Freddie Flintoff won't be using his true name on Bullseye as he prepares for TV comeback

Freddie Flintoff won't be using his actual name when he takes the helm of ITV quiz show Bullseye. The 47-year-old ex-England cricket star has been known as Freddie throughout his career, but his birth name is Andrew.

On the back of a trial episode last Christmas, the beloved programme returns for a complete series on ITV this Sunday at 8pm. Bullseye originally ran from 1982 until 1995 under the stewardship of the late Jim Bowen. Flintoff is set to present the reimagined show as it launches its new run, though few realise that Freddie isn't the actual name of the former all-rounder, who sustained serious injuries whilst recording for Top Gear in 2022.

The cricketing legend has been called Freddie since his schoolboy years. He acquired the moniker because his surname resembled that of the cartoon character Fred Flintstone.

"It's strange, isn't it? Because obviously, my name is Andrew, and then - since I was about 15 - I've just been called Fred or Freddie," he explained in a self-titled documentary on Disney+.

"Because Andrew is probably more a reflection of me. Quite introverted. Just like his own space. But that would never have survived the world of professional sport. I knew that pretty quickly."

Discussing his role presenting the classic ITV quiz programme, Flintoff expressed his affection for the show and its original presenter. He also disclosed he has thrown some darts previously, though admits feeling apprehensive about competing before a live studio audience.

"A lot of the cricketers play. We used to play on tour a lot in our hotel rooms," Flintoff confessed. "We'd go to these far-flung places and never see anything of the country.

"We'd be watching television in our rooms and playing darts. It was the little things as a kid watching it I remember, from Bully moo'ing to Jim Bowen counting the money out before the ad break.

"You would see Eric Bristow taking on the darts challenge to try and win the Bronze Bully and then you'd all sit there wondering what the prize is going to be. Whether it's going to be a caravan or a speedboat or a car or some holiday in some far place that you'd never heard of at that time. So it was a laugh.

"We stop when I mess up on the auto-cue and this and that. But back then, it was like it was all done in one scene, Jim Bowen walking from one place to the next and he's making mistakes and he's just going with it. There's something really nice about that. He's just bouncing from one place to the next, making mistakes and just rolling with it, which is quite endearing."