Legendary darts referee Russ Bray joins Bullseye revival in iconic position
Legendary darts referee Russ Bray will be part of the revival of Bullseye taking on Tony Green’s role as darts scorer.
The 67-year-old PDC official is known as “The Voice” due to his raspy tones and unique style of calling and he’ll be keeping track of what the contestants score when they step up to the oche.
Russ joins new host Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff who will be hosting ITV’s reboot of the beloved show, which was hosted by Jim Bowen and briefly revived in the mid-200s by Dave Spikey. A source said: “Russ has been the voice of darts for almost three decades and is synonymous with the world championships.
(Image: Getty Images)
“It makes perfect sense for him to fill the shoes of the late Tony Green at the oche. No one calls 180 like Russ.”
The Bullseye revival will begin with a Christmas special and if that proves to be a hit with viewers, ITV is expected to follow it up with a full series.
World Championship runner-up Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler will feature on the special as the professional player who throws for charity.
Professional darters were regular guests on the original series where they tried to score as many points as possible to bag money for charities chosen by the competing pairs of amateur player plus quizzer.
(Image: Internet grab)
Bullseye first aired on ITV in 1981 and ran for 14 years with Jim – who died in 2014 aged 80 as host becoming a household name thanks to his catchphrases including “let’s have a look at what you could have won” when contestants missed out on the special prize.
It was revived on Challenge TV in 2006, with Dave presenting, but dropped after just two series.
Former England cricketer Flintoff, 46, says it’s been a dream come true to step into Jim’s shoes for the reboot.
He said: “I love the darts and Bullseye was one of my favourite shows as a kid.
“I can’t quite believe I’ll get to host this Christmas special.
“You can’t beat a bit of Bully!”
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