Bullseye spinoff series in the pipeline following Freddie Flintoff's successful revival

The iconic darts-themed game show Bullseye returned to our TV screens over the Christmas period for the first time in nearly twenty years.

The special Christmas edition was hosted by Preston born cricketer turned TV presenter Freddie Flintoff and it quickly became one of ITV’s most popular programmes over the festival period.

In February it was even confirmed Bullseye will return later this year for a brand new series.

At the time, the official Bullseye X account tweeted: “#Bullseye will be back in a brand new series later this year on #ITV hosted by Freddie Flintoff and official scorer Richard Ashdown... Keep your eyes on the Bullseye socials for all the latest updates, and remember, you can't beat a bit of Bully!”

Now however, it has been reported that ITV bosses are considering running a spin-off series as well as the main offering.

It’s not former League of Their Own and Top Gear star Freddie though that is in for the top job but rather a suprising teenager with a very famous footballer dad.

The Sun has exclusively reported this week that producers are eyeing up a junior version of Bullseye thanks to the popularity of teen darts sensation Luke Littler.

Top of their list of potential young presenters is then nine-year-old Kit Rooney, who they say has turned his back on football for darks, much to the surprise of his Manchester United legend dad Wayne and mum Coleen.

A TV insider said: “We might just end up with the bizarre scene of Rooney Junior throwing darts on Junior Bullseye while his proud mum and dad sit in the audience.

“But Kit is just one of an entire generation of youngsters who want to follow in the footsteps of Luke and become a world champion in their teenage years.

“So it makes sense for Bullseye bosses to consider doing this spin-off to tap into that and maybe even uncover the next big star.”

Talking recently, Bullseye’s brand manager Laura Wood backed the idea of the junior version saying: “Wouldn’t it be great to have a special Bullseye Junior Show, whether it be a one-off or a series.

“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.”

The original Bullseye ran from 1981 through to 1995.

Since then there have been numerous revival attempts, most notably a series hosted by Chorley based Dave Spikey in 2016 and as a segment of Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow.