The National Bingo Game welcomed over 500 people from across the UK to the final of this exciting, and popular, competition hosted at Buzz Bingo Great Park, Birmingham. Each finalist came with their own swathes of supporters from their club, bringing an atmosphere that could only be described as electric to the event. Customers were greeted with a glass of bubbly and a sit down meal as they spent the day cheering on the finalists.
Over 200 entrants applied for the competition and coveted title, with hopefuls whittled down via qualifying events held across the UK. All contestants were then judged by a panel on their knowledge of the game, showmanship ability and their skills as a caller, with their eyes firmly on the number one spot as ‘National Bingo Game: Caller of the Year 2019’. The winner of the competition becomes an ambassador for the National Bingo Game as well as receiving a trophy and £1,000 prize money.
The judging panel at the national final comprised of: CEO of The Bingo Association, Miles Baron; Bingo Caller of the Year winner 2007, Blake Robson; Lyn Staunton, Variety representative; and former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Tom Watson.
Blake Robson, the last winner in 2007, was one of the toughest judges and said, “I am thrilled that the competition has made a comeback. Winning this competition all those years ago paved out my career for me: I’m now a full-time entertainer thanks to the skills and professionalism bingo taught me. It was important for the contestants to relish the opportunity as it was truly a once in a lifetime experience for me. I am honoured that I was able to be an ambassador for this great game for the past eleven years.” Blake continued, “I had the t-shirt but it was worn out and time for me to pass it on to a new winner. I didn’t pass on my crown, the title and honour of being an ambassador easily: the finalists had to show they had something special about them. I was looking for the ‘X-Factor’ and the finalists didn’t disappoint!”
The lucky finalists who were able to showcase their talents to the judges and be in the running for the crown were: Jason Davies from Mecca Wrexham; Michael Farley from Beacon Cricklewood; Rhys Evans from Castle Merthyr Tydfil; Christopher Graham from Carlton Stirling; Bob Manwaring from Buzz Middlesbrough; and Donna Kunyo from Club 3000 Middleton.
Each caller had three minutes to wow the judges with their performance whilst calling out a game to over five hundred attending players and supporters. The finalists provided a great array of different talents in their acts including an energetic Elvis impersonator, three professional quality singers and two natural crowd entertainers. However, it was the caller from Club 3000 Middleton, Donna Kunyo, who stole the show and snapped up the first prize. Donna showed professionalism and great knowledge of the game whilst also having a captivating stage presence. Donna performed ‘This Is My Life’,an Italian song (La Vita) made famous by Dame Shirley Bassey, ending with a standing ovation, before going on to call a game. Once all finalists had performed, there was a brief interlude just in time for the nerves and excitement to build before the winner was announced. A crowd gathered surrounding the stage as the intensity of the announcement grew, until it was finally announced, closely followed by an ecstatic uproar from the Middleton supporters. After winning the title, Donna commented, “I still can’t believe I have won the National Bingo Game: Caller of the Year. It was such a great honour to be a part of the day and to be up against incredibly talented finalists was great fun, if not a bit nerve wracking. I am so proud to be a part of this industry and to be an ambassador. This competition truly shows people coming together which is what bingo is all about.”
CEO of The Bingo Association, Miles Baron comments, “This year’s finalists didn’t disappoint; they all were so talented and had clearly been very well practised in their acts which made picking the winner a tough decision. However, Donna’s performance was outstanding and she was the well deserved winner of the National Bingo Game: Caller of the Year 2019.”
The Caller of the Year will return later this year when the National Bingo Game begins its’ search for 2020’s Bingo Caller of the Year.
The National Bingo Game welcomed over 500 people from across the UK to the final of this exciting, and popular, competition hosted at Buzz Bingo Great Park, Birmingham. Each finalist came with their own swathes of supporters from their club, bringing an atmosphere that could only be described as electric to the event. Customers were greeted with a glass of bubbly and a sit down meal as they spent the day cheering on the finalists.
Over 200 entrants applied for the competition and coveted title, with hopefuls whittled down via qualifying events held across the UK. All contestants were then judged by a panel on their knowledge of the game, showmanship ability and their skills as a caller, with their eyes firmly on the number one spot as ‘National Bingo Game: Caller of the Year 2019’. The winner of the competition becomes an ambassador for the National Bingo Game as well as receiving a trophy and £1,000 prize money.
The judging panel at the national final comprised of: CEO of The Bingo Association, Miles Baron; Bingo Caller of the Year winner 2007, Blake Robson; Lyn Staunton, Variety representative; and former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Tom Watson.
Blake Robson, the last winner in 2007, was one of the toughest judges and said, “I am thrilled that the competition has made a comeback. Winning this competition all those years ago paved out my career for me: I’m now a full-time entertainer thanks to the skills and professionalism bingo taught me. It was important for the contestants to relish the opportunity as it was truly a once in a lifetime experience for me. I am honoured that I was able to be an ambassador for this great game for the past eleven years.” Blake continued, “I had the t-shirt but it was worn out and time for me to pass it on to a new winner. I didn’t pass on my crown, the title and honour of being an ambassador easily: the finalists had to show they had something special about them. I was looking for the ‘X-Factor’ and the finalists didn’t disappoint!”
The lucky finalists who were able to showcase their talents to the judges and be in the running for the crown were: Jason Davies from Mecca Wrexham; Michael Farley from Beacon Cricklewood; Rhys Evans from Castle Merthyr Tydfil; Christopher Graham from Carlton Stirling; Bob Manwaring from Buzz Middlesbrough; and Donna Kunyo from Club 3000 Middleton.
Each caller had three minutes to wow the judges with their performance whilst calling out a game to over five hundred attending players and supporters. The finalists provided a great array of different talents in their acts including an energetic Elvis impersonator, three professional quality singers and two natural crowd entertainers. However, it was the caller from Club 3000 Middleton, Donna Kunyo, who stole the show and snapped up the first prize. Donna showed professionalism and great knowledge of the game whilst also having a captivating stage presence. Donna performed ‘This Is My Life’,an Italian song (La Vita) made famous by Dame Shirley Bassey, ending with a standing ovation, before going on to call a game. Once all finalists had performed, there was a brief interlude just in time for the nerves and excitement to build before the winner was announced. A crowd gathered surrounding the stage as the intensity of the announcement grew, until it was finally announced, closely followed by an ecstatic uproar from the Middleton supporters. After winning the title, Donna commented, “I still can’t believe I have won the National Bingo Game: Caller of the Year. It was such a great honour to be a part of the day and to be up against incredibly talented finalists was great fun, if not a bit nerve wracking. I am so proud to be a part of this industry and to be an ambassador. This competition truly shows people coming together which is what bingo is all about.”
CEO of The Bingo Association, Miles Baron comments, “This year’s finalists didn’t disappoint; they all were so talented and had clearly been very well practised in their acts which made picking the winner a tough decision. However, Donna’s performance was outstanding and she was the well deserved winner of the National Bingo Game: Caller of the Year 2019.”
The Caller of the Year will return later this year when the National Bingo Game begins its’ search for 2020’s Bingo Caller of the Year.