Double world champion says he will treat Netflix showdown as a normal tournament, won't be 'going easy' on any of his opponents and will 'hopefully beat everyone'

Luke Littler vowed to ruin the ‘life-changing’ dreams of 20 darts rookies trying to pocket £501,000 by beating him on live TV - and declared: “I don’t think anyone will stop me.” He will take on a line-up of armchair arrowers desperate to down the double world champion and pocket a fortune.

Co-host Richard Osman and darts legend Phil Taylor both reckon the 19-year-old superstar faces a massive task winning 20 games on the trot and could come a cropper.

But Luke said he will be treating it like a tournament - and he usually wins those. Asked if he will 'go easy' on the rookies - who won through auditions for the chance to challenge the champ live on Netflix on October 30 - 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.

"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.

“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.

"There won't be too much change in how I prepare. I'll just do what I do normally - practice, have a little break and then practice again. I might be a bit nervous at the start but as soon as I get going I'll be all right.”

Thousands of wannabes travelled from as far afield as Australia for the chance to play Luke. During auditions they had to check out a 501 leg in 24 shots or less - and get 16-time world champion Phil Taylor’s approval. The final decision of who makes it through to 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.

"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.”

Luke 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 reckons no matter who loses the Beat Luke Littler TV challenge darts will be the winner. “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.”

Osman, 55, a huge darts fan whose sporting hero was two-time world champ Jocky Wilson, is not sure Luke 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.”