Bingo gameshows and television used to be a big thing only a few years ago.
We’ve seen bingo change platforms of entertainment – from our TVs to our computers and now to our phones – and the game itself seems to have changed with it. The history of UK bingo happened pretty quickly and, like shooting stars, some great bingo shows came and went in a flash. So, in honour of nostalgia, let’s have a look at some of the best TV bingo that left our screens all too soon:
Bob’s Full House
This show came in many different forms – One to Win; Lucky Numbers; The Biggest Game In Town – but none could compare to the original. Aired from 1984 to 1990, it was one of the most successful bingo style game shows and became something of a legacy. It was bingo with a quiz spin on it where contestants could fill in a number on their cards if they managed to correctly answer a question.
But, as fun as the game was to play along with, the host Bob Monkhouse was the one that stole the show. With his cheesy stand-up comedy and his blatant attempt to give the answers to his contestants, there was hardly anyone that didn’t love watching him. The show was so successful that it was spun-off into a board game and a video game for the ‘ZX Spectrum’ and it will always be great fun to play.
Bingo Night Live
Bingo Night Live perfectly captured the awkwardness of noughties UK television. It was technicoloured flashing lights, cheesy banter, awkward camera angles and wide, swooping shots of a stage that was so gaudy and colourful that it makes Dancing With The Stars look like Downton Abbey. Of course, it wasn’t to everyone’s taste and ITV received a bit of backlash, but that didn’t stop it from getting a decent amount of bingo-mad viewers.
The show was part of ITV’s series of interactive shows, inspired by similar American programming, and allowed viewers to phone in to play and play online with free bingo cards that you could receive by registering with their website. It gave away some pretty impressive cash prizes and had all sorts of mini segments where the hosts talked facts and horoscopes. Regrettably, it only lasted a matter of months in 2008 and after it came off the air there was no way for anyone to play it. However, ITV bingo is still up and running, so that might be the closest thing we’re going to get.
Lingo
It’s bingo, but with letters. This was the style of bingo that any wordsmith out there would be eager to play. From 1987 to 1988, UK contestants needed to guess a word missing most of its letters and if they got it right they could pick a numbered ball and make off a number on their bingo card.
It was a simple game but a lot of fun to play, and by now there have been so many different variations of it. Overseas in the USA and Canada, the same game got more than a couple of reboots and finally ended for good in 2011. Unlike the other two games, Lingo is available in its USA form online and still has tons of fans playing it every day. So, if you’re interested in nostalgia and word games, why not give it a go?