrika Jonsson and John Fashanu on ITV, the show was based on the American television programme American Gladiators. It saw four contestants compete in a series of physically demanding events against the show's resident Gladiators.

Figures like Jet (Diane Youdale), Ace (Warren Furman) and Hunter (James Crossley) became stars in their own right.

The Generation Game

This massive hit from the '70s was revived for '90s audiences, initially with the original host - the legendary Bruce Forsyth - at the helm. He was later replaced by Jim Davidson.

Four teams of two, each from different generations within the same family, competed for prizes in this innovative format. A typical game would involve contestants observing a professional create or perform something, like pottery or dance, then trying their hand at it to score points.

The victorious duo would have a chance to win even more prizes via a conveyor belt memory game - with a cuddly toy as a perennial favourite!

Stars In Their Eyes

Before The X Factor ruled Saturday evening, audiences eagerly tuned into ITV's Stars in Their Eyes, where ordinary folk took on the personalities of famous entertainers. We later saw celebrities imitating other stars - remember Carol Vorderman as Cher, or Stephen Mulhern as Robbie Williams?

First aired in 1990 and originally hosted by Leslie Crowther, succeeded by Matthew Kelly, a highlight of the programme was guessing who contestants would impersonate after uttering the immortal words: "Tonight Matthew, I'm going to be..." After receiving a complete transformation, thanks to costumes and make-up, they'd give their all singing, leading up to the vote for the winner.

Casualty

The beloved BBC hospital drama Casualty has stood the test of time, with no signs of slowing down - quite an impressive feat in television history.

Casualty initially broadcasted as a weekly show during the autumn for its first six series, before increasing to 24 episodes annually by 1992. The original cast featured Brenda Fricker as Megan Roach, Clive King as George Harris and Derek Thompson as Charlie Fairhead.

In fact, Derek only recently departed from the series after decades in the role.

From explosions to car accidents and overdoses, Casualty is undoubtedly action-packed - and for those who crave more drama, it also gave birth to the successful spin-off, Holby City.