- Beat Luke Littler LIVE: Latest updates as 24 hopefuls aim to scoop £501,000 in Manchester
Twenty-four non-tour-card-holding darts players are set for a high-stakes showdown with one of the UK's most famous sportspeople when Netflix's 'Beat Luke Littler' airs later this month.
The Netflix show will see the reigning world champion attempt to beat every opponent in a one-leg shootout to deny them just over half a million pounds in prize money.
"I'll be wanting to beat everyone who comes up. Maybe the first few legs could be a bit nervy, but once I get going then I don't think anyone will stop me," Littler says.
Here's how it all works.
What is 'Beat Luke Littler', and how does it work?
Littler, Netflix and the PDC announced the first-of-its-kind event in July, calling on competitors "brave enough to step up" to test their skills against the 19-year-old double world champion.
The rules of the contest are simple: if one of the finalists wins a leg of darts against Littler, they will take home £501,000. If they lose the leg to Littler, they go home with nothing.
Littler will have to win every leg in order to survive, with the game ending if one of his opponents checks out before him.
On Oct. 30 in Manchester, Gary Lineker will host coverage of the competition, while Richard Osman serves as an expert analyst. Comedian Lee Mack and YouTuber 'Angry Ginge' will also be involved alongside reporters Josh Denzel and Gabbie Partington.
The streaming giant has said to "expect outrageous outfits, big darting energy, legendary walk-ons, and a full-throttle night packed with the moments, madness, and magic that makes darts culture so iconic."
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How were Luke Littler's opponents selected?
Only players aged 12 years and over who have never held a PDC Tour Card were able to apply for the audition process.
Public auditions were held in London and Manchester in September where thousands -- including an Australian jockey and a pair of teenage brothers from Essex -- took part in a three-stage qualification process.
First, applicants were told to check out from 501 in 24 darts or fewer. Those who did so then had to impress in an interview with the show's producers who whittled the numbers down further.
The final stage of the audition saw applicants face a PDC judging panel consisting of 16-time world champion Phil 'The Power' Taylor, PDC supremo Barry Hearn and Sky Sports presenter Laura Turner who assessed the players' darting abilities and decided which players might give Littler a realistic challenge on the night.
However, Netflix announced the identities of the 24-person shortlist on Oct. 22 and it contained some recognised darts stars.
'Beat Luke Littler' contestants
Kasey Smith (16), 'Smiffy' -- Manchester, England [Student]
Makinley Cooper-Johnson (14), 'Mighty Mak' -- Wrexham, Wales
Taylon Forrester (18), 'The Trash Man' -- Bedford, England [Bin Man]
Tony Cole (39), 'Top Cat' -- South Wales [Bank Business Advisor]
Katie Sheldon (22), 'The Dublin Diamond' -- Dublin, Ireland [Wire Assembler and darts player]
Zac Griffiths (25), 'Boy In The Corner' -- Hereford, England [Electrical Engineer]
Lauren Bloomfield (30), 'Bloomy' -- Kent, England [Restaurant Manager]
David Wawrzewski (50), 'Wozzysonfire' -- London, England. [Commercial Removals]
Jayden Walker (14), 'The Young Gun' -- Christchurch, England [darts player]
Zac Spain (30), 'Zachariah The Electrifiah' -- Melbourne, Australia [Professional Jockey]
Jasper Scarrott (54), '9 Scarrott Gold' -- York, England [British Army]
Jarod Becker (23), 'The Finisher' -- Hildesheim, Germany [Kindergarten teacher]
Mitchell Lawrie (15), 'Wee Sox' -- Renfrew, Scotland [WDF world No. 1 darts player]
Ashley Coleman (29), 'The Prince of Darkness' -- Suffolk, England [Powder Coater]
Mark Pooke (57), 'Who Are Ya' -- London, England [Maintanence Technician]
Fallon Sherrock (32), 'Queen Of The Palace' -- Milton Keynes, England [Hairdresser and darts player]
Pwyll ap Llŷr Edwards (34), 'Cambi One Eighty' -- Bala, Wales [Fencing Contractor]
Will Kemp (30), 'Tempo Kempo' -- Harrogate, England [Recruitment Consultant]
Sonny Johal (29), 'The Viking' -- Derby, England [Driving Instructor]
Brett Todd (25), 'Jarra Arra Junior' -- Ipswich, England [British Army Helicopter Technician]
Théodore Wallich (23), 'The Moustache Kid' -- Paris, France [Student]
Jacob Gwynne (27), 'The Cracker' -- Leeds, England [Civil Servant]
Bhav Patel (36), 'Breaking Bhav' -- Kent, England [Pharmacist]
Pearse Mackle (21), 'Fierce Pearse Mackle' -- County Cavan, Ireland [Student]
Could a player actually win £501,000?
This is the £501,000 question.
On the face of it, an amateur has no chance against the double world champion who is head-and-shoulders above his professional rivals in the world rankings.
Indeed, the day before the show was announced, Littler's dominance set new records as he bulldozed his way to a second straight World Matchplay crown in in Blackpool, crushing Gerwyn Price 18-9 in the final.
But Netflix have since revealed that Littler's opponents include several players capable of giving 'The Nuke' a tough game if they were playing a standard darts match.
Phil Taylor backs Littler's opponents
Before the line-up was announced, the big unanswered question was just how good the selected finalists were at darts.
But the reveal of players such as Fallon Sherrock (who has reached the third round of the PDC World Darts Championship) and Mitchell Lawrie (the 15-year-old Scottish prodigy who is the WDF world No. 1) means Littler will likely have to face some talented opponents.
Taylor, who has described the idea of Littler being beaten as a "Rocky Balboa kind of fairytale", had indicated that players capable of professional-quality darts were among Littler's opponents and added he thinks the 19-year-old could be in for a shock.
"We are seeing people complete the qualifying legs in 11 and 12 darts -- with big finishes -- so the quality of the finalists is going to be extremely high," he told the BBC after the Manchester qualifier.
"I don't think people appreciate how hard this challenge is for Luke. He is going to have to play at World Championship level to stay undefeated."
Jeopardy of one-leg format
In a standard match, Littler's exceptional scoring prowess -- he tends to average over 100 every visit -- is usually too much for his professional opponents.
He does, though, regularly lose legs due to the fact that one bad throw can give him a mountain to climb if his rival is playing well and racing to a finish.
Therefore, the single-leg nature of 'Beat Luke Littler' could be genuinely difficult for Littler to navigate. Depending on the performance of his opponents, he will have to play to something approaching his best for 24 consecutive legs.
Richard Osman has said he's worked through the numbers and given Littler a 40% chance of beating every opponent on the night.
Littler's application on the night will also be a factor. He was almost beaten in a best-of-five-legs contest by close friend 'Angry Ginge' who missed a match dart when narrowly losing 3-2 to Littler in the relaxed surroundings of the social media star's house on a live stream last year.
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When is 'Beat Luke Littler', and how can you watch it?
'Beat Luke Littler' will be broadcast globally on Netflix from 7 p.m. GMT on Friday, Oct. 30.
The event is being held at the Manchester Central Convention Complex in the heart of the city.