"He won’t break Phil Taylor’s record" – Russ Bray explains why Luke Littler won’t be the new dominant darting force
PDC
The World Darts Championship delivered sporting fireworks this year, with a semi-final already hailed by experts as a classic. Yet another debate lingered afterward: has the gap between Luke Littler and the rest become too big?
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Speaking to talkSPORT Darts on Jeff Stelling and Ray Parlour's show, iconic caller Russ Bray offered a nuanced answer. Yes, Littler is the man right now and will be lifting titles time and again. But no: Bray does not believe we’re heading into an era where one man dominates darts for decades, as Phil Taylor did.
“As you said there, Jeff, we had that with Phil for so many years, where he dominated the field,” Bray began. “I don’t think this will happen, and I really, really don’t, because there’s so many good players in depth now.” He sees the key reason in the depth at the top today. The talent pool is not only bigger; more players can win a major at any moment or at least hurt a favourite.
“Now you’ve got a whole bunch of them who can really crack into it,” he added.
Bray points to a striking detail: where Taylor in his earliest dominant years often had only one or two genuine challengers, the field is now much broader. “Whereas early doors with Phil, you probably only had maybe one or two players that could even have a go at him,” he said.
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He cites several young stars who have already proven they can perform on big stages: Gian van Veen, Josh Rock, and Luke Humphries. Those names make his point clear: Littler is exceptional, but he is not out there alone. “When you look at Gian van Veen, look at Josh Rock, Luke Humphries… obviously not as young as Luke, but they’re youngsters as well. And I don’t think he could dominate the same as Phil,” Bray said.
That does not mean Bray plays down Littler’s impact. Quite the opposite. “Yes, he’s going to win titles left, right, and centre,” he said. Only, the competition is simply stronger and quicker to pounce than in Taylor’s era. And that is exactly why Bray does not expect a repeat of a period in which one player hoovers up almost everything.
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Global growth: Bray sees it up close
The conversation quickly shifts to another striking theme of this Worlds: internationalisation. Where darts was once primarily British, with the Dutch wave as the first major European exception, the field is now far more global.
“It’s really spread around the world. Before, it was a lot more British styles and maybe Europe with the Dutch guys and whatever, but now it’s spread all around the world, and that’s only good for darts,” Bray said.
Bray wholeheartedly agrees and speaks from his own experience. He remains active on international circuits. “Absolutely,” he said. “I’ll still go out and do the Asian Tour, so I go out to Asia every five minutes, and also do some of the World Series. And to go out and see the talent that’s out there and what’s coming through, it really is incredible.”
He does not expect an Asian world champion to emerge tomorrow, but he does not rule out major breakthroughs. “I think you’ll see someone in Asia… I’m not saying they’re going to win a world title, but we’ll go deep into a big tournament. And then everyone sees that, and they now want to jump on the bandwagon and away they go,” he added.
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“Every sport needs a megastar”
In that global story, Littler plays a key role. Mainly because he makes darts visible in a way that attracts new audiences. “Every sport, every sport needs a megastar, needs a headline act, if you like. And Luke Littler is certainly that at the moment,” said Stelling to Bray.
There is also admiration for Littler’s age and potential. A presenter points out a fact that feels almost absurd in the darts context: “The scary thing, Russ, is he’s not 19 yet, is he?” And the bar is set immediately in historical terms: “Phil Taylor won his last world title aged 52.”
The logical follow-up question hangs in the air: how many can Littler win if he goes on that long? Bray laughed: “I’ll let you do the maths on that one, Jeff, because I’ll be tired from all that now.” But he then turns serious and gets to the crux: it’s not just about talent, but about motivation.
“For as long as he wants to do it at the moment, for as long as he wants it. Do you get the desire once you’ve got the fortunes, the money in the bank? Do you want to get up at nine o’clock, eight o’clock in the morning, get on a plane, travel to somewhere in the world and then come back and then practise and all that?” Bray asked.
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Bray expects Littler to keep that hunger for years, but he makes one thing clear: “He won’t break Phil Taylor’s record, never in a month or something. He’s not going to do that.”
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026