Luke Littler sparks ITV Bullseye viewer debate as fans issue complaint over appearance in Freddie Flintoff reboot
Bullseye fans have been left with rather mixed opinions over the iconic quiz show’s return to screens on Sunday night thanks to an appearance from darts talent, Luke Littler.
Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff was the presenter tasked with overseeing proceedings and was joined by scorer Richard Ashdown and three pairs of contestants, all hoping to pocket some cash and prizes in the one-off special.
The three teams taking part were Tony and Kenny from Yorkshire, Kim and Curtis from Lancashire, and Mary and Vicky from County Durham but they wouldn’t be taking on the dart board alone.
Littler was on hand to show off his skills and do his best to help each team pocket some extra cash throughout the show, although it was Tony and Kenny who ended up victorious.
The brothers pocketed £730 which sent them through to the final stage and a chance to bag Bully’s Star Prize.
However, before Tony and Kenny would get a chance to throw some darts in their final challenge, Littler and Flintoff took centre stage in a charity challenge.
After sharing some quick-witted back-and-forths with Littler, Flintoff welcomed Tony and Kenny back – but in tow was Littler again.
For the final round, Flintoff put three questions about Littler to the brothers and for each one they got right, Littler would be given a dart to try win them a prize from the board.
There wouldn’t be a speedboat though because, as Flintoff put it: “If there’s one thing we’ve learned since Bullseye was first on telly in 1981, it’s this… speedboats may look great, but they’re a pain to park outside your house – especially if you live in a flat.”
Littler did his best to give Tony and Kenny a decent head-start as they tried to rack up the prizes on the board and in the end, they ended up with quite a handful.
The contestant won a folding smart phone, a luxury Christmas hamper, tickets to Alexandra Palace, Littler’s shirt and darts, electric toothbrushes, a fridge freezer full of chips, a hair styling kit, a kitchen bundle and a trip to Cornwall.
Before finding out what the players wanted to do, Flintoff and the Bullseye crowd gave Littler a raucous reception as he made his way backstage.
In the end, Tony and Kenny decided to stick with their prizes rather than risk it for a chance at Bully’s Special Prize – but it wasn’t their choice that divided fans.
Instead, some fans took issue with the ITV Bullseye reboot due to its focus on Littler, with some even going as far as branding the program the “Luke Littler Show”.
On X, formerly Twitter, one viewer complained: “#Bullseye FFS, you would think Luke Littler was the only darts player that ever lived the way they are going on about him.”
“Littler getting more airtime than he spent playing last night. #Bullseye,” a second added, referring to his appearance at the World Championships on Saturday.
“This just seems to be a big promotion for Luke Littler. #Bullseye,” a third commented before a fourth weighed in: “I like Luke Littler, he’s already legendary but this is too much #Bullseye.”
A fifth also hit out: “This show should’ve just been called ‘let’s embarrass tf out of Luke Littler’ #bullseye poor lad doesn’t look comfortable at all.”
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And a sixth agreed but praised the reboot overall: “Thought #Bullseye was pretty good to be fair! OK they focused on Luke Littler a fair bit, but it’s only a one off and was fun. It’s a comedy quiz show, nothing serious. Well done @flintoff11 thought u did a decent job. Keep the arrows coming.”
Despite the moans about Littler’s use in the show, several other viewers also took to social media to implore ITV to make Bullseye a permanent weekend TV fixture.
“Bring it back permanent for a Sunday eve. #Bullseye,” one viewer typed while a second concurred: “#Bullseye Well I loved it! Lots of nostalgia and a speedboat too! Had the family giggling away. Happy Christmas and thank you Freddie, Richard and Luke!”
The ITV X account even teased the possibility of future instalments when replying to one excited fan: “We’ll see what we can do! Glad you’ve enjoyed it, it’s so nice to have it back. #Bullseye.” (sic)