Luke Littler Fever Inspires Sky To Greenlight ‘Darts’ Premium Doc Series From ‘Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story’ Producer

Darts fever has gripped the UK with the rise and rise of last night’s defeated 16-year-old finalist Luke Litter, and Sky has boarded the bandwagon with a three-part documentary series on the sport from the producer of Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story.

Sky’s Darts [working title], which comes in the wake of a wealth of access-all-areas sports docs, will follow the world of professional darts, tracking the world championship action from pre-tournament preparation to the final and beyond. It will follow up-and-coming hopefuls to top-seeded players, the families who support them to achieve their dreams and those working behind the scenes.

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Millions tuned into Sky Sports last night to see 16-year-old Littler, who has gripped the nation with his antics over past weeks, lose to Luke Humphries in a thrilling final. The sport’s world championship is played at London’s Alexandra Palace each year and attracts thousands of fans, who enjoy its free-for-all nature, party atmosphere and easy access to alcohol.

“As documentary storytellers, we were mesmerized by the world of professional darts,” said Julia Nottingham, who runs Sister-backed Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story production outfit Dorothy Street Pictures, which is producing Darts with Meadowlark Media.

“We are so excited to share the stories behind this great British sport that is fast winning new audiences and hosts such compelling characters.”

Sky Docs Commissioning Editor Tom Barry added: “Going beyond just the competition, for the first time, we are thrilled to be bringing audiences closer to the action and give them a glimpse of what it takes to make it to the top.”

Netflix already documents sports such as F1 and tennis via a duo of access-all-areas docuseries, while Amazon Prime Video has made a wealth of sports shows under its All or Nothing strand, which follows sporting teams across a season.

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