Paddy McGuinness tipped to helm Bullseye reboot

The classic darts game show Bullseye is poised for a comeback on UK TV.

ITV executives are reportedly eyeing presenter Paddy McGuinness to host the reboot, stepping into the shoes of the late Jim Bowen who originally fronted the show.

Bullseye first graced television screens in 1981 and enjoyed a successful 14-year run, becoming a staple of British television.

This resurgence in interest comes on the heels of 16-year-old Luke Littler’s remarkable performance at the PDC World Darts Championship. His final match against Luke Humphries captivated 4.5 million viewers, marking it as the event’s most-watched final in history.

An inside source revealed to The Sun: “ITV is already in discussions to bring back Bullseye after this year’s final drew in the event’s highest viewership in history. It’s early days, but ITV think it could be hugely successful.”

Plans are even afoot to resurrect the show’s iconic speedboat top prize, a nod to the original series’ quirks, regardless of the winner’s geographical location.

The source added: “They think Paddy, with his Lancashire roots like Jim, would be the perfect person to host.”

The original Bullseye format featured three pairs of contestants, each duo comprising an amateur darts player and a trivia enthusiast, vying for major prizes such as cars and caravans. The show was renowned for its memorable catchphrases like “You can’t beat a bit of Bully!” and “Stay out of the black and in the red, nothing in this game for two in a bed”.

Though Bullseye saw a brief revival on Challenge TV in 2006 with comedian Dave Spikey at the helm, it failed to resonate with audiences and was cancelled after two series.

A one-off special also aired as part of Alan Carr’s Epic Gameshow in 2021.

The game show would be the latest to be rebooted after Deal Or No Deal and Wheel Of Fortune.