Bingo calls are one of the most associated things with bingo. They’re synonymous with the game, from calls like “two fat ladies” to “legs eleven” and the many, many more. Most bingo calls are widely known and have been in existence for generations, but what if they all disappeared and were reinvented today?
The world has changed significantly since bingo calls first came into traditional gameplay, and it’s fair to say that some of the calls would indeed be different. But what would be gracing our bingo games today? We take a look at some of the most popular bingo calls and how they may differ in 2021…
No. 3 Cup of Tea
Tea is still a staple of Britain, but we can’t help but think there may be some sneaky flavours of tea creeping into this bingo call, especially if bingo was trying to reach a new, hip crowd. The bingo call would be casting aside the English breakfast tea, and we’d be looking more to the likes of the herbal tea. “Number three, a cup of herbal tea”. We’re not convinced.
No. 1 Kelly’s Eye
Kelly’s Eye was military slang and a reference to Ned Kelly, but it feels a little dated today, so we’re putting forward Top of the Pops as a slightly more modern reference to the number one. Top of the Pops was a British staple until it was canned in 2006. However, plenty of bingo players still remember it and we see this as a worthy replacement.
No. 21 Royal Salute
Royal Salute or Key of the Door currently are the calls for 21, but we’re updating this one with another modern day musical twist. Adele’s 21 album was one of the biggest selling albums of the decade and catapulted the popstar to one of the most recognisable superstars on the planet. There are a number of songs that would perfectly suit a bingo call from Someone Like You to Rolling in the Deep, but we’re going to put forward Rumour Has It as the perfect modern day replacement for 21.
No. 27 Gateway To Heaven
Number 27 offers up a straight rhyme currently when called with gateway to heaven, and we aren’t straying too far from the death theme in our updated call. The age 27 has long been associated with losing some of popular culture’s most talented people from musicians such as Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Amy Winehouse and many artists, actors and TV personalities. Recognising the “27 club”, as it’s often referred to, we’re rebranding the number 27 call as “join the club”.
No. 52 Danny La Rue
It’s perhaps fair to say that Danny La Rue isn’t exactly well known among a more modern day crowd, with Ru Paul a more modern day equivalent. The entertainer sadly passed away in 2009 and while of course the call should remain in his honour, if it was to be updated we’d keep with the rhyme theme.
Exploring more modern day celebrities, there’s of course the singer La Roux, which is almost a like-for-like swap, while we could have “Paul and Pru” as a nod to the Great British Bake Off, or equally “Mel and Sue”.
No. 66 Clickety Click
Clickety Click is one of our favourite bingo calls, but we should certainly be paying homage to that great England World Cup winning team of 1966 in this one. There are only a few surviving members of that team now, and in respect to them, and of course all the players that took part in the tournament, we’d rename this call, “they think it’s all over”.
No. 49 PC
The number 49 is named after a wartime radio show about PC Archibald Berkeley-Willoughby, and bingo callers will call “PC”, when the number is drawn. It’s a call that will be lost on a large number of people these days, so we’re looking to update. There are a few avenues that could be explored. From a sporting point of view, there’s “San Francisco” after the great 49ers NFL team, while Arsenal fans would want to go with “The Invincibles” following the side’s 49 game unbeaten run. While we could take a rhyming route with “time to shine” or “be mine”. Other interesting calls could be German related, with 49 being the international direct dial for the nation, therefore “calling Berlin” could be an option!
