Brand Manager Laura Wood on bringing Bullseye into publishing, AR, beer and more

Laura, it’s great to connect. To kick us off, can you give us a potted history of Bullseye?
Bullseye first aired on ITV on September 28th 1981 and quickly became a hit primetime show, dominating the ratings charts over a 14-year period. The much-loved hosts – comedian Jim Bowen and sports commentator Tony Green – became household favourites. At its peak the show attracted 19.8 million viewers on Boxing Day 1989.

Wow! And 14 years… So the original series wrapped up in 1995?
Yes, but Bullseye has never really been off-air, remaining ever-present in the public consciousness, notably after free-to-air Sky-owned television channel Challenge TV acquired the rights to air the original 1981 to1995 Bullseye series. Bullseye also featured on both ITV’s Gameshow Marathon Series (2005 to 2007) and all three series of Alan Carr’s Epic Gameshow (2020 to 2022).

Bullseye was also back on Challenge TV in 2006 in a brand-new series hosted by comedian Dave Spikey and Tony Green. The new series broke all previous viewing figures for the channel with a 200% increase in average channel ratings. For the first time in its history, Challenge TV had a higher market share than Sky One!

Impressive!
Then, in 2008, Bullseye launched on social media, attracting thousands of fans in its launch month. This was when we started building a Bullseye community that now numbers over 85,000 followers – a community that I continue to manage to this day.

Did that coincide with those first licensing conversations for brand?
Well, throughout this time, demand for – and supply of – Bullseye merchandise continued to grow. This began in the early days, following the (co-producer) Carlton/Granada merger in 2003, right up to our joining Bulldog Licensing, fronted by MD Rob Corney. Bullseye remains with Bulldog to this day.

Can you talk us through some notable licensing partnerships for Bullseye?
Over the years we have had the pleasure of working with Camelot, Fat Spanner, Smiffys, Winmau and Cosmic Concepts to name but a few. More recent signings include University Games – which will be launching at Toy Fair 2025 later this month – Buzz Bingo, Away Resorts and Bully Trading Ltd. We have also recently partnered with the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), the leading professional body in the sport, to launch an exclusive PDC X Bullseye Collection through National Merchandise.

Which bring us to our most recent success: the Christmas Special on ITV1 hosted by Freddie Flintoff…

Yes! How did this new launch come about and how has it been received?
On Christmas Eve 2023, I posted a tweet, wishing for a 2024 Bullseye Christmas Special… Then in January 2024, I was approached by 12 Yard Productions with a view to reviving Bullseye to ‘bring it back into the spotlight’. It was clear that 12 Yard’s vision, understanding of the brand and overall intentions were exactly in line with where I wanted Bullseye to be.

Bullseye is perfect for a Christmas Special; we love to pull extra special treats out of the bag for our viewers and fans. And then there was the announcement of Freddie Flintoff as host. This really was a dream come true for everyone involved and resulted in us dominating the front page of The Sun newspaper with the exclusive announcement.

At that same time, our social media sites gave details of how to apply to be a contestant. We were inundated… There were over 36,000 applications for just six places! We knew at this point that something very special was happening. The timing was perfect. The public wanted Bullseye back and were thrilled to hear that Freddie Flintoff would be at the helm, with Richard Ashdown as scorer and referee.

The phenomenal public response continued with our announcement that young darts superstar Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler was to be the professional thrower. This coincided with our announcement of ticket availability. We had over 8,700 applications for audience tickets. It was the hottest ticket in town!

Bullseye aired three times over Christmas and New Year on ITV1 and resulted in consolidated viewing figures of over seven million, making Bullseye one of the top-rated Christmas shows and resulting in calls from the public and press for ITV to launch a new, full series in 2025.

How important is it for a brand like Bullseye to have new episodes and a new presenter?
It is incredibly important. Anyone who follows us on social media will know that for years we have – almost literally – been screaming out for a new series. Our aim is to introduce Bullseye to new fans as well as to maintain the loyalty of our original fan base, for which a renewed TV and streaming presence would be a massive boost.

You mentioned Challenge TV earlier. How important has your broadcast relationship been with Challenge TV in keeping Bullseye in the public eye?
Although over the years I have seen a great deal of change within the structure of the channel, Bullseye’s relationship with Challenge remains very important to me. We no longer have the almost daily communications that I used to enjoy with them, but Bullseye remains a key programme within the Challenge portfolio, and I certainly hope it remains that way for many years to come.

Looking at your roster of licensees, it’s clear that Bullseye has been a great fit for licensing. Why do you think that is?
Bullseye translates exceptionally well into licensing. Indeed, it has been an established licensed brand for well over 20 years with a brand appeal that has proven to be both multi-generational and multi-demographic. We are a brand that can tap into the delight and charm of retro, the joy of nostalgia and the excitement of the new.

During this time, we have launched a wide range of product lines, ranging from gifting, apparel and publishing to games, beer and snacks. Our mascot Bully enhances the character of the brand and offers our licensees a wealth of artwork possibilities.

I noticed you have a publishing programme in place with Igloo. Can you tell us about the books they have published? And how you got Bully ‘publishing ready’?
We have partnered with Igloo Books in the publishing arena for almost a decade. During that time Igloo has delivered both the Bullseye Ultimate Quiz Book and the Bullseye Mini Dartboard and Quiz Book gift set. Both items are regularly updated and have been a huge success. It’s great to see Bullseye in a quiz book form that entertains and challenges the whole family.

You have also developed an AR game with Home Leisure Direct. Can you give us a bit of background to how you moved Bullseye into the Augmented Reality space?
Bringing the Bullseye IP to emerging formats such as AR, has been an exciting development for our brand. Partnering with games room retailer Home Leisure on its AR Bullseye game for commercial premises allowed us to enhance fan experience and social connectivity beyond anything we had previously offered.

“We move and grow with the times – and most importantly, we believe in our brand.”

AR also complements our gaming portfolio, which includes our recently launched Buzz Bingo Bullseye game and – coming to market soon – our Bullseye Blueprint Technologies land-based slot games. In other words, fans are now able to play Bullseye across a range of formats and locations. We will continue to look at these and other emerging sectors that we feel can enhance the Bullseye fan experience.

There’s a Bullseye online shop. How does that operate and what’s the thought process behind it?
The Bullseye Online shop is another part of the licensing programme for the Bullseye brand. We work closely with Sporting Profiles, which creates limited edition collectibles and publications based upon hundreds of well-known and familiar brands, in developing new product ranges. This allows us to launch products that we feel our fans would like and to release products that fans have asked for.

Specifically, when fans were asking about Christmas baubles, we were able to offer them on the site within a matter of months. By far our most popular item to date is our Bullseye Christmas jumper, as worn by Olly Murs to the 2023/24 PDC World Darts Championship!

Nice! And are there specific product gaps you have that you think are a good opportunity for licensees?
This question is perfectly timed! The Junior Darts Corporation, an organisation that focuses on the next generation of darts players, reports that darts is the fastest-growing sport in Britain – especially in the youth market. The number of youngsters playing darts has doubled in line with the rise and success of newly crowned World Champion Luke Littler. There is also a surge of interest in youth darts coaching, youth teams and junior academies, all of which are reporting growth across all areas of their business.

We have always aligned Bullseye as a family-friendly show and wouldn’t it be great to have a special Bullseye Junior Show, whether it be a one-off or a series for the younger market… This could also open the door for our licensees to offer specific junior editions of our existing catalogue.

How else has the growing popularity of darts helped Bullseye?
It’s certainly no coincidence that our Christmas Special aired at a time when there has been a huge surge in interest in darts – and a rise in demand for Bullseye product. We are fortunate and thankful to have a fantastic relationship with the Professional Darts Corporation which is at the absolute top of its game. Its support for Bullseye – particularly over the last 12 months and moving forward into 2025 – has been incredible. From having our Bully Mascot as a resident of the Fans Village at Ally Pally for the 2024/25 World Darts Championship, to launching the PDC X Bullseye Collection – both online via the PDC store and at all PDC live tournaments – being able to work so closely with the PDC is a privilege that I am very grateful for.

Do you have a brand style guide?
Great timing again! We do have a Bullseye style guide – and we are in the process of updating it as I speak! The time is right to expand the guide and to introduce new designs, poses and themes that pay homage to the original concept.

How do you keep in touch with Bullseye fans? Conversely, do they keep in touch with you?
Our relationship with Bullseye fans both old and new is immensely important to us, and with a following of over 85,000, there is certainly a lot of interacting! Without these fans, the last 43 years would have been very different for Bullseye. Our fans enjoy reminiscing and sharing personal stories about friends and family who appeared on the show. They also love to share their views on what they would like to see moving forward for both the TV show and merchandise, celebrating funny moments and coming together as a community during the sadder times that have affected us.

What tips would you give to other companies that own a gameshow in regard to ensuring their brand remains popular for as long as Bullseye has?
Be present. Communicate. Listen. They are honestly the three key components that I stand by in keeping your brand relevant and active with – hopefully! – a positive brand perception and association. When Bullseye first aired in 1981, I doubt many people thought we would still be here 43 years later – but we move and grow with the times and, most importantly, we believe in our brand.

I would say to other companies, especially family-owned ones like ours: Don’t be afraid of making decisions that you feel are in the long-term interest of the brand. Stay engaged with your fans, keep interacting with them and allow them to be part of the journey.

Finally, beyond Bully, do you have a favourite darts player?
Talk about being put on the spot! Chris Dobey, aka Hollywood, is the player whose career progression I really enjoy watching. His move into the limelight began when he was in the bingo hall with his mum and got a call from friends to step in and play on their darts team that night. Fast forward a decade or so and he’s made it all the way to the semi-finals at Alexandra Palace for the PDC 2024/25 World Darts Championship and broken into the world top 10! It’s a wonderful sporting journey he is on.

Thanks again Laura!