ITV bosses are considering bringing darts-themed game show Bullseye back to television screens after Luke Littler got the nation gripped by the sport again, it has been claimed.
Darts hero Luke, aged 16, finished as the runner-up in the 2024 World Darts Championship after World Number One Luke Humphries powered past him in the match this week.
It was a disappointing end to the tournament for Luke – but 4.8million viewers tuned in to watch the match in an achievement which made the Championship final Sky Sports’ most watched non-football event ever.
And it has been reported TV bigwigs are hoping to piggyback on the sports’ popularity and bring back iconic 80s gameshow Bullseye, with Paddy McGuiness as a potential host.
The programme was made famous by the late Jim Bowen when it ran on ITV from 1981 to 1995, before it was revived on Challenge TV in 2006, when it was hosted by comedian Dave Spikey.
ITV bosses are considering bringing darts-themed game show Bullseye back to television screens after Luke Littler got the nation gripped by the sport again, it has been claimed (Jim Bowen seen hosting Bullseye in 1984)
It has been reported TV bigwigs are hoping to piggyback on the sports’ popularity and bring back iconic 80s gameshow Bullseye, with Paddy McGuiness as a potential host (Paddy pictured last month)
A source told The Sun: ‘ITV is already in discussions to bring back Bullseye after this year’s final drew in the event’s highest viewership in history.
‘It’s early days, but ITV think it could be hugely successful.
‘There are even plans to bring back the speedboat top prize — even if contestants live in a landlocked place, which often happened during Bullseye’s heyday.
‘They think Paddy, with his Lancashire roots like Jim, would be the perfect person to host.’
has contacted ITV for comment.
It comes after Luke Littler, 16, finished as the runner-up in the 2024 World Darts Championship after World Number One Luke Humphries powered past him in the match this week, with teen sensation Luke capturing the attention of the nation during the tournament.
While Luke did not win, 4.8million viewers tuned in to watch the match in an achievement which made the Championship final Sky Sports’ most watched non-football event ever.
Reports suggest that Luke’s meteoric rise to fame has already fuelled a bidding war for the rights to recreate it on film, after he stepped up as the youngest ever World Darts Championship finalist at Alexandra Palace.
The programme, was made famous by the late Jim Bowen when it ran on ITV from 1981 to 1995 (Jim pictured on the show in the 80s)
It was revived on Challenge TV in 2006, when it was hosted by comedian Dave Spikey (pictured)
Boxing powerhouse Anthony Joshua’s production company is said to have tabled a multi-million pound bid to secure permission to adapt Luke’s story after millions watched his nail-biting final against Luke Humphries on Wednesday.
Littler, now among the top 32 darts players in the world, went toe-to-toe with world number one Humphries as the PDC World Darts Championship’s youngest ever finalist, losing 7-4 after trouncing other players with a lifetime’s more experience.
Joshua’s production firm, SBX Studios, is said to have eyes on a biopic and comes as Sky Sports confirmed it was producing a behind-the-scenes documentary on this year’s darts championship unlike any other.
A source told The Sun of Joshua’s rumoured interest in Littler: ‘There is a real fight to buy the film rights to Luke and his team have been getting loads of offers.
‘Anthony’s production company put one on the table yesterday and are really keen to get Luke on board.
‘As a sportsman, Anthony has watched Luke’s incredible rise and thinks his story is incredibly inspiring. He would love the chance to help tell it and thinks their offer is one of the best Luke will get.’
According to its website, SBX Studios has produced content for brands such as Hugo Boss, Lucozade, Under Armour, and Turkish Airlines, as well as online sports platform DAZN and boxing promoter Matchroom.
It has also created content for figures such as Raheem Sterling and Mo Farah, as well as Joshua himself – but a project such as adapting Littler for the big screen would likely be its biggest yet.
Film executives will be keen to capitalise on Littler’s fame while it is fresh, amid a resurgence in mainstream interest in darts that hasn’t been seen since Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor.
It comes after Luke Littler, 16 (pictured), finished as the runner-up in the 2024 World Darts Championship after World Number One Luke Humphries powered past him in the match this week, with teen sensation Luke capturing the attention of the nation during the tournament
Millions watched the 16-year-old take on Humphries, giving Sky Sports its biggest non-football audience on record
It doesn’t hurt that the 16-year-old’s life story has all of the ingredients of a good biopic, from his humble roots in Warrington to the young love flourishing between the teen and 21-year-old beautician girlfriend Eloise Milburn.
His arrival on the world stage came after years of conquering junior leagues with the encouragement of his parents, who got him into darts from the moment he could walk and encouraged him to develop his potential at the oche.
And any adaptation would come hot on the heels of a number of other ‘alternative’ sports biopics based on a true story released in recent years.
Among them are flicks such as The Phantom of the Open, based on the exploits of Maurice Flitcroft, the ‘world’s worst golfer’, and Gran Turismo, based on racing driver Jann Mardenborough, who began his career driving cars on his PlayStation.
Luke is reportedly at the centre of an intense bidding war for the rights to film his life story with boxer Anthony Joshua’s production company SBX Studios reported to have made an offer (Anthony, right, pictured last month)