“There is no doubt Luke will have to bring his A-game” – Phil Taylor warns Luke Littler against taking £501,000 Netflix amateur darts challenge lightly

Thousands of amateur darts players have descended on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London on Saturday as the search officially began for the 20 challengers who will take on Luke Littler for £501,000 live on Netflix next month.

The first of two open auditions for Beat Luke Littler drew hopefuls from across Europe and beyond, with players travelling from Brazil, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and even the Falkland Islands for the chance to earn a place opposite the two-time defending world champion.

Queues stretched around the LMA London venue before doors opened at 08:00, with images from the day showing large crowds waiting behind Beat Luke Littler barriers before the first darts had even been thrown.

The eventual 20 finalists will each get one leg of 501 against Littler during the live broadcast on October 30. Beat the world number one and the prize on offer is £501,000.

The London hopefuls first had to complete a leg of 501 in 24 darts or fewer. For context, a 24-dart 501 leg equates to a three-dart average of 62.63, with anyone finishing more quickly naturally clearing a higher standard.

Those who passed the throwing test progressed to an interview with the show's producers before a final assessment in front of a PDC expert panel featuring Matchroom founder Barry Hearn, 16-time world champion Phil Taylor and professional player and pundit Laura Turner.

Taylor was particularly impressed by the level he saw. “It’s been brilliant to see so many people competing here today for this incredible opportunity,” he said. “The standard has been unbelievable and there is no doubt Luke will have to bring his A-game on the night as the motivation for these players to beat him is huge. Darts has never been more popular but Luke and Netflix are taking things to the next level with this event.”

Littler has spent 2026 reinforcing his position at the top of the sport, winning every PDC major staged so far this year and remaining clear at the summit of the Order of Merit. The format in October will be very different from the longer matches he routinely faces on television, however, with each amateur needing to produce only one winning leg.

Richard Osman, who will serve as expert analyst on the Netflix broadcast alongside host Gary Lineker, recently estimated that Littler could have only a 15 per cent chance of winning all 20 legs, despite putting his chances of beating any individual challenger at around 85 per cent.

The size of the turnout was matched by the distances some players were prepared to travel. Among those trying their luck in London was Tommy 'The Gun' Morris, who said he had set off in the early hours to make sure he was close to the front.

“I left at 3 this morning, and I was fifth in line, so one of the first ones in the door, which was something I was grateful for,” Morris said. “It’s been an amazing experience. Luke’s ranked number one, and I'm 110, so I've got to beat him somehow.”

The London auditions were the first half of the selection process, with the search now moving to Manchester Central Convention Complex on Saturday, September 19.

Applications remain open ahead of that second audition date. If you think you can beat Luke Littler, click here for full details on how to apply.