My favourite photograph by comedian Jim Bowen

'Bullseye became one of the longest-running game shows on ITV and it made me a well-known face'

CO0MEDIAN Jim, 78, recalls how Bullseye became a British TV institution, running for 15 years – but it didn’t hit the target with the public at first.

 

“I look at this photograph almost every day and say to myself, ‘Jim, you’re a lucky lad.’ Bullseye became one of the longest-running game shows on ITV and it made me a well-known face.

This picture was taken at the old Central TV studios in 1983 after we’d just got the thumbs up to make 26 more episodes. I’m wearing my favourite maroon jacket and there are three Bendy Bullys in front of me. For me, this picture represents 15 happy years on a show that was enjoyed by 17 million viewers.

But it wasn’t always plain sailing and at one point Bullseye was heading for the chop…

I got spotted by the producers of Bullseye when I was on ITV’s The Comedians – although I wasn’t a big name then. Bullseye went out on Monday nights at 7pm – a dream slot for us because we were bang in the middle of Crossroads and Coronation Street.

You couldn’t go wrong with those two shows as back-up – or, at least, that’s what I thought. I’ll never forget that my first two episodes were so bad that the head of light entertainment said, ‘Burn them.’

I got spotted by the producers of Bullseye when I was on ITV’s The Comedians

Jim Bowen

We started all over again with two new ones and they were only marginally better. I sat at home with my family to watch them and when I asked my wife for her opinion, she said, ‘I’ll go and put the kettle on.’ That said it all.

Bullseye was a great idea, with the elements of darts and general knowledge, but I was the weak link; 

I was horrendous and towards the end of that first series, we’d lost half our audience. When people were watching, it was because they couldn’t believe how bad it was.

It got so bad that by episode seven, I got a call from my boss to say we were burning the set. I thought, ‘That’s me finished.’ The writing was on the wall. It looked as though they were going to show the remaining seven episodes and then dump the show.

But then, suddenly, something amazing happened: I got another call to say the audience figures were creeping up. I think viewers either took pity on me or grew to like me. The icing on the cake came when ITV moved Bullseye to Sunday teatime – Bob Monkhouse’s old time slot for all those game shows he used to present.

Bob was wonderful – he gave me so much good advice when I explained how much I wanted Bullseye to work.

By accident, Bullseye’s catchphrases took off including, ‘Look at what you could have won’, ‘keep out of the black, and in the red; nothing in this game for two in a bed’ and ‘BFH – your bus fare home.’

Funnily enough ‘super, smashing, great’ is a phrase I never used, so 

I don’t know where it came from. Tony Green, who joined me from series two as referee, was a tremendous asset because he was an expert at darts. We developed a natural comedy routine and he was perfect for the show.

For one show in four we were able to offer a car as a prize, and that was quite something back then. To win a car in the 80s was a big deal – the excitement in the studio was unbelievable and it was equally dramatic when someone didn’t win. 

I used to get so much stick for saying, ‘Look at what you could have won.’

Even after Bullseye ended, I was able to continue working as a comedian. The series has been repeated many times since it finished 20 years ago and as a result, the contestants have been able to watch themselves with their children and grandchildren.

When the show first went out, I couldn’t walk down the street without being recognised. Even now, people stop, do a double-take, turn around and say, ‘You’re Jim Bowen.’

Sometimes, they even say, ‘Look at what you could have won.’ I’ll always be grateful I was given that second chance.” 

To find out more about Jim, visit jimbowen.tv. Bullseye is shown on Challenge TV at 11pm on Monday.