Big Quiffy Bingo was a show that was full of glitz and glamour, thanks to the host of the evening Boogaloo Stu. He and his bingo butler sidekick Bertie Balls gave a very different slant to what we perceive Bingo to be. It was full of music, banter, adult humour (which he pre-warned everyone about at the beginning) and very silly, yet fun games such as 'Knickers, Knackers or Knockers' where we had to guess which of these three things were in the golden envelopes to win a prize. Both of them seemed to have something covered for everyone, even if you were not a fan of the main game itself, but love anything that is influenced by game shows of the 1970s onwards.
Big Quiffy Bingo has everything to bring a smile to even the hardest of hearts.
Bingo, a lot of the time can be simply focusing on calling numbers out with the tradional catchphrases associated with them (an example being Two Little Ducks - 22). But Stu always had a cheeky adult slant on the numbers, which included unusual comedic foreplay ideas involving different parts of the body, as well as looking at food such as cereal and chocolate in relation to sex (I will never look at Special K or Double Deckers the same way again).
Despite there being times when the adult humour went on a little too long, the energy he brought to the evening as a host was nothing but upbeat and positive; plus he was extremely grateful to have a live audience again. It didn't matter whether he was bossing Bertie Balls about, hosting the main game, or playing mini games to liven the atmosphere, he had the audience in the palm of his hands. Maybe with some slight shortening of the material at times, it would become a perfect show for the fringe.
Bertie Balls was a good comedy partner to Boogaloo Stu, as physical theatrical comedy was used rather than words, to compliment the glamour happening on stage. The way the butler interacted with the audience had a feeling of Laurel and Hardy at times and seemed to remind some of a period when this type of performance was popular - especially when the audience plaque cards were held up at appropriate moments to encourage participation. Maybe more could be made of this character so we could see further interaction with Stu to establish more of a partnership, rather than just someone to help pass papers out and collect bingo cards with the comedy interaction in the audience and the odd interaction with Stu.
If you are the sort of person who is easily offended by adult material, then this may not be the show for you. However, whatever your taste and preferences, Big Quiffy Bingo has everything to bring a smile to even the hardest of hearts and is an extremely fun night to experience.
