'My strange Oxo cube habit cost me a date on Take Me Out!'

The caricature artist and entertainer from Thornton suffered the rare fate of a ‘blackout’ in his bid for a date on the ITV show – and it was all down to his weakness for a snack called a ‘beefy orange’.

The show – motto ‘no lighty, no likey’ – entails eligible men aiming for date with one of a panel of 30 women who all have lights on lecterns in front of them.

If they like what they see and hear, the lights stay on. If more than two lights stay on after an introduction and two videos inserts, the male hopeful gets to choose who will accompany him to Fernando’s - but for former Butlins Redcoat and cruise ship entertainer ‘Sean from Blackpool’, it never got that far.

After nine lights were left on after the first video, no sooner did an old mate appear on screen to mention Sean’s predilection for fruit sprinkled with Oxo – a ‘beefy’ orange – than all the bulbs were extinguished.

Presenter Paddy McGuinness offered a conciliatory hug and Sean exited the set – but has no regrets at all about how his appearance turned out .

“They asked me at the audition whether I had ever eaten anything unusual but I had no idea beforehand that it was going to be mentioned on the video,” he said.

Sean says he got on really well with fellow Northerner Paddy – and left him a caricature as a parting gift.

“Being on the show was a brilliant experience and I wouldn’t change it for the world,” he said.