Luke Littler has coped with the glare of media attention as expertly as he has dealt with his darting rivals over the last year.
The then 16-year-old was jettisoned into the spotlight during his sensational World Championship debut at the 2023/24 tournament when no one outside of the world of darts knew who he was. As well as playing in front of 3,000 fans in the Ally Pally cauldron, he had to contend with immediate post-match interviews and press conferences, where he was surrounded by dozens of reporters and cameras.
Everyone wanted a piece of him and, naturally, there were some nervy-sounding answers. A year on, Littler is increasingly at ease in interviews, which is mightily impressive for someone who, until recently, still wasn’t old enough to drink alcohol, drive or vote.
“It’s like speaking to a 17-year-old,” says Sky Sports darts presenter Emma Paton before Littler turned 18. “He’s very chilled out. He’s a very chilled-out character in general, which is in contrast to what you see on the stage, where he comes alive and is a real showman and an entertainer.
“I think he’s done so well. He was thrust into the limelight last year, and it’s a testament to him being a good kid and having good people around him that he has dealt with everything so well.”
A test of any sportsperson’s relationship with the media is when things aren’t going well, and Littler had to contend with tough questions and negative headlines following a run of early major tournament exits in the middle of 2024.
“It is a lot to deal with,” adds Paton. “It’s one thing speaking when you’re having success and winning things, but you’ve also got to speak when things aren’t going so well.
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“Coming into the Grand Slam [which he went on to win], he’d had a number of TV tournament exits. That’s when things turn with people saying he’s in awful form and asking, ‘can he get back to winning ways?’ And ‘is this the end of it?’
“Even then, he’s spoken very eloquently. I think he’s maybe got a bit more comfortable with things now. In the last few months, he’s probably been himself more.
“I suppose that comes with doing more and getting more used to it. But he’s always been a joy to speak to. I have to remind myself he’s still just 17! It’s been good to see the Littler transformation over the last year and thinking back to what he was like at the start of his first Worlds.”
Littler’s positive engagement with the media can also be credited in part to darts, which produces more humble individuals, certainly compared to some entitled young footballers.
“That’s one of the brilliant things about darts because everyone is just so down to the earth,” says Paton. “They are refreshingly honest which, most of the time, is a good thing.
“Because we work at so many big tournaments throughout the year, we see the players and spend a fair bit of time with them, which helps.”
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