You can imagine the absolute horror at Speed Towers when we learned that Teletext is to close in January. Yes, it’s the news that we’ve all been dreading; Bamboozle may soon be no more.
The Teletext service, which was originally launched by ITV in 1974 under the name Oracle, was due to be switched off in 2012, but due to a severe drop in revenue Teletext will now be retired two years earlier. In 1993 Oracle became Teletext, and Bamboozle was born.
For those of you that have never had the joy of playing Bamboozle, it is a quiz game on page 390 on teletext or page 840 on digital teletext, presented by Bamber Boozle and several of his relatives. The game features 12 questions with multiple choice answers, which become progressively more bamboozling as the games goes on. Get an answer wrong and you will be forced to start again from the very first question, which for many bamboozle fans is a fate worse than death.
What will become of Bamboozle is not certain. Perhaps an online or iPhone-based version is in the works? We can only hope that this is true, but in the time being our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of Bamber, Bambette, Buster and Bonnie Boozler.
they should make a web version?
Very well written post. If you need to listen to BBC Radio on the iPhone – I strongly recommend BBC Radio iPhone Streams – it is easily the best way to listen to BBC Radio on the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch and it’s free at BBCStreams.com.
I have always loved Bamboozle, I loved playing it all through my younger years… not just enjoying the quiz it’self….. but many of the story lines involved in the boozle family….. in the early days they always had many stories… I remeber Bambers boss… Frank N Open….. lol there was also a red stag that cause a fire or something like that… plus I remember the day Bonnie was added….. i hope they make some other version.