Double world champion Luke Littler has vowed to ruin the 'life-changing' dreams of 20 darts rookies competing for a £501,000 prize on live TV, declaring: "I don't think anyone will stop me." The 19-year-old will face a line-up of amateur players who won through auditions for the chance to beat him in the Netflix challenge on October 30.
Littler refuses to go easy on challengers
Asked whether he would 'go easy' on the rookies, Littler replied: "No way. There's half a million quid up for grabs. I won't be going easy at all. I'll be wanting to beat everyone who comes up."
He acknowledged the pressure of expectation: "It's tough when everyone expects you to win everything. Maybe the first few legs could be a bit nervy but once I get going then I don't think anyone will stop me."
Littler noted the unique format: "If I lose one game then I'm done - that's the only difference. However if I start off well then it's going to be very hard for my opponents to get into the game."
Audition process and unknown opponents
Thousands of hopefuls travelled from as far afield as Australia for the chance to play Littler. During auditions, they had to complete a 501 leg in 24 shots or less and gain the approval of 16-time world champion Phil Taylor. The final decision on who makes the live show rests with the producers, meaning Littler has no idea who he will face.
"I think that's the fun part of the show," he said. "You don't know who the 20 are, you don't know how they are going to play and they only have to have one good leg and I'm done. I've got to be on it straight away. I can't give them an opportunity to beat me."
He added: "I think they are going to be nervous though because they're up against me and because the money they could win would be life-changing. So I am just going to try and relax and enjoy it and hopefully beat everyone."
Co-hosts predict tough challenge
Co-host Richard Osman, 55, a darts fan whose sporting hero was two-time world champ Jocky Wilson, doubts Littler will triumph. "He's the greatest player in the world. But 20 legs in a row? I honestly think someone is going to win that £501k," he said.
Taylor, 66, who helped judge the auditions, said the standard of the challengers had been 'incredible'. "We are seeing people complete the qualifying legs in 11 and 12 darts - with big finishes - so the quality of the 20 finalists is going to be extremely high," he said. "I don't think people appreciate how hard this challenge is for Luke. He is going to have to play at World Championship level to stay undefeated."
Littler's rise and hopes for the sport
Littler shot to stardom in 2024 when he reached the final of the PDC World Darts Championship aged just 16, then won it on each of the next two occasions. He believes darts will be the winner regardless of the outcome.
"If it's not to be, it's not to be," he told Radio Times. "I think we're in for a great night either way. I think it'll bring in a huge audience and hopefully more people will get into darts because of the show. I think it's going to do really well and I'm just really looking forward to getting started."
