By Noah Devlin

Darts will continue its monumental rise in popularity on Friday, when for the first time ever, Netflix will livestream the sport worldwide in a competition they are calling “Beat Luke Littler”.

20 amateurs, including teenager Mitchell Lawrie, 15, who looks destined for the top of the ranks. He is currently the number-one seed in the World Darts Federation (WDF) system, having reached the final of the WDF World Championships at Lakeside last December.

Another notable name is the ‘Queen of the Palace’ Fallon Sherrock, who rose to fame in 2020, after becoming the first women to win a game in the Professional Darts Corporation (PCD) World Championships, beating Ted Evetts 3-2. Sherrock went on to create even more history in round two defeating the number 11 seed, Mensur Suljovic, by three legs to one.

The rules of the contest are simple. If one of the challengers wins a leg of darts against Littler, they will take home £501,000. However, if they lose the leg they will go home with nothing.

The event will take place at the Manchester Central Convention Complex, with former Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker hosting coverage of the competition. He’ll be joined by Richard Osman, who is serving as an expert analyst.

Thousands from all over the world came to London for an audition to be in the show. If they could successfully complete a leg in 24 darts – eight visits to the board - they would progress to the next stage where they would be interviewed by a judging panel including none other than the 16-time champion of the world, Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor.

Luke Littler celebrates at the Paddy Power World Championships via Getty Images

Luke Littler has won every Premier event in his career so far, apart from the European Championship when he was knocked out in the quarter final by Polish number one Krzysztof Ratajski. The event last week in Dortmund was his third attempt to win the title.

Although this event isn’t one of the most desirable accolades, Littler insists he’s fully committed to be the best version of himself. In a Q&A released by Netflix, Littler said: “I want them to be nervous for the whole leg.”

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