"There will be times where everyone’s saying, ‘Get on PDC TV she’s in another final": Emma Paton predicts Beau Greaves will thrive on full PDC debut season
PDC
Emma Paton has seen darts evolve first-hand. From presenting behind closed doors during the pandemic to standing centre stage in front of packed arenas, the Sky Sports Darts host believes the sport is in its strongest position yet, and she’s relishing every moment of the journey.
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Speaking to Weekly Dartscast ahead of the 2026 Premier League Darts season, Paton reflected on how much has changed since her last appearance on the show in 2021 — an appearance that, she joked, remains undefeated.
“It’s the one time I’ve been on the show I did win Guest of the Year,” she laughed. “No pressure coming back on again.”
A sport transformed
Looking back over the past four or five years, Paton feels the transformation of darts has been impossible to miss. “A lot’s happened in darts since then, hasn’t it?” she said. “It feels like the whole view of darts has changed completely — who’s running the show now, who’s dominating, and probably names that back then we’d barely even heard of. Certainly with Luke Littler.”
For Paton, the growth of the sport has been exhilarating to watch. “It just feels like darts is getting bigger and bigger. The sport is going from strength to strength and I just feel lucky to be a tiny part of it — enjoying it from a fan’s point of view as well.”
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With the Premier League season getting underway in Newcastle, Paton is preparing for 17 consecutive midweeks on the road, something she admits she genuinely loves. “I’ll be honest, I love travelling around for months and being on the road, seeing different places and going to these huge, incredible arenas.”
She believes this year’s Premier League is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing yet, with multiple storylines already in play. “We’re not expecting Luke Littler to win every single week,” she said. “We’ve got new players making their Premier League debuts, players returning like Jonny Clayton, the two Lukes, Gerwyn Price… there are so many storylines around all eight players.”
Last year’s campaign proved just how unpredictable the format can be. “Littler was dominant throughout the league, but then Luke Humphries won on finals night. You just don’t know where it’s going to take you.”
New arenas, new atmospheres
One of the highlights of this year’s schedule is a brand-new Premier League venue — Antwerp’s AFAS Dome — which could host crowds of more than 23,000. “That’s what people are saying,” Paton revealed. “Whenever someone says that, you know it’s going to be packed out.”
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Having experienced the unique atmospheres across Europe, she’s excited to see what Belgium brings. “Rotterdam is a sea of orange, Berlin has grown year on year, and Antwerp feels like it could be really special. It’s a shame there isn’t a Belgian player in the Premier League, but it’s exciting to go somewhere new.”
Beau Greaves and the next generation
Paton is also eager to see how Beau Greaves adapts to life on the PDC tour after securing her tour card. “Everyone is super excited,” she said. “If you love darts, you’re just intrigued to see what she can do.”
Greaves’ narrow defeat at the World Championship still stands out. “She did herself justice. It really came down to that one moment, that huge checkout from Daryl Gurney. Beau won more legs, had better stats — it was just one of those games.”
Paton believes Greaves will be a constant talking point throughout the year. “There will be times where everyone’s saying, ‘Get on PDC TV — she’s in another final.’”
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Emma Paton sees Beau Greaves shining in 2026.
From early mornings to centre stage
Paton also reflected on her own journey at Sky Sports, from arriving at work before 3am to write scripts for the breakfast show, to now presenting in front of thousands. “I don’t know how I used to do those early starts,” she laughed. “If I have to get up at seven now, I’m like, ‘Where’s the flat white?’”
Those early roles, she says, helped shape her approach. “I’ve seen things from a producer’s point of view, from the gallery, from editing interviews. At the time you wonder if you’ll ever get where you want to be, but it all helps.”
Standing in packed arenas, she still takes moments to reflect. “You do think, ‘Wow, how lucky am I to be here talking about darts?’ And I’ve got an incredible team around me, that makes such a difference.”
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Pranks, promos and personality
Away from Sky Sports, Paton has also enjoyed working on light-hearted darts content, including Paddy Power’s prank videos — particularly those involving Nathan Aspinall and Luke Humphries. “The Nathan Aspinall one — I was crying,” she admitted. “He was genuinely rattled. You could see the cogs whirring in his head thinking, ‘What have I done?’”
She insists those days don’t feel like work. “Webby and I were in tears the whole time. It was brilliant.”
From taking on Dave Clark's mantle, Emma Paton has relished the role to work at the top of darts.
The future of darts
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Asked whether she could see herself hosting events in front of 30,000 fans within the next decade, Paton didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely. Antwerp’s already at 23,000 — it’s not far off.”
She pointed to viewing figures since Littler’s emergence as proof darts isn’t slowing down. “We thought interest might drop after a while, but it hasn’t. People want more darts, week after week.”
Does Emma Paton play darts?
Finally, Paton addressed a question she’s asked regularly — does she play darts herself? “I’ve got a dartboard,” she said, giving a nod to Winmau who she works as an ambassador for. “I try to play, but I don’t practise enough. When I do have spare time, I’m usually on the sofa watching football.”
As for her standard? “Let’s just say the average is low at the moment. There’s work to do.”
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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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- 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
- 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