"That one cost me £1,000, that’s an expensive finger": Showman Scott Williams discusses brushes with DRA amid Humphries and Rock incidents
PDC
Three years ago, at a Target Darts event in Stratford, he was still in the shadows. A quiet sixteen-year-old, a bit shy in a corner next to his father. Hardly anyone spoke to him. But those who looked closely already saw it: a phenomenon in the making. His name? Luke Littler.
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On the other side of the hall stood a player who already counted himself among the best in the room. Confident, outspoken, and never afraid to add a little extra on stage. Scott Williams still remembers that period clearly.
From his side, the rise of Littler did not come completely out of nowhere. “I first started properly playing PDC stuff around 2021 into 2022. That was the year I was one of the best amateur players in the world. I won the Challenge Tour without a Tour Card. Because I didn’t have a Tour Card, I could play everything else around it as well — the MODUS Super Series, Live Lounge — and I played for England," he said on the Happy Hour Podcast.
It was in that England setup that he regularly shared a room with the teenage Littler. “That’s where I played with Luke. I represented England a couple of times that year, and even then he was great — but he was only about 12 or 13 at the time, maybe slightly older. I’d walk into a room thinking, ‘I’m the best player in here,’ and Luke would basically be like, ‘Hold my beer.’”
Even then, the level was frightening. “I remember the first summer we both represented England, at the British Internationals in Wales. After two or three games, I had the highest average — 99.5 — and he had 99.2. It was close. I was still thinking, ‘Yeah, I’m still the best.’ Looking back now… yeah, I probably wouldn’t say that anymore.”
And then came the explosion onto the world stage.
“So yeah, people in darts knew he was special. But for him to do what he did at the World Championship, on debut, that quickly — that’s still mad.”
Head-to-head: 1–1
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Remarkably, Williams and Littler have only faced each other twice in official matches. The score stands at one apiece. “Only twice. One-all. I dragged him right down to my level one of those times! He was awful that day — and he knows he was.”
That victory came on a streamed board. “It was on a streamed board; the clip’s still out there. I beat him 6–3 or 6–4 and made the final that day. He had 25 left at one point and it was dreadful. I think he went for 5 and hit 20, then went for 3 for double one and hit big 7. It was miles away. But anyone can have an off day.”
Looking at the floor
Williams’ approach to matches is unconventional in more ways than one. While many players study their opponent’s every dart, he deliberately looks away.
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“I don’t look. I always stare at the floor when my opponent’s throwing.”
The reason is psychological. “Because if you watch them for those 10 or 15 seconds, sometimes you put more pressure on yourself. If you see they’ve hit 180 or 140 and you’re still stuck on 200, you’re thinking, ‘Right, they’ve got 40 left and I’ve got 160.’ Whereas if I don’t watch, it gives me that little bit more time to not feel any pressure.”
Scott Williams is the current world number 44
He only checks the scoreboard when he’s on a finish himself.
“The only time I really take notice of the score is when I’m on a finish and I feel like I can make it easier for myself.”
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Tops, tops, tops
And “making it easier” can mean something unusual in Williams’ world.
“I’m known for being a bit of an arse — or a cocky prick, like I said the other day. I played someone recently and had 120 left and went tops, tops, tops.”
Not because he had to — but because he could. “Just because I did it to Dom Taylor last year — twice in one game. It was on stream as well, so that clip went everywhere.”
For some, that’s flashy. For Williams, it isn’t. “Some people don’t like that flashy stuff, but for me it’s not flashy — it’s the perfect shot.”
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The incident with Luke Humphries
His first major mainstream TV appearance came at the Grand Slam of Darts, where he faced Luke Humphries.
“I played Luke Humphries and I could have been 2–0 or 3–0 up, but I lost 5–3. I shook his hand, gave him a hug, and joking around I stuck my finger up behind him. It was literally a joke between friends.”
He immediately realised how it might look. “I completely forgot there were about 40 cameras there.”
Within minutes, social media had exploded. “I’m in a cab with my manager going back to the hotel and his phone starts going. Next thing you know it’s all over Twitter, Instagram — just a still image of me behind Luke doing that. It was blown completely out of proportion. I was s***ing myself. I was new in the game thinking, ‘What’s going on? What’s going to happen?’”
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There had been no bad blood whatsoever.
“There was no beef on stage at all. It was literally just a joke between friends.”
He issued a brief apology. “I said, ‘Sorry Luke, I thought you were going to turn around — I was getting ready to give you the Stone Cold Stunner.’ He replied within 10 minutes saying, ‘Don’t worry about it, I’d have countered it with a Rock Bottom anyway.’ From that moment I thought, ‘Thank God.’ He’d taken it in jest.”
The fine followed. “I did get fined £250 — my first offence. They understood it wasn’t malicious, luckily.”
‘Naughty, naughty boy’
The next day in the players’ room, Michael van Gerwen couldn’t resist.
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“Michael van Gerwen went, ‘Scott, you’re a naughty, naughty boy.’”
Later, the Dutchman even played bodyguard. “MVG actually went to the door like a bodyguard and ushered him around, saying, ‘Don’t worry about him.’ Then Luke came over, we had a laugh and a hug, and that was that.”
Until Munich. “That was me and Josh Rock at warm-up darts. All you could hear from behind me was, ‘Who scored? F*** you.’ So I stuck my finger up again. That one cost me £1,000. That’s an expensive finger.”
He laughs about it now. “When I said earlier about fingering, that’s what I meant! I won’t pay a thousand to stick a finger up anywhere else, that’s for sure — and I’ve been to some lovely places.”
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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.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
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- 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
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- 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