From the moment he burst on to the scene a few years ago as a 16-year-old phenomenon in the PDC World Championship, Luke Littler has elevated darts to a whole new level.

Not only in terms of dominating and winning trophy after trophy, but also in terms of the wider public interest and helping the sport become more popular than ever before.

As the undisputed poster boy for an entire sport, the Littler revolution will continue with a brand new exhibition event, Beat Luke Littler, to be shown live on Netflix.

The format is simple yet compelling. A total of 24 contestants will compete for the chance to play Littler and take home a cheque for £501,000 should they beat the two-time world champion.

The final list will be whittled down to 20 via a qualification process, with those 20 players then taking on Littler over one leg of 501 to take home the jackpot.

There will be a running order. If the first challenger were to beat him, that would be it done and dusted. From Littler’s point of view, he needs to win 20 consecutive legs of darts.

The Netflix glow-up will see Gary Lineker host the event, with Richard Osman providing analysis. Comedian Lee Mack and YouTuber Angry Ginge will also be part of the broadcast.

Scotland’s very own teenage darts sensation, Mitchell Lawrie, will be among the players trying to beat Littler at the event in Manchester.

Still only 15 years old, Lawrie, who hails from Renfrew, is already a two-time world youth champion. As was the case with Littler, he is being touted as a potential star of the future.

Lawrie is at an age where many of his friends at school are starting to have exams to deal with and work experience placements to occupy themselves.

Things are a little different for him.

‘My school have been good with me in terms of giving me early leave and stuff,’ Lawrie tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘They’ve put it down as work experience.

‘Playing Luke Littler for a chance to win £500k is quite an unusual type of work experience. Not many people will say they’ve done that.

‘One of my pals texted me the other day and was like: “I can’t believe you’re going to be on Netflix”. It is pretty surreal when you think about it.

‘Yeah, I won’t lie, it is quite mental. If any of us beat him, we would probably become one of the most famous darts players in the world overnight.

‘But, to be honest, I think I would rather have the £500k than just becoming famous. That kind of money would be life-changing. I would buy a house and make sure I’m mortgage-free for the rest of my life.

‘It’s something I want to try and feel comfortable with because I want to be playing on TV a lot more regularly in the years to come.’

Lawrie, who is an ambassador for Target Darts, has been in decent form lately and won an event in Birmingham a couple of weeks ago.

There aren’t many players who will make Littler feel like an old timer, but the young Scot is relishing the opportunity.

Littler has been a sensation since his initial run to the World Championship final at Ally Pally in 2024, before then going on to win it twice. He has already smashed countless records held by the likes of Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.

Lawrie admits that it’s an inspiration to see someone so young taking the sport by storm. But it’s a path he is determined to follow. Regardless of what happens tonight, a full-time career in professional darts will be his main focus moving forward.

‘I’ve basically been full-time with darts for a little while now,’ he says. ‘Previous to that, I was working with my grandpa. He’s a landscape gardener and I was just kind of helping him out.

‘At my age, it’s a massive boost to be able to really commit as much time to darts as I have been doing.

‘It has already given me a lot in life. I have won world championships and been able to travel the world, all over Europe and to Japan as well.

‘I wouldn’t have done that if it hadn’t been for darts. I have dedicated myself to it, put in the hours in practice, and it’s what I want to do long-term.

‘I started really young. I think I was only like two or three years old when we were on holiday and I started throwing. I have played football and golf as well but darts was the one I really stuck at.

‘I want to try and get my tour card next year and really start doing it properly full-time as a professional.

‘First and foremost, I would obviously like to thank Netflix and Target for giving me the opportunity. Luke Littler is the best darts player on the planet right now. What he’s done for the sport over the past few years has been absolutely incredible.

‘The prize money in the big tournaments is going up and up all the time and he’s been a huge part of that in terms of the interest and sponsorship he has generated in the sport.

‘Darts has never been more popular. There’s a younger generation now, which I am obviously part of, who want to be darts players rather than footballers.

‘Age doesn’t matter any more. Luke Littler has proven that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.

‘I actually played him a few years ago and he beat me 3-2. I actually missed a couple of match darts. That was before things really took off for him and also before my own career really started taking off as well.

‘I think it’s going to be a great event and I am delighted to be part of it.’

Mitchell Lawrie is sponsored by Target Darts who powered the Beat Luke Littler audition process with their Omni Auto Scoring System, available at www.target-darts.co.uk