Vincent van der Voort has few kind words for the Netflix show Beat Luke Littler. The former professional darts player watched in disbelief as 24 challengers got the chance to beat world champion Luke Littler in a single leg of 501 and win £501,000. Although he respects Fallon Sherrock’s achievement in claiming the top prize, the show itself did little to impress him.
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On the Darts Draait Door podcast, Van der Voort made his feelings about the show perfectly clear. “What a circus,” the former professional player said. A little later, he was even more direct: “I really didn’t enjoy it at all.”
‘Sherrock is a professional, plain and simple’
Van der Voort’s main frustration was with the line-up. The show was presented as a chance for amateur players to take on Littler, but several familiar names from the darts world were among the challengers.
Fallon Sherrock’s presence drew particular criticism from Van der Voort. The Englishwoman went on to claim the top prize by beating Littler in 15 darts. “That guy is up on stage shouting that she’s a hairdresser. She hasn’t been near a hair salon in six years. She’s a professional, you know.”
Van der Voort was not surprised that Sherrock issued a statement about her participation afterwards. “The fact she put out a statement the next day shows how many complaints there must have been. And I think some of that criticism was fair.”
At the same time, the Dutchman stressed that Sherrock herself had done nothing wrong. She took the opportunity she was offered and delivered an outstanding performance when it mattered most.
“It’s impressive that she could play like that under pressure. Whatever you think of the show, she still hit a 15-darter. An 18-darter probably would have been enough too, but she took out a 15-darter. That was a great achievement.”
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Fallon Sherrock beat Luke Littler
‘There were loads who couldn’t play at all’
Van der Voort had hoped that the chance to challenge Littler would go mainly to amateur players who were not already well known. He said it would have been more interesting to see the best recreational players take on the world champion.
“I was hoping it would be a show featuring really good amateurs that none of us have heard of. I would have enjoyed that.”
Instead, he saw a mix of experienced competitive players and challengers who, in his view, had little chance. “There were a few amateurs, but some of them couldn’t play at all.”
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Van der Voort said it quickly became clear that some challengers had little experience of competitive darts. “A few of them had never played an official match before.”
Fourteen-year-old talent Jayden Walker, who had been seen as one of the contenders, also failed to reach his usual level. Van der Voort pointed to the intense pressure of such an appearance. “You saw it with Jayden Walker too. He couldn’t play at all, even though he’s a really good player.”
Van der Voort surprised by challengers’ behaviour
The challengers’ standard was not the only thing that surprised Van der Voort. Their behaviour towards one another did too. In the practice room, they kept cheering each other on, even though every win against Littler ended the other contenders’ chances of winning the prize money.
“I’ve got something to say about that too. They’re all standing there cheering each other on in the practice room, and they’re all happy for one another. But surely you realise that if that person wins, you can no longer win that half-million?”
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Van der Voort found it hard to understand why the challengers were so enthusiastic about their rivals’ performances. “Then they all start acting as if they’ve suddenly become best friends. It’s ridiculous.”
He said Sherrock’s win must have been a huge disappointment for the players who had yet to face Littler.
He pointed in particular to 15-year-old Scottish talent Mitchell Lawrie, who lost his chance to play Littler after Sherrock’s victory.
“You must be gutted when Fallon hits that 15-darter. He had a really good chance of winning that leg. And then suddenly you could win half a million pounds. So, yes, I don’t understand all that celebrating.”
‘I really didn’t enjoy it at all’
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During the podcast, his co-host also pointed to the show’s entertainment value. In his view, it offered an enjoyable change of pace despite the slow format and long breaks.
Van der Voort stood by his verdict. The former professional player had expected more from a show giving ordinary darts fans the chance to challenge a world champion.
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The fact that viewers could vote on which challengers got to play did not change his mind. He appreciated that feature in itself, but found the show disappointing overall. “I really didn’t enjoy it at all.”
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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- 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