Sunday is a big day for Lisa Whelchel. Not only is the actor best known for playing Blair on “The Facts of Life” hosting the “Lisa’s Call” marathon of the family comedy starting at 5 p.m. on MeTV, she will also debut as the host of the network’s first original series, “Collector’s Call,” launching at 10 p.m.

The airing of the “Facts of Life” episodes marks the 40th anniversary of the series where Whelchel played one of a group of teenage girls attending a boarding school. The cast of the 1979-1986 series also included Kim Fields, Mindy Cohn, Nancy McKeon and Charlotte Rae.

Whelchel, 55, might have had a difficult time remembering the episodes being broadcast from the 209 that were produced if it weren’t for her family.

The marathon will consist of five episodes. Between the shows that are still vivid in Whelchel’s mind and from a list of episode descriptions, the final lineup was set. She won’t say which episodes will be broadcast, but she admits her favorite shows were the ones that had more farce and humor, and those were in the later years.

Whelchel was 25 when “The Facts of Life” ended, but she had already been working heavily since she made her acting debut as a member of “The New Mickey Mouse Club” when she was 12. After the long run on “Facts of Life,” Whelchel shifted her focus to raising her three children, working on a singing career and writing 10 books dealing with motherhood, child discipline, adult friendships, homeschooling and religion.

In recent years she has appeared in a few movies, but “Collector’s Call” gets her back to a more regular acting world. The series features some of the biggest collectors of pop culture memorabilia, ranging from Coca-Cola to “The Wizard of Oz.” Learning what drives people to be such collectors was of great interest to Whelchel because she describes herself as a “less is more” kind of person.

“I am one of those strange people who actually likes to move because it means I get to clean out, give away and throw away,” Whelchel says. “There is something that tickles a part of me and is alluring to me about the heart and passion that these collectors have. I am really drawn to it on some level so there must be some secret desire.”

‘Collector’s Call’

The first 13-episode season of “Collector’s Call” has been filmed, and Whelchel saw one common element among the participants. Every collection started with one item that had a deep and special meaning to the person. To keep that feeling going, they collected more and more. Toss in the thrill of the hunt for that elusive item and the motivation becomes clear.

The show comes with a twist. After touring the extensive collections, Whelchel will call on professional appraisers and experts to put an estimated value on what their prized pieces are worth. The expert will then tempt the collectors with an item that would be the perfect addition to their collections for a trade.

As Whelchel talks about the marathon and the series, it’s obvious she’s nothing like the snooty character of Blair she played for so many years. Whelchel comes clean about one of the factors that went into picking the “Facts of Life” programs for the marathon. The show had some well-known actors who spent some time on the show, including George Clooney.

“I don’t think I would be a red-blooded woman if I didn’t admit George stuck out in my mind,” Whelchel says.

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