TV HOST AND
WITH the genial Jim Bowen as host, you really couldn’t beat a bit of Bully.
The comic’s darts-based quiz Bullseye ran for 14 years and was watched by more than 17 million people.
And as fans mourned his death yesterday aged 80, the stars of the darts world paid tribute to him with Bobby George saying: “We had so much fun.”
Cheshire-born Jim passed away with wife Phyllis by his side after several weeks in the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.
Family friend John Pleus said: “He passed away very peacefully. We are all shedding a tear. I’ve known him since the Bullseye days. It wasn’t completely unexpected, he’s been ill for several weeks.
“As with people getting on, Jim has had several strokes, one in 2011. Strokes just make you weaker and more susceptible to infections but we don’t know what the cause of death will be.”
Jim got his TV break as a comic and became a household name with Bullseye. The show featured three pairs of contestants – made up of a “thrower”, who would play the dart board, and a “knower”, who would answer general knowledge questions.
The show quickly became a popular feature of ITV’s Sunday evening schedule and ran from 1981 to 1995,
His catchphrases were loved as much as the format – including “You can’t beat a bit of Bully!”, “Let’s look at what you could have won” and “Keep out of the black and into the red, nothing in this game for two in a bed”.
Jazz fan Jim was also a trumpet player, performing with a band on the QE2.
Former darts pros George, Keith Deller and Eric Bristow were among those honouring him last night. George, 72, thanked Jim for “the great Bullseye days”.
Deller, 58, said: “So sad to hear the news of my friend Jim Bowen who passed away. I was very fortunate to go on Bullseye many times. He always made you very welcomed and he made Bullseye the great show it was. RIP Jim.”
Bristow, 60, added: “I done every year of Bullseye and had 15 days with him on the QE2. I played darts in the afternoon and he played with his band at night, we