December 2023. Alexandra Palace, London. Darts has long since shed its reputation of being a game played by large, beer-swilling men to become a serious and highly lucrative sporting business. The PDC World Championship sells out this legendary venue every Christmas, with millions more watching on TV in the UK and beyond. But it’s about to go stratospheric thanks to a 16-year-old from Cheshire.

Luke Littler arrived with a reputation as a hugely promising young player, but no one predicted what would happen. And now, through unprecedented access, the new three-part documentary series Game Of Throws: Inside Darts – starting on Saturday 30 November on Sky Documentaries HD (CH 188) – tells the story of this phenomenal tournament and the players who illuminated it with some absolutely superb darts.

That story isn’t just on the Ally Pally stage. Game Of Throws goes behind the scenes like never before with some of the sport’s top players, spending time with the family members who support them, as well as those who work tirelessly to make darts the global phenomenon it is today. It’s a rare insight into the lives of the top stars and those closest to them.

As well as big names like Luke Humphries and Michael Smith, we meet the likes of Kevin Doets, a part-time driver from the Netherlands, and Bhav Patel, a south London pharmacy manager, for whom playing darts full-time is a dream. The series also explores the mental pressure on darts players, such as world number six Nathan Aspinall, who describes darts as “the most psychological game in the world” and has battled against the strange condition known as “dartitis”, which left him literally unable to throw.

But the star of the series is Littler, who went from aspiring talent to international sensation almost overnight. Whether you’re a huge darts fan, a casual viewer or a newcomer, Game Of Throws: Inside Darts draw you in with its endlessly engaging stories and characters – and prime you for the upcoming edition of the World Darts Championship, which promises to be the most exciting to date.

Read on to find out more about the favourites to win the World Darts Championship this year, all of whom are featured in Game Of Throws: Inside Darts…

Luke Humphries

Nickname: Cool Hand Luke

World ranking: 1

Based in: Crewe, Cheshire

Walk-on song: “I Predict A Riot” by Kaiser Chiefs

Humphries went on a phenomenal run in 2023 when he won the World Grand Prix, the Grand Slam of Darts, the Players Championship and, with Smith, the World Cup for England. After an onstage anxiety attack in 2019, which made him consider quitting altogether, he crowned a remarkable comeback by winning the World Championship in January 2024 and becoming world number one.

Fun fact: Berkshire-born Humphries is a Leeds United fan, as is his dad, who named him Luke for the popular Leeds supporters’ acronym “Leeds United Kings of Europe”.

Michael van Gerwen

Nickname: Mighty Mike

World ranking: 2

Based in: Vlijmen, Netherlands

Walk-on song: “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes

The most successful currently active player, Van Gerwen has been world champion three times as well as winning an incredible 44 other PDC premier event titles and three World Cups. The Dutchman recorded the highest ever three-dart average score in a World Championship match – 114.05 in the 2017 semi-final – and was the youngest player to win the title aged 24 in 2014, an accolade Luke Littler will be gunning for.

Fun fact: Van Gerwen used to work as a tiler and once tiled football legend Dennis Bergkamp’s bathroom, which he described as “the biggest job I ever had”.

Michael Smith

Nickname: Bully Boy

World ranking: 3

Based in: Cheshire

Walk-on song: “Shut Up And Dance” by Walk The Moon

Although he was tipped for greatness at an early age, Smith gained a reputation as a serial choker after finishing as a runner-up in eight major tournaments between 2018 and 2022, before he finally won the Grand Slam of Darts in 2022 and then the big one in January 2023. He’ll long be remembered for his nine-dart finish in that final, in a leg when opponent Van Gerwen almost achieved the same feat – a moment described by Sky Sports commentator Wayne Mardle as “the greatest leg of darts you will ever see in your life”.

Fun fact: You might expect Smith’s “Bully Boy” nickname to be darts-related, but it’s nothing to do with hitting bullseyes. He got it when he was working on a cattle farm as a teenager, tagging newborn calves.

Rob Cross

Nickname: Voltage

World ranking: 4

Based in: Hastings, East Sussex

Walk-on song: “I Don’t Wanna Wait” by David Guetta & OneRepublic

Cross burst onto the scene in 2018, winning the World Championship on debut aged 27 when he’d been a pro for less than a year – and spoiling the party for 14-time world champ Phil Taylor, who’d announced that this would be his final event. He’s won three more major titles since and participated in five Premier Leagues, as well as being a fixture in the top 10 year-end rankings.

Fun fact: He’s nicknamed “Voltage” because he’s a qualified electrician – in fact, he was still working as a sparky just 18 months before becoming world champion.

Luke Littler

Nickname: The Nuke

World ranking: 5

Based in: Runcorn, Cheshire

Walk-on song: “Greenlight” by Pitbull featuring Flo Rida and Lunchmoney Lewis

Littler’s instant success on his PDC World Darts Championship debut catapulted him into the spotlight and appeared on everything from BBC Breakfast to The Jonathan Ross Show. He was asked about his love of kebabs and fizzy drinks as often as about darts, but his focus and talent are certainly not in doubt: in 2024 he won the Premier League, requiring him to compete against seven of the world’s top players over 17 weeks, and then triumphed in the final of the Grand Slam of Darts in November by winning an astonishing 15 consecutive legs. Opponent Martin Lukeman could only look on helplessly.

Fun fact: Lukeman marvelled at Littler’s snack choice during a break in the Grand Slam final. While the older player drank water, Littler tucked into a curry, a Boost bar and some Squashies sweets.

When is Game Of Throws on TV?

The three-part docuseries Game Of Throws: Inside Darts starts on Saturday 30 November at 9pm on Sky Showcase HD (CH 109) and Sky Documentaries HD (CH 188). All episodes will be available in On Demand > Sky Documentaries. You can watch the PDC World Darts Championship 2025 from Sunday 15 December on Sky Sports. And look out for Rob & Romesh Vs Darts on Sky Max HD (CH 111) in December.