Whilst Bingo can sometimes dominate the online casino gaming scene, you’ll also find it popping up on your telly box in some of your favourite films and classic TV programmes. Whether it’s gameshows or comedies that tickle your fancy, it won’t be hard to find a hint of Bingo magic when you settle down for some light entertainment of an evening. After all, what’s better to get you in the mood for buying a strip of tickets and having your online Bingo play for real money fix, than watching other people having a go too?
Read on to find out more.
Bad Grandpa
A brainchild of the crazy pranksters in the Jackass squad, 2013 saw the emergence of Bad Grandpa, starring Johnny Knoxville as Irving Zisman. Every moment of this film is filled with shocking stunts and cringeworthy pranks, as well as a bit of Bingo! Protagonist Zisman takes a trip down to his local Bingo hall, and causes quite a stir amongst the serious gamers that are trying to play for the win. Knoxville’s character goes on to drink the ink out of his Bingo marker and shout over the caller, thoroughly disturbing the game. Without being able to hear the master of the game calling out those all-important numbers, gameplay is truly impossible, so keeping quiet is a given.
After watching Bad Grandpa you’ll know exactly what not to do on your next visit to the Bingo hall.
Bob’s Full House
At one point, between 1984 and 1990, Bob’s Full House truly dominated our television screens, at prime time, one night a week. The gameshow first appeared on BBC One, but soon took the leap to air internationally, with Finland, Portugal, Germany, Greece and the USA all producing their own vibrant versions of the hit show.
The premise of the show was taken directly from the rules of Bingo, involving four players at a time. Each of these lucky people would be given separate numbered cards, much like Bingo cards, presented on screens in front of their seats. But, instead of listening for correlating numbers, each player had to answer questions which would then light up numbers on the screen. Gameplay operated in rounds, simulating the line prizes that are available in classic Bingo games. In round one, the first player to light up each corner of their LED numbered card would win a prize; in round two, the middle column is where lights needed to go; and, lastly, the remaining players would battle it out to be the first to light up any remaining squares on their ticket screens, to achieve the full house prize.
Lucky Numbers
Between 1995 and 1997, another Bingo-inspired gameshow hit the scene, coming off the back of the ideas that had been showcased by its predecessor Bob’s Full House. Airing on ITV, the show was presented by Shane Richie who is best known for playing the role of “Alfie Moon” on EastEnders. But what you might not know about the soap star is that that he also used to be a Bingo caller, before he found his tea-time TV fame.
Once again, players used electronic Bingo cards to play this game, aiming to light up various numbered squares across it. The rounds also reflected the classic rules of Bingo. The final round in Lucky Numbers required the winning player to gamble however much they decided on a five-in-a-row 25-square game board, for the chance to multiply their prize.