Jayden Walker, a 14-year-old darts prodigy from Christchurch in Dorset, could spring a huge surprise on Friday when he takes part in the new Netflix show Beat Luke Littler. Walker is the youngest contestant among 24 challengers competing for a top prize of £501,000. The show will be broadcast live from Manchester, and the challenge is simple: beat the world champion in a single leg of 501 to take home the £501,000 prize.
Walker is no stranger to facing Littler, having played the two-time world champion twice in exhibition matches. “I’ve played Luke twice. I played him once in Portsmouth where he beat me 3-0 and he had a 125 average – which was ridiculous stuff,” Walker told SunSport. Their second meeting, at Chester racecourse, was closer: “He beat me 2-1. I got the first leg. I won the Bull in the back room. I was happy to get a leg off the world number one.” Walker has also faced current world number two Luke Humphries and beat him 2-1. “We both played really well. We had high averages. It was around 102 and he had a 106. It just went with the throw until the last leg,” he said.
Even if he doesn't get to face Littler, Walker sees being selected for the show as a major milestone. “I’m really excited to be on Netflix in general. Even if I don’t get to play Luke, just being on Netflix is a massive achievement.” The teenager was inspired by Littler’s rise, which saw him reach the final of the 2024 World Darts Championship at the age of 16. “When I first saw him play, I was taken aback that a 16-year-old at the time was beating the likes of Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross and nearly beating Luke Humphries. I was quite shocked seeing someone only a few years older than me doing sensational things.” Walker hopes to follow in Littler’s footsteps: “Hopefully in the future when I turn 16, I might give myself the opportunity to be in the World Championship.”
Like Littler, Walker started playing darts at a very young age. He threw his first darts at a magnetic board when he was 18 months old, and during the Covid pandemic, aged eight, he hit his first 180 on a real dartboard. He initially played football as well, as a defender at the Generation Elite Football Academy in Bournemouth, before focusing more on darts. Two years ago, he got an unexpected chance to show his skills at an exhibition when YouTuber Morgan Burtwistle, better known as AngryGinge, picked him out of the crowd and invited him to throw a few darts.
Winning the top prize on Friday would make a huge financial difference to Walker’s family. He lives with his single mother Jamie, who works as a self-employed hairdresser. Because of his age, the prize money would be placed in a fund that he could access when he turns 18. His 90-year-old great-grandmother will also be watching, hoping to see her great-grandson in action. Whether Walker gets to face Littler will depend on the world champion avoiding defeat by another contestant first. His participation is already a major talking point at school. “A few of my friends at school have jokingly said: ‘If you win, can I have a tenner? Or a fiver?’ But they’ve been very congratulatory of me, in school and online – on Snapchat and Facebook. Very supportive.” Walker also noted Littler’s influence on his peers: “Luke has inspired quite a lot of people. When I was younger, everyone in class would reply that their dream job when they were older was ‘to be a professional footballer’. But nowadays there’s quite a lot of people saying they want to be a professional darts player – and that’s pretty much all because of Luke.”
