“What if I suddenly forget how to count?” – Owen Binks opens up on nerves ahead of first PDC appearances in new role

For Owen Binks, the move into an on-stage refereeing role on the PDC circuit marks the biggest step of his career to date, coming in the wake of George Noble stepping away after decades as one of the sport’s defining voices. Having long been a familiar presence behind the scenes as a marker and spotter, Binks is now preparing for the visibility and scrutiny that come with calling matches on darts’ biggest stages.

That transition has brought excitement, but also a level of nerves that Binks has not attempted to hide. Speaking openly in a recent interview with Tungsten Tales, he detailed the doubts, anxieties and very human fears that accompany stepping into such a high-profile role, particularly when following someone whose voice has been woven into the sport for so long.

Those nerves are heightened by expectation. Binks is already well known to many fans for his work around numbers, scoring and analysis, a public profile that now adds another layer of pressure as he prepares to take on responsibilities previously held by one of darts’ most recognisable referees. The margin for error, he admits, feels smaller when people know who you are before you ever step onto the stage.

At the same time, Binks believes the traits that have shaped his journey so far may also be what carry him through this next phase. Open about living with ADHD, he views his ability to hyper-focus as a strength rather than a weakness, even if it brings challenges elsewhere. As he looks ahead to his first appearances in the role, Binks finds himself balancing excitement, anxiety and belief in equal measure.

Binks admits the reality of his new role has yet to properly land. “It’s not actually sunk in yet, I don’t think,” he said. “The fact that I’m going to be calling the action on the main stage has literally always been a dream of mine. Even hearing it still hasn’t quite sunk in. It will when I’m up there, that’s for sure. But yeah, it’s mad.”

Although the decision had been building for some time, the confirmation itself came relatively quietly. “I kind of knew,” Binks explained. “I got told just before the Grand Slam that it was definitely happening. It all depended on whether George was definitely going to go. Once he confirmed, then I was confirmed as his replacement, if you like. So I found out just before then.”

Even with that knowledge, the uncertainty lingered. “But until it actually happens, you don’t really know. Anything could still happen. I still don’t believe it’s real until I actually start. I can’t really explain it.”

Binks’ relationship with George Noble stretches back years, and includes some frank conversations about the future. “Yeah. I was telling George for years,” he said. “I was saying, ‘George, surely you don’t need to do this anymore. Surely you can just concentrate on the Super Series now.’ I’d been telling him to retire for ages.”

Those discussions were never one-sided. “He’d always say, ‘It’s coming, mate. Don’t worry.’ We sort of knew there were talks for a fair while,” Binks added. “I’d had those conversations for years because I’d always told my boss I’d love to do it. I’d been a marker for years and always wanted that step up, and it was always ‘when George goes’.”

Despite the nudging, Binks was clear about how Noble would leave the role. “Of course, he was always going to go on his own terms,” he said. “In my opinion, he’s the GOAT, and he was still brilliant even towards the end.”

Binks has no intention of slowing down as he steps into the role. “Yeah. I like working. I like earning money, and I don’t really like having days off,” he said. “Unless I’ve got something booked, I need to be busy all the time.”

That includes continuing his work elsewhere. “With the PDC role, obviously there’s a fair number of days I’ll do each year. I do the spotting for Sky, which is great, but I still want to do MODUS as well,” he explained. “As long as I don’t annoy them too much, I’m sure they’ll still use me.”

But he is realistic about the nature of freelance work. “You never know. I’m self-employed. They might get a new spotter who’s the best spotter ever and suddenly that’s my job gone. Same with refereeing. Nothing’s guaranteed. That’s why, until I’m actually up there, you never really know.”

He is also candid about his own shortcomings. “I have a tendency to annoy certain people sometimes,” Binks admitted. “I’m not the most organised person in the world, and that can lead to annoying people. So yeah, I never surprise myself.”

The nerves are very real. “Yeah. Nothing’s secure,” Binks said. “I’ve got this horrible feeling that I’m going to go in there and the first three darts are going to hit the board, and I’ll call them wrong.”

That fear is highly specific. “I’ve got family and friends coming to Nottingham,” he explained. “I keep thinking, imagine if I called the first three darts wrong. It’s not even a checkout. Imagine calling a six when it’s 60, or calling 100 when it’s miles off.”

He even worries about losing the fundamentals. “I’ve even got this thing in my head like, what if I suddenly forget how to count? All sorts of weird thoughts go through your head with nerves.”

The stakes feel absolute. “I could turn up, it could go wrong, and I never ref again,” Binks said. “There’s no contract. I’ve been given the opportunity and it’s down to me now.”

Binks expects that focus will sharpen once he steps onto the Premier League stage. “I don’t think my mind will wander much at my first Premier League,” he said. “My focus will be completely there.”

He contrasted that with longer days. “That wandering tends to happen after a long day, maybe when the game isn’t great,” he added. “But when it’s your first Premier League fixture, whoever it is, I don’t think that’s going to happen at all.”

Calm, however, is not expected. “I’d love to be calm going into it, but that’s not happening,” Binks said. “I’m going to be nervous, as you’d expect.”

Binks has spoken openly about ADHD and how it affects his life and work. “Not really,” he said when asked if he sees himself as a role model. “I don’t think of myself like that.”

Still, the messages have had an impact. “A kid with ADHD called me an inspiration, which was really nice,” he said. “I also spoke to a mother in a pub whose son has ADHD, and she said how amazing it was to see someone doing well.”

He does not sugar-coat the condition. “In some areas of my life, ADHD is really annoying,” Binks admitted. “But I’m not sure I’d have the spotting or refereeing job at this level without it.”

He believes it plays directly into his strengths. “I really hyper-focus on it,” he said. “It’s certainly not all good, but in this area it’s helped me massively.”

Binks has leaned on those who have walked the path before him. “Yeah,” he said when asked about Charlie Corstophine. “He spoke to me at Minehead when I was nervous even about stage two.”

The advice was simple. “He said, ‘It’s just a dartboard. You’re comfortable in front of a dartboard.’” Binks added: “You might be nervous when you turn around and see the crowd, but when you face the board, you know what you’re doing. It just becomes normal. It’s just a bigger crowd.”

He has also spoken to others. “I’ve spoken to all the refs about it,” he said. “Kirk congratulated me and I told him I was getting really nervous. He basically told me to shut up and stop being stupid.”

The refereeing group has been supportive. “Yeah, definitely,” Binks said. “I know them all really well because I work with them as a marker too.”

That extends beyond the current PDC roster. “I’ve got a good relationship with all of them, even the ones not in the PDC anymore,” he said. “I spent all of October at the Australian Premier League with Russ.”

The experience left a lasting impression. “Russ is unbelievable,” Binks said. “He’s so grateful to be alive. Such a breath of fresh air. He’s just brilliant to be around.”

Binks relishes the travel-heavy lifestyle. “I love it,” he said. “Some people complain about the travel, but I love being busy.”

He outlined an ideal week. “A weekend in Germany, Premier League on Thursday, ProTour in between, exhibition on Friday – that’s a dream week for me.”

Looking further ahead, certain milestones still feel surreal. “The fact I’ll be refereeing at the World Championships, providing I’m still in the job, is mad,” he said. “I was spotting this year, which I loved, but next year I’ll be doing both. That doesn’t feel real yet.”

Finally, Binks addressed the pressure that comes with being recognisable. “The support has been amazing, but it’s also added pressure,” he said. “I do videos about numbers, so if I make a mistake, people will say I’m a fake.”

He knows there is no perfect scenario. “If I’d stayed in the background and no one knew who I was, there’d have been less pressure,” Binks said. “But people might have said, ‘Who’s this guy replacing George Noble?’”

Either way, he accepts what comes next. “So either way, there’s pressure,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”