“To set a life up for my daughter is the main goal” – Young father gets unique chance to win £501,000 against Luke Littler

For Zac Griffiths, Friday night is about much more than beating Luke Littler. The 25-year-old Englishman is one of 24 contestants in the Netflix event “Beat Luke Littler”, where the winner will collect a huge £501,000 prize. Griffiths hopes the money will secure a bright future for his young daughter.

On Friday, 30.10.2026, Griffiths will get the chance to take on the two-time world champion at Manchester Central Convention Complex. The format is simple: each contestant plays one leg of 501 against Littler. Anyone who beats the English darts sensation wins £501,000. The event ends immediately when someone does.

For Griffiths, who is from Hereford, winning the top prize would change his life completely. The Englishman is father to 20-month-old Raya and sees the money above all as a chance to give her a carefree future. “To set a life up for my daughter is the main goal and to be able to do that after Friday would be a massive achievement,” he tells the BBC.

Griffiths says his family could benefit from a win, too. “[I'd love] to be able to spend the rest of my life mortgage free, and give back to the people around me [like] my mum, my step-dad, my brother, all the people who have shaped me to get me to this point.”

For now, his daughter has little idea what her father faces on Friday. “My daughter is only 20-months old, so she doesn't fully understand what's going on. I'm sure if she could say anything, she'd like daddy's bank account to be a bit heavier as well," he laughed.

Although Griffiths is competing as an amateur, he is no stranger to the darts world. He faced Littler once before on the PDC Development Tour in 2023. He lost 4-2, but gave the future world champion a real test. “I lost 4-2, but we did go 2-2... I think I did go 1-0 up, so all we've got to do is recreate that again,” he said, recalling the match.

Griffiths knows Littler has developed enormously since then, but points out that he has moved forward, too. “Obviously, that was a different Luke at the time, but it was also a different me as well.” The Englishman certainly has no shortage of confidence. “I back myself, like I'm sure the other 23 contestants do.”

His preparations for the event have not been ideal, however. Griffiths works full-time as an electrical engineer and also has a young daughter. As a result, he has spent less time at the oche than he would have liked.

“I've been playing so long that I think it's a lot of natural ability and muscle memory,” he explained. In recent weeks, he has tried to increase his practice time. “I've definitely been trying to put a few extra hours on the board and just kind of lock in for the last few weeks.”

Griffiths knows he faces a special challenge on Friday. He must not only beat Littler, but also handle the pressure of a big stage and the television cameras. For the two-time world champion, that is familiar territory. For his challenger, it will be a new experience.

“It will be a totally new thing that I haven't experienced, that Luke has experienced before,” Griffiths admitted. “Hopefully we can channel that pressure into focus and come away with a result.”

Still, he is trying not to dwell too much on what a win could mean. With only one leg to play, a strong start could be enough to put Littler under pressure. Griffiths believes it will ultimately come down to seizing the right moment.