Bullseye was a British game show made by ATV and Central Television between 1981 and 1995, and hosted by Jim Bowen. In its prime, it was watched by around 15 million viewers on Sunday evenings.

Centred around darts, the show placed three pairs of contestants against one another to win prizes ranging from a new car or a speedboat to the consolation prize of a set of darts, a tankard (silver goblet for lady contestants) and a 'Bendy Bully', a rubber model of the show's mascot.

Each team had one question specialist and one darts player, and in the first round the darts players would throw at a board in which each segment represented a different category of question (such as Faces, Places, Sport, Showbiz, Affairs, History, Books, Words, Britain, Spelling). Hitting the bullseye doubled the score and allowed the question answerer to pick which subject he wanted. In the second round, after the lowest scoring pair had been eliminated (getting - 'BFH - Bus Fare Home') the darts players would throw three darts at a time at a normal dartboard, with the highest scoring team given the chance to convert the number of points scored to pounds by answering a general knowledge question. After three rounds of play the pair with the highest total goes through to the next round. The other pair would receive the consolation prizes and the money which Jim would count out during the advertising break.

There then came a short break in which a professional darts player threw nine darts, with the score converted to money for the charity of the final contestants choice. A score over 301 was doubled. At the end of the series the dart player who got the highest score in the series received a 'Bronze Bully' trophy. In the earlier years of the show the professional was replaced by a minor show-business celebrity or other sportsman every second week. They were given a 60 head-start. Celebrities who performed particularly badly (as when an obviously worse-for-wear George Best missed the board) would usually offer to 'add some of their own money'.

The next round of the competition saw the final pair faced with a large prizeboard containing black and smaller red segments. They threw 9 darts and won a prize for each red segment they hit, with the bullseye representing 'Bully's special prize'. Having completed this round, the winning pair were presented with the choice of whether to gamble their winnings from the prize board for the mystery star prize hidden behind a screen in the studio. If they gambled, they then had six darts (three for each member of the team) to score 101 or more. Contestants who failed to reach 101 were then invited to "have a look what you would have won", by Jim. If they refused the gamble the last couple who were eliminated were asked. If they declined the first couple were asked, who having nothing to lose always had a go. The star prize was usually a holiday (especially in later series), a car, a caravan or (in the earliest series) a speedboat.

The show was co-hosted by professional darts commentator Tony Green.

This series is not to be confused with the American Bullseye, which was an entirely different game. See Bullseye (American game show) for details.

In 2005 it was announced that programme creator Andrew Wood had signed a contract with Granada Media for Granada to produce a 1 hour long celebrity special ‘Bullseye’ show to be hosted by Ant and Dec.

This ‘Bullseye’ special was part of ITV’s 50th anniversary birthday celebrations and a special version of the show was aired on ITV on 22 October 2005 presented by Ant and Dec.

Andrew Wood has signed an exclusive Option Agreement with Granada Media. This exclusive Option is for 6 months at the end of which Granada Media can extend the Option period for a further 6 months.

Granada had decided during this period that a new series of Bullseye will be produced early next year.


Catchphrases
The repetitive, ordered nature of the show's format tended to result in the dialogue being practically the same from week to week - only the contestants' names would change. This resulted in an extraordinary number of Bullseye 'catchphrases' seeping into the public consciousness in a short space of time and became a central part of its charm.

Stay out of the black and in the red - nothing in this game for two in a bed

You can't beat a bit o'Bully!

See you back on the oche in a couple of throws

It'll take me two minutes to count it out

It's pounds for points

Let's just check that wi'Bully. (On checking whether the contestant had correctly answered a spelling question. This involved the 'Bully' character moving along the bottom of the screen revealing the correct spelling of the word in question. Jim Bowen would rather awkwardly point to each letter in time with Bully movements.)

It's the wrong answer, and there's a light on

Come have a look at what you would have won.

You've got the time it takes the board to revolve to decide

I'm afraid you've been 'Bully'd' out (The Bully character's 'Moooo' signified that the contestant had run out of time to answer a question).

One hundred and one or more... for tonight's star prize... six darts... take your time... off you go boys

Just settle in boys, take your time and listen to Tony

Super! Smashing! Great! although Bowen denies ever saying this, and is almost certainly a misquote. Famously used in a UK poster advertising campaign for Skol Lager in the mid 1990s.

All for the throw of a dart.

You get your BFH.....Bus fare home!

You've hit 'words', and the category's gone

Innnnn ONE, Innnnn TWO, Innnnn THREE, Innnnn FOUR, Innnnn FIVE, Innnnn SIX, Innnnn SEVEN, Innnnn EIGHT, and Bully's special priiiiize...

I want you to consider a gamble, the money you've won, that's safe, your charity money's safe, it's these prizes. Would you like to gamble your prizes, for tonight's star prize, which is hiding behind Bully?

We've had a lovely day Jim. I think we'll give someone else a chance. (Often said by contestants who had done well on the prize board - and did not wish to gamble).

And that's the bullseye

This is what you could have won