Chris Mason has hit back at accusations that Netflix's upcoming 'Beat Luke Littler' show is a money-making scam, revealing that the production is costing over a million pounds before anybody even beats the world number one. The event, which will be broadcast live on Friday, 30th October at 7pm GMT, will see 20 hopefuls take on Luke Littler in a single leg of darts, with £501,000 on offer for the victor.
Hosted by Gary Lineker and Richard Osman, the show has faced criticism over its lineup, which includes recognisable names such as Fallon Sherrock and Mitchell Lawrie. Mason, who will be on commentary duty, defended the selection process: "Why would you want to watch 20 blokes from the pub throwing darts at the board? There's a good mix of players," he told Online Darts. "I've been involved in the whole process, the auditions and everything else. Everyone has been asked to go through the process, right? It's a bit like The X Factor, where people say, 'Oh, she used to be a singer' or 'She used to be in a band.' Loads of people who go on that show and win it have previous experience. That's the whole idea of the show."
Addressing the scam claims directly, Mason said: "It's just pathetic. People are saying it's a scam, a money-making scam. This is costing over a million pounds, and that's before anybody beats him. Do you not think these people have considered that? Of course they have. If he loses early, there's something else in it for the players." He also highlighted that the event is free to enter and watch: "I don't know how anyone can call it a scam when nobody has paid anything to be involved. You can go and watch it live if you want. It's up in Manchester."
The lineup features a diverse range of players, from 14-year-old Makinley Cooper-Johnson (Mighty Mak) from Wrexham to 57-year-old Mark Pooke (Who Are You?) from London. Among the notable names are Fallon Sherrock, the 32-year-old hairdresser and darts player from Milton Keynes, and Mitchell Lawrie, the 15-year-old WDF World No. 1 from Renfrew, Scotland. Mason described the mix as "fascinating": "You've got an ex-serviceman, Fallon Sherrock, and people who aren't professional darts players."
On Sherrock, Mason added: "With Fallon, they've seen how much money there is in women's darts. She's had to work her arse off. Remember, her career was robbed of the opportunity to make the money she should have done because of COVID. What was planned for her that year after the World Championship was off the scale, and that would have been life-changing money. She's still grafting, she's a single mum, and people are giving her shit for entering a competition to win half a million quid. It's life-changing."
Mason also discussed the pressure on Littler, who has been practising hard. "Only one player has ever won more than half a million quid in one game of darts, and he's on the stage as well," Mason remarked. "Let's not forget that Luke is under pressure, which is why I fancied him to come here and play well. He's been practising." He continued: "He openly admitted yesterday, in the press conference with you, that he's been putting the hours in. I think he's reached a stage where that old phrase, 'Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard', comes into play. He's been putting in the hours, and that's obvious. Wasn't his first three darts of the tournament — his first three darts on stage in the practice throws — a 180? Then his first three darts in a match were a maximum as well. He's averaging over 110 for the tournament, which brings back memories of the World Matchplay."
Despite Littler's form, Mason believes he can be beaten: "But can he get beaten? Absolutely. Do I expect him to get beaten? The odds suggest that playing 20 legs of first to five, with the players throwing for the bull under PDC rules, means someone could go up there, hit the bull, then hit a 15-darter, and that might be enough. It's the first time darts has crossed over into proper sports entertainment on this scale."
The format includes a fan-vote element, with 24 players in total, 20 of whom will play. "There's also going to be a voting element for the public who have Netflix," Mason explained. "Obviously, there are 24 players, with 20 playing, so there's a fan-vote element as well. As for the order, it's going to be split into four parts, and it will all be live. There are four parts, with players in each. The first game will be from Pot One, and all the pots are seeded."
Mason does not see this as the start of Netflix taking over darts broadcasting: "No, the contracts for ranking tournaments are tied up between Sky and ITV, through Matchroom, DAZN and the other agreements," he confirmed. However, he hopes for future one-off specials: "Could Netflix take some one-off specials? I hope so, because I'll be having a meeting with them, probably around the time this goes out, about my idea for a shootout-style tournament — one I've pitched to you many times. I think it would be entertaining. It would need the PDC's blessing, and the PDC would no doubt provide the engine room for it, but it would feature 64 players, by invitation only. Netflix is a huge platform, absolutely off the scale, and the fact that they want a piece of darts can only be good for the sport."
Ultimately, Mason stressed that the event is about entertainment: "There are young players involved who were like Luke Littler four or five years ago. He's inspired these young players who've qualified for the event. Of course, there are some random unknowns in there as well. It's up to the viewers to decide which ones they want to see play. Again, it's interaction, fun and entertainment. This isn't meant to be serious sport. It's serious for the players trying to win half a million quid, but ultimately it's fun and entertainment for everyone else. I can't imagine the pressure Luke is under. It's enormous. But what a chance for some unknown players, or someone like Fallon, to win life-changing money."
He added: "Let's be fair: if one of them beats Luke, they'll instantly become stars. They'll be signing sponsorship contracts and they'll be everywhere. Whatever happens, if Luke goes through undefeated, it'll be everywhere. But the winner will be all over the social media posts from Netflix, the PDC and everyone else. It's life-changing — absolutely life-changing. Someone will pay them a fortune to go to Q School in January. They'll get podcast appearances and opportunities to talk about the experience. It's important that we get the backstory of every player involved and find out how they feel about it. Trust me, every one of them is delighted to be there, and rightly so. If you don't like the concept, or you're some sort of conspiracy theorist, don't watch it. It's the same as if you don't like me — don't watch me. We don't care. There are enough people interested, and there'll certainly be enough people wanting to see if someone can win half a million quid."
