ITV viewers desperate for Freddie Flintoff’s 80s TV reboot to ‘return for good’

They say you can’t beat a bit of Bully – and TV fans certainly agree.

Freddie Flintoff was at the helm on Sunday night as 1980s classic Bullseye, which combined darts and quizzing for a bizarre and wonderful experience, returned for a Christmas special on ITV.

Over the weekend, whole new generation got to experience the iconic gameshow – which saw teams made up of an amateur dart players and their pal answering questions to win prizes.

Flintoff hosted the one night only comeback with darts iconic Luke Littler joining him as the celebrity guest.

Fans were delighted with the revival, and they want to hear ‘Here’s what you could have won’ on a more regular basis.

‘I really enjoyed Christmas #Bullseye @ITV please bring it back for good,’ wrote @DavidMurphy27 on X, as @davidbirkdale agreed: ‘What fun to have #Bullseye back on TV! Freddie is a great host. Hope @ITV will commission a full series 👍’

‘Was great fun! Best reboot itv have done in ages! Deserves full series get @ITV regular Sunday night shows more often (sic),’ added @MattZeeMiller.

‘#Bullseye is everything that I hoped it would be and once was, the proper working-class gameshow that makes you smile. Freddie works perfect for this show, too. 😁,’ said @ThatGingerRob.

And @b3nt3ndo wrote: ‘@flintoff11 did a super smashin’ great job with #Bullseye tonight. Made it his own with enough nods to what makes it a classic. Here’s hoping a full series comes his way now in 2025! 🤞’

Even the sceptics were won over, with people changing their minds after seeing the revival for themselves.

@JonnyBWoode admitted: ‘I didn’t think I was going to like @flintoff11 as host of #Bullseye but he actually fits really well, hopefully a full series will follow. What’s Sunday without a bit of Bully?!’

While teenage darts sensation Luke, 17, wasn’t even born when Bullseye was last on air, Freddie, 47, was delighted to be bringing back a piece of his own childhood.

‘I love the darts and Bullseye was one of my favourite shows as a kid,’ Freddie said when the show was announced. ‘Can’t quite believe I’ll get to host this Christmas special. You can’t beat a bit of Bully!’

The show – which pulled in up to 20 million viewers at its peak – first ran from 1981 to 1995 with Jim Bowen as the host, while a revival aired in 2006 with Dave Spikey taking over.

TV bosses were inspired after Ant and Dec brought it back for an hour long special the previous year as part of their Gameshow Marathon for ITV’s 50th anniversary.

In 2007, it was back again for Vernon Kay’s Gameshow Marathon, but it took 11 years for another revival.

That time, it was Alan Carr at the helm for his own Epic Gameshow series on ITV, with fans now calling for Freddie’s version to get a full remake.

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