"Luke asked me for a selfie first — I didn’t ask him" - Former BDO world champion Scott Mitchell discusses meeting Littler

A former PDC Tour Card holder, Scott Mitchell is slowly finding his best stuff once more. He was full of belief and confidence after playing a very solid exhibition in his home town of Bournemouth, stating his plans for the future in darts while also touching on the emerging talent in the game.

He gave an update on his health and current wellbeing. "I had a couple of health issues in 2025, but nothing major," he told Online Darts. "I tried to play my way through them and probably had some success at times and not at others. We’re through that now and 2026 is a new year. Hopefully I can keep performing like I did out there against Danny Noppert and keep doing the business."

He admitted that it was not a huge deal, referring to darts as a young man's sport. "They weren’t major things, but it was a lot of backwards and forwards to the hospital and it knocked me for six a little bit. I’m 55 now — we’re all getting older — and it’s a young man’s game. I’m sat in there next to Luke Littler and it reminds you of that, but some of us old guys have still got a little bit left. I’ve definitely been playing better over the last couple of months."

A former BDO world champion, Mitchell had a Tour Card between 2020 and 2022. He made four floor quarter-finals in that time and competed in the PDC World Darts Championship in 2022, losing in the first round.

He was dreaming of coming back to the big time. "Obviously I’ve changed sponsors since back in the day and Cosmo are doing everything they can to help me out. I think I can get back there. There’s no two ways about it. There were signs of it tonight and last night as well when I played really well with Josh, so why not?"

After a very fruitful exhibition while playing some of his best darts once more, Mitchell was brimming with confidence and belief that he can get back to his best once more.

"To hit that double against Danny Noppert was harder than hitting the double to win the World Championship because it’s in my hometown. I’ve got people in the crowd who were with me at nursery school when we were three years old, and now we’re 55 and still friends. I can see them screaming at me with the veins popping out of their necks.

It did not make it any easier that he was playing in his home town. "People say playing in your hometown makes it easier, but I don’t think it does. I think it makes it much harder."

As forementioned, Mitchell made the trip to Ally Pally to compete in the 2022 version. He was the sixth highest ranked qualifier on the Pro Tour Order of Merit but could only muster up two legs in the first round against Chris Landman, seeing his dreams fizzle out.

It took him a long time to get to that point. "I probably gave it a really good go for a couple of years after that, but then I was helping nurse my mum through cancer until she passed away. After that, there was my dad, who had COPD, and we helped him through that too."

Then he started to get results. "So probably until 2019 I wasn’t really able to give darts a proper go. Then I made the semi-finals at the last BDO World Championship and was a bit unlucky there as well. I topped the Challenge Tour in 2020 and everything fell right. COVID hit at the right time for me because I got into all the ProTours that year, then got my Tour Card in 2021."

It was a heartbreaking ending. "Then you lose it in 2022 by a few quid and finish number 66 instead of 64, and you start wondering where your place in darts is now — for yourself and for your family. There have been a few years where I was travelling constantly with only three weekends off all year. It was nice to slow down a little bit, but now I think I’m very close to being the Scott I was before."

When asked where he sees himself in the future, Mitchell admitted he would love to give the ProTour another shot. "I’m not going to lie, I’d love another crack at the ProTour, but everything has to line up properly," he admitted.

"You need the sponsors in place and I’ve got some great sponsors who’ve stuck by me through thick and thin. I’m one of those players who doesn’t rotate sponsors quickly. They stay with me, and I’m very lucky for that. I think that says a lot about who I am as a person. If you maintain your honesty, the game gives back to you."

A former world champion on the circuit, Mitchell was expected and predicted by many to return to that circuit in the hunt for more accolades. However, he has not done that.

"It probably did seem the natural thing to do, but when you’ve been playing near the top level for 18 or 19 years, there comes a point where you just want to enjoy things again," he explained.

"I’ve sat at home wondering what to do with my weekends because I’d been travelling constantly for so many years. So for me, it became about choosing the events I actually wanted to play rather than forcing myself into everything. Now I’m back enjoying the game again, and I know my game is still there. The key is putting yourself in situations to see whether it’s there permanently or not."

He was fully focused on enjoying the sport. "I love the WDF system and I think it creates new players, just like the Super Series does, but I’ve kind of been there and done that now. You’ll probably see me dipping in and out more this year rather than chasing everything full-time. I’m enjoying the game again, and a happy Scott is definitely a better Scott."

He did open up on the possibility of competing on the ADC Vault events and the ADC Tour more. "Definitely. The ADC Vaults have probably been a turning point for me. I’ve been playing at the Vaults in my hometown of Christchurch at a little pub called The Sandpiper.

"I’m playing against lads like Jadon Walker — I’ve been giving him darts advice since he was four years old, and now he’s beating me in finals. The Vaults have their place. I know where I am in my career and I need to go back to basics a little bit and learn things again. The Vaults are a big part of that."

Mitchell has known the two-time world champion for a while. Luke Littler has re-shaped darts, making it so much more popular and followed.

However, when he met Mitchell, it was not the 55-year-old asking for a picture. "Well, Luke asked me for a selfie first — I didn’t ask him," he said. "I’ve known him since he was about 13 years old. We still forget he’s only 19. When I was 19, I was in the pub getting my fists out if someone said the wrong thing to me. Luke’s not doing that."

While he is not the finished talent yet, Mitchell was quick to label him among the greats. "Yes, there are still things for him to learn, but he’s an amazing talent. What he’s done for darts over the last two years is unprecedented. We probably haven’t seen anything like it since the Eric Bristow era, then the Phil Taylor era, and now we’re in the Littler era."

Many young people are now starting to enter the fray in darts with darts academies filled to the brim with talent. "You only have to look at how many academies there are now — we’ve gone from maybe 20 to well over 60. It’s easy to criticise him when he does something wrong because he’s young, but he’s done far more good for darts than he’ll ever do bad."

Littler is not the only young talent in the sport. While he has proven himself on the PDC, the future of Mitchell Lawrie is still set to be written. The 15-year-old darting sensation reached the final of the WDF World Championship, losing out to Jimmy van Schie.

"I can’t wait to watch him develop," Mitchell said. "Honestly, I’ve probably got a couple more years left myself and then I’ll sit on the sidelines and commentate as much as I can.

"But it’s not just Mitchell — there are loads of talented youngsters coming through. It’s a really exciting time for darts with the academies and development systems producing so many good players. To be honest, I’m kind of pleased I’m at the latter stage of my career because there are some seriously talented kids coming through now."