One of the perks of the job back in those days was getting to engage in a touch of industrial espionage. Yes, you read that right, espionage. Like sneaks in the night (mixing my similes there,) we would often have to channel our inner James Bond, walk in to enemy territory and steal as much […]
Category: Land Bingo
So Long Gaiety, And Thanks For All Those Memories
It’s been in the offing for the best part of 20 years, but the last month or so, the final chapter of the my old workplace has been written. Work began in March 2026 to finally demolish the former bingo hall and cinema on City Road in Cardiff, finally wiping away any vestiges of the […]
Remembering the Gaiety
I originally wrote this piece about the Top Rank Gaiety on City Road in Cardiff for the now defunct RoathCardiff.net website, and given the building’s demolition, I thought it was worth republishing here, as it perfectly captured my thoughts on the place when I wrote about it a decade ago. Written in July 2016, here’s […]
Confessions Of Bingo Caller Part 3 – The Secret Room
Time for another instalment in my occasional series about my time working in the Top Rank Gaiety on City Road in Cardiff, as a late teen. These tales span a period of the late 1980s to the early 1990s, a time before internet and camera phones, so many of the tales from that period are […]
Confessions Of Bingo Caller Part 2 – The Missed Call From Hell
One of the common dangers of calling the numbers for a room full of bingo heads, is missing one of their shouts. It can be a bit of a flashpoint in an evening’s bingo, because believe me, if you do miss one of the members’ claims, and they lose the prize money, you will hear […]
Is the UK’s Obsession With Bingo Fading?
As we know here at Playing Bingo, the UK’s relationship with bingo has long been the stuff of legend. Bingo halls opened up and down the country during the 20th century, providing communities with vital spaces to catch up with friends, enjoy casual gaming entertainment and hopefully call “Bingo!”. The game quickly became an essential […]
Confessions Of A Bingo Caller Part 1 – Introduction
I thought it would be fun to recount some of the experiences I had as a bingo caller at the Top Rank Gaiety on City Road, Cardiff. I started working at the hall when I was 17 years old, having previously worked in a supermarket on Clifton Street. There’s a whole lot of stuff I […]
Buzz Bingo Buying Big
Retail Bingo giants Buzz Bingo have been taking some interesting steps recently, having just purchased the biggest bingo hall in Britain – the Merkur club (formerly a Beacon club) at Cricklewood. The huge London club in now part of the Buzz Bingo family. It’s no average bingo hall; it’s a titan of the bingo world, […]
Staycation Summer Holidays Bingo
Well, it’s that time again, everyone’s off from school, and you’re all getting ready for your Summer holidays. If like many of us, you’re staycationing, then you might want to add bingo to your itinerary. Being a frequent traveller around the UK, I’ve learned a thing or two about finding the perfect bingo spots while […]
National Bingo Day 2023: A Celebration for Everyone
Make a note in your diaries, because Tuesday the 27th of June will be National Bingo Day! Now, as you well know, bingo has a very special place in my heart and something I’ve been involved with for 30+ years now. Not everyone is yet to experience the fun of a bingo club for real, […]
