Bingo has had a revamp in the last five years, with an influx of events attracting a full house of dabbers in the hope of winning big prizes mixed in with cocktails, dance offs and sassy bingo callers. Dabbers, a long standing modern bingo venue in Houndsditch, takes the future of its bingo callers so seriously, they hold an annual Next Top Bingo Caller event where the winner gets £1,000, a luxury hotel stay and a 12 month contract at Dabbers. It’s definitely one of the more exciting job interviews to partake in!
Considering Dabbers is one of the most popular venues, competing with the likes of futuristic Hijingo or the brilliant Blingo Bingo, the final of Next Top Bingo Caller is a logistical nightmare. Starting two hours later than the advertised start time, there is a lot of sitting around, waiting for something to happen, and draining any energy from the half full room of people hanging around looking bored. While most bingo events are organised well to keep energy high and drinks flowing, this fell a bit flat in between the finalists, with lots of unnecessary filler and dead time.
Finally, bubbly, comedic host Sikisa Barnes takes to the stage to introduce the format and host her very own mini bingo session. Donned in glitter from head to toe she dazzles brighter than the disco ball, hyping the crowd up ready for the first finalit – Kitty Cassis. Bounding onto the stage with her 80s club singer get-up and confident demeanour Kitty Cassis kicks the crowd off, keeping to the traditional old school bingo style, and very much channelling a Phoenix Nights vibe within her performance. Duo finalists Edgar & Jaynine play typical American tourists on their European tour, bringing their own brand of humour. Staying in character the whole time, they keep the audience entertained throughout, incorporating pre-recorded videos into their entry, creatively adding their unique characteristics into the mix.
Ferrari Roché, a clear favourite of the afternoon, turns the bingo hall into a rave, handing out glowsticks and skanking out to classic dance tunes along with the audience. Her energy and pace is fantastic, keeping her songs and prizes in theme, while still pushing through with the game at hand. Closing off the show is fabulous drag queen and overall winner, Crudi Dench, whose lip sync battles, and snappy jokes win over the audience. While the performance is more stand-alone than bingo caller, they use a brilliant head-to-head challenge to whittle down duplicate finalists in a bottle shake off, which is sure to have had a hand in bringing home the win.
While bingo is always a fun night out, there are so many twists on modern bingo games out there now, the Dabbers Next Top Bingo Caller Final may not be the biggest winner on the bingo scene, but it’s still a good excuse for a few cocktails on a Sunday afternoon.
Reviewed on 3 July 2022
