What with Stephen Hawking dying yesterday events kind of overshadowed the death of another legend later in the day. The incomparable Jim Bowen of "Bulls Eye" fame, the mainstay of many an 80s student day-time TV consumption, including my own. Bulls eye was just the right combination of mind-candy (the questions weren't too taxing) and social experiment, centered around the game of darts it certainly weaved its way into the zeitgeist of the time.
I actually played darts for a pub team back then, I wasn't too bad, I remember taking part in the county championship and losing my "arrows" the night before at the pre-match practice session. I had to dash out the the shops during my lunch-hour and get a brand new set on the day of the tournament which I thought would completely scupper me (i.e. because I wasn't used to them) But, in my first match, first throw I hit 180! I thought I'd hit the jackpot. Of course reality set in on the next throw and I soon settled back into my average scoring rate, I didn't do too badly individually, but our team came fourth overall, a placement which provided much needed "free pints" for many months. I was trying to think of a link between Stephen Hawking and Jim Bowen and couldn't, anyway, the balance of the Universe wasn't upset by their passing, after all, the non-darts player always goes first.
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