Bullseye to return to ITV1 for a full series

ITV has ordered more episodes of the game show following a successful festive reboot.

Bullseye is making a comeback on ITV1 with a full series, hosted by cricket star and darts enthusiast Freddie Flintoff.

A special episode that aired last Christmas attracted more than 8.6 million viewers. Over 30,000 fans applied for their chance to play a bit of Bully, and the iconic game show has now been commissioned for four more episodes, plus a 2025 Christmas special.

The programme will follow the original format with the playing teams made up of an amateur dart player, known as the ‘thrower’, and their team partner, the ‘knower’. They will combine their skills, throwing darts at different game boards, whilst answering questions correctly for ‘points and prizes’. The new series, produced by ITV Studios, will also see professional darts players taking to the oche to help along the contestants and the return of Master of Ceremonies Richard Ashdown.

Joe Mace, Entertainment Commissioning Editor said:

“Following the success of the Bullseye Christmas special last year, we’re thrilled to have commissioned an additional four episodes and a Christmas special for ITV viewers to enjoy this year. And we are delighted that Freddie will be returning as host to entertain our audiences and darts fans alike.”

The ATV, and later Central Television, game show would make original host Jim Bowen one of ITV’s best-known personalities over its original fourteen-year run. ATV’s publicity listing noted for the first series; “Jim Bowen hosts a quiz show based around darts. Three teams of contestants, in pairs, test their skills at scoring on the dartboard in order to answer questions and win money and prizes. The winning team then can gamble their winnings for a major star prize”.

The show however, like Blankety Blank over on the BBC, became legendary for its strange range of prizes which often included a speedboat.

The format was previously revived for a Challenge TV/Sky series in 2005 hosted by comedian Dave Spikey. There have also been several specials on ITV as part of their Game Show Marathon and Epic Game Show formats.

Freddie Flintoff said:

“I love the darts and Bullseye was one of my favourite shows as a kid. I was really pleased people seemed to like the Christmas special and so now I’m thrilled I get to host the series. You can’t beat a bit of Bully!”

Romesh Ranganathan’s Parents’ Evening is also set to return to ITV1 for a further six episodes. The celebrity game show challenges parents to see how well they know their children’s general knowledge. It first aired last autumn and pulled in 6.7 million viewers across its initial three episodes.