Tom Dale

Tom Dale is a fictional bingo caller created and played by Peter Kay. He appears in the 'Eyes Down' episode of "That Peter Kay Thing".

Originally from Liverpool, Tom Dale works at the Apollo bingo hall in Bolton as the main caller. He titles himself "The King of the Callers" and is implied to be the real driving force behind the running of the Apollo at the expense of the various managers over the years, including the incumbent, Ron Hibbert, who were (and are) little more than puppets with no real authority over what goes on, prompting Apollo employee, Patrick O'Neil (Kay) to refer to Dale and his manegerial underlings as "The Bingo Mafia". This situation would appear to be confirmed by the fact that Dale has a plush and spacious wood-pannelled office whereas Hibbert's office is tiny and cramped, appearing to be little more than a converted storeroom or airing cupboard. Despite being seen by the lower-level employees as something of a coward, Tom is loved by his elderly clientele (many of whom would love to go home to his caravan) and takes great pride in his reputation as the area's top bingo caller.

He takes his act very seriously, drinking energy drinks and doing warm-ups before going on stage. He even has his own entry music upon entering the stage: "Let's Get Ready To Rhumble" by PJ & Duncan AKA. He criticises the younger members of staff for their lack of enthusiasm, for him a degree is meaningless when, with hard work one could work up to becoming a caller. It is implied by Patrick that it is Dale who holds sway over the hall's hirings and firings and has a particular dislike to Patrick in particular for his untidiness, laziness and general hatred of the job. Tom and Patrick do not cross paths or speak to each other directly during the course of the episode, suggesting that Tom is indeed too cowardly to confront employees himself, preferring to let the manager do the firings for him.