“She shouldn't have been able to play... Fallon's a professional ” – Mark Webster criticises controversial choice for Luke Littler’s Netflix show
PDC
Fallon Sherrock’s appearance on the Netflix show “Beat Luke Littler” continues to spark debate. The 32-year-old Englishwoman won an astonishing £501,000 on Friday night by beating Luke Littler, but former Lakeside world champion Mark Webster says Sherrock should never have been selected in the first place. The Sky Sports analyst believes the organisers made the wrong choice by allowing an experienced professional to take part in a show centred mainly on amateurs.
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Sherrock produced a sensational finish to “Beat Luke Littler” in Manchester on Friday night. In a 501 leg, she defeated the two-time world champion and claimed the second-highest individual prize in darts history. Only Littler has ever earned more from a single win, when he received £1 million for winning the World Darts Championship earlier this year.
Sherrock’s victory once again brought her worldwide attention. However, she is far from an unknown figure in darts. In December 2019, she made history as the first woman ever to win a match at the PDC World Darts Championship. She reached the third round and became an international name.
“The Queen of the Palace” has since broken several more barriers. She became the first woman to reach the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam of Darts and, in 2023, the first woman to hit a televised nine-darter.
Yet during the Netflix show, Sherrock was introduced to viewers as a hairdresser from Milton Keynes. Although she was eligible under the official rules because she does not hold a PDC Tour Card, her presence drew criticism.
Webster is one of the leading darts pundits
Webster defends Sherrock but questions her selection
Mark Webster also has reservations about the organisers’ choice. However, the former world champion told Sky Sports that Sherrock herself did nothing wrong.
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"The backlash Fallon got is nothing she's done wrong,” Webster said. “Ultimately, I don't think she should have been selected to play, but then you can't blame Fallon for going to try and win half a million pounds in fair play.”
The Welshman also said Sherrock showed she can perform under pressure. “It was a good leg. But look, I don't think the backlash will bother her. She's got a few quid, hasn't she? So she'll just crack on. People forget about these things. She just needs to get herself ready for the rest of the year now.”
Webster expects the huge prize to have a positive impact on the rest of her career. “She'll be quite chilled. I'm not saying she has financial burdens, but that's going to really help going forward - doing things for her."
Sherrock won an astonishing £501,000 with her victory.
Frustration over missed opportunity for 15-year-old talent
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Sherrock’s participation was not Webster’s only concern. He also believes the show’s format could have been better. Several contestants had the chance to beat Littler in a single 501 leg, but not everyone in the announced line-up actually got to play.
Fourteen-year-old Jayden Walker, whom some darts fans already compare to Littler, did take to the stage. The young talent had previously taken a leg off Littler in an exhibition match, but failed to repeat the feat on Friday night.
The evening was even more disappointing for Mitchell Lawrie. The 15-year-old Scot, who tops the WDF world rankings, had been heavily promoted beforehand as one of Littler’s biggest challengers. In the end, however, he did not even get the chance to throw a dart.
Webster believes the organisers should have given the remaining contestants a chance as well. “I don't think she should have been able to play. I didn't like the way it was made as an amateur beats Luke Littler, and a lot of them weren't amateurs. Fallon's a professional player.”
“I think Mitchell Lawrie was due to play as well, but he didn't get on. I do think they should have played out the remaining legs and then they could have chipped away at Fallon's money if they'd won. So one more win, they split Fallon's money, just for a bit of jeopardy.”
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Read also
Despite criticism, Webster praises Netflix production
Although Webster questions the contestant selection and the way the top prize was awarded, he looks back on the first edition of “Beat Luke Littler” positively. “I thought it was a brilliant show. The production was fantastic,” Webster said.
His criticism is aimed mainly at the way the contestants were chosen. “The concept of it was good. I just think the selection process is kind of a bit of a grey area.”
Webster’s comments add to the debate that followed the Netflix show. Sherrock made a fortune with her victory, but questions remain over whether a player of her experience belonged in a programme designed to give amateurs the chance to take on the world’s best player.
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Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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- 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
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026