Jim Bowen

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox person James Brown Whittaker<ref name="SI">Template:Cite news</ref> (born Peter Williams; 20 August 1937 – 14 March 2018), known professionally as Jim Bowen, was an English stand-up comedian, actor and television personality. He was the long-time host of the ITV game show Bullseye, which he presented from its beginning in 1981 through to the end of its original run in 1995.

In early adulthood, Bowen was a teacher and took part in local dramatic groups. He first appeared on television in The Comedians (1971) and he eventually devoted himself to comedy full-time, appearing in other television shows in the 1970s. After the popular Bullseye, he subsequently worked for various radio stations and toured with stand-up shows. Towards the end of his life he was affected by a number of strokes.

Early life

Bowen was born in Heswall, Wirral, Cheshire, to an unmarried mother<ref name="HS"/> and was adopted at nine months from an orphanage in Wirral,<ref name="LT">Template:Cite news</ref> by a working-class couple,<ref name="HS">Template:Cite news</ref> Joe Whittaker, a World War I veteran,<ref name="LT"/> and his wife, Annie Whittaker, who were both from Clayton-le-Moors, Lancashire.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He grew up in Clayton-le-Moors, just outside Accrington, where Joe was a bricklayer for Accrington's Nori brick factory and Annie worked as a weaver at Atlas Street Mill.<ref name="LT1">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="HS"/> He was educated at Accrington Grammar School, but failed all but one of his O-levels and subsequently worked as a dustman in Burnley.<ref name=grauniad>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="LT1"/> He later changed his name to James Whittaker.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

During his National Service, Bowen served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps from 1955 to 1957 as an ammunition inspector with the rank of Corporal. After making a serious error during the Suez Crisis, when he sent the wrong batch of ammunition to Barry Docks,<ref name="SI"/> he was sent on a Physical Training course in Aldershot<ref name="SI"/> to become an instructor, and later became a school Physical Education teacher specialising in gymnastics.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He studied at Chester Diocesan Training College, eventually becoming a deputy headmaster at St. Paul's primary school in Caton, near Lancaster.<ref name=grauniad/>

Television

While teaching, Bowen became involved with the local dramatic society which kindled his interest in show business. In the 1960s, he worked part-time as a stand-up comedian on the northern club circuit, balancing his comedy career with his day job as a teacher.<ref name=grauniad/> After having become disillusioned with his teaching career, he was inspired to take up comedy full-time, after seeing Ken Dodd perform a well-received show in front of 3,500 in Blackpool.<ref name="80th"/> He took his stage name from his wife's maiden name, Owen, adding the initial of his mother's, Brown.<ref name=grauniad/> The advent of Granada TV’s The Comedians in 1971 gave him the opportunity to appear on national television, which ultimately helped persuade him to become a full-time entertainer.<ref name="80th"/>

Television opportunities followed, and he made appearances in Last of the Summer Wine as a library attendant, and on Granada's The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club.<ref name=grauniad/> He also starred alongside Ray Burdis, John Blundell, Pauline Quirke and the pop group Flintlock in two series of Thames Television's children's sketch show You Must Be Joking in 1975 and 1976.<ref name="Joking">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Bowen also appeared in TV dramas and comedies. In 1981 he played "Dad" in the Victoria Wood television play Happy Since I Met You.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He played a crooked accountant in ITV's 1982 mini-series Muck and Brass, and later guest-starred in BBC1's Jonathan Creek and Channel 4's Phoenix Nights, playing the hotel owner Frank "Hoss" Cartwright. He subsequently appeared in Peter Kay's 2005 Comic Relief video for "Is This the Way to Amarillo"?<ref name=grauniad/>

His last television appearance was in an interview about the game show Bullseye, recorded a few weeks before his death, for the Matthew Kelly clips and countdown show Top Of the Box 1985, repeated on Channel 5 as Greatest TV Moments of the 80s in 2023.<ref>Greatest TV Moments of the 80s on Channel 5 (Episode 1 on 26.8.23 between 11.15pm - 1.15am: Number 18 with 16.7 million viewers Bullseye)</ref>

Bullseye

In 1981, Bowen became the presenter of a new ITV game show, Bullseye, which mixed general knowledge questions with darts. The show quickly became a popular feature of ITV's schedules on Sunday early evenings, achieving 15–20 million viewers and at times obtaining higher ratings than prime-time soap operas. It ran for fourteen years.<ref name=bbc/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> On the back of his fame, he delivered several speeches at the Oxford Union.<ref name=ou>Template:Cite news</ref>

Bowen was the presenter throughout, along with Tony Green as the darts commentator, and several of the catchphrases he used on the programme became well-known (though he claimed never to have said "Super, smashing, great").Template:Efn He would warn contestants that if they gambled and lost, all they would receive was their "BFH: Bus Fare Home". "Keep out of the black and in the red; nothing in this game for two in a bed" referred to how contestants would win a prize by hitting the appropriate part of the dartboard, but would lose the prize if they hit it twice.<ref name=bbc/> He always asked contestants who lost the gamble to "look at what you could have won".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Radio and stage

File:Jim bowen 2008.jpg

Bowen at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2008

In 1999, Bowen began presenting on BBC Radio Lancashire but in 2002, after working there for three years, he resigned after referring to a guest on his show as a "nig-nog". He apologised for the remark almost immediately, and afterwards stated "No racial connotation was ever intended".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 27 August 2012, Bowen reunited with Happy Daft Farm co-presenter Sally Naden for a one-off show on the station.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Bowen returned to radio in 2009, presenting a mid-morning radio show on 106.6 Indigo FM in Cumbria.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2005, Bowen performed a solo show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe about Bullseye, called "You Can't Beat a Bit of Bully".<ref name="Edinburgh05">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He returned to Edinburgh in 2006 performing at Jongleurs from 8–28 August.<ref name="Edinburgh06">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal life

In 1959, Bowen married his colleague, Phyllis (née Owen).<ref name="HS"/> She supported him throughout his career, driving him to shows, and was by his bedside when he died.<ref name=bbc/><ref name="80th">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The couple lived at Melling-with-Wrayton near Lancaster.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

They had two children.<ref name=grauniad/><ref name="HS"/> Bowen was a supporter of Blackburn Rovers Football Club.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Jim was instantly recognised in both his home area and when travelling to venues with the Personalised Number Plates J80 WEN which adorned several of his cars until he sold it in 2016.

Bowen previously owned Arkholme for Kirkby Lonsdale railway station, on what is now the Leeds–Morecambe line between Template:Stnlnk and Template:Stnlnk stations. He converted the main station building into a private dwelling.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Health problems and death

In early 2011, it was announced that Bowen was recovering in the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, after having suffered two mild strokes. He had suffered the first stroke on 18 February and the second whilst in hospital.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Before his two strokes, Bowen performed on cruise liners and gave corporate after-dinner speeches. By 2012, he was recovering and regaining some mobility once more, and even started performing his stage show "You Can't Beat a Bit of Bully", but suffered a third stroke in November 2014, which left him struggling to walk and talk.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He died at Royal Lancaster Hospital on 14 March 2018, aged 80.<ref name="bbc">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=grauniad/>

Stand-up DVDs

• Live (15 March 1993)
• You Can't Tell These Anymore! (1 December 2003)

External links

• Template:Commonscat-inline
• Template:Official
• Jim Bowen at the British Film Institute
• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0100855

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