Former professional Matthew Edgar has taken aim at Netflix over its presentation of Fallon Sherrock following her £501,000 victory over Luke Littler in the first edition of Beat Luke Littler. Sherrock walked away with the top prize after defeating Littler in a single leg, but Edgar's biggest criticism concerned how the streaming giant portrayed her to viewers. Speaking on his Edgar TV YouTube channel, he said: "Personally, I didn't like it. She's about to play in what a seventh PDC World Championship. She's in this year's Alexandra Palace. If you include the BDO days, I think it's like 13 World Championships that she's played in."
Edgar stressed that his objection was not to Sherrock's participation or her victory, but to the emphasis placed on her occupation and hometown rather than her established darts career. "She's been a professional darts player for a long time, but introduced as a hairdresser. And even at the end, a hairdresser from Milton Keynes has come and done it. No, she's played in 13 World Championships." He added: "Was she entitled to play? Yes. Does she fit the rules? Yes. Do I have an issue with that? No. What I have an issue with is them pretending that she's not who she is. That's the bit that does me." Sherrock was eligible to compete because she does not hold a PDC Tour Card.
Despite that criticism, Edgar was full of praise for the production, particularly the LED backboard. "I absolutely loved the production," he said. "I've been a big, big fan of the LED backboard, and I feel like that's maybe the future rather than these sort of canvas backdrops." He added: "It felt special. It looked special. If you're just tuning in for the very first time into that, you would have gone, 'Wow, this is top drawer.'" He also highlighted Pearse Mackle's opportunity to land the bullseye for the top prize, noting: "You're hearing that noise. You've got the pressure of hitting that bullseye, and you're seeing that backdrop as well."
However, Edgar questioned the order in which contestants appeared. The challengers were divided into four pots according to ability, but he felt repeatedly switching between stronger and weaker players undermined the tension. "After a couple of hours, halfway through towards the back end of the show, I was starting to get a little bit bored," he admitted. "And the reason I was starting to get a little bit bored is cuz they built it. Pot four, pot three, pot two, pot one. These are the good players. Yes. And then you go back to pot four again." He explained: "You've already told us that these players are not good enough. You've already told us that these players are sort of like bottom of the rung, and now you're going to give us another one of them. So it's like, 'Okay, we've got to wait another 20 minutes for a genuine challenger to come up now.'"
Edgar also suggested Netflix could build a separate series around the selection process, citing X Factor and Britain's Got Talent as examples. "When you watch things like X Factor or Britain's Got Talent, part of the fun is the people that maybe didn't get in. There was probably some amazing stories that we didn't get to hear of people who applied for this show." He proposed a miniseries of four to six episodes leading into the live event. He also believes the programme is unlikely to be a one-off: "I don't know the viewing numbers that Netflix got. I can't wait to see what they are, but I can certainly see the numbers that are on social media right now. Absolutely, I think we're going to see something like this again."
Among the possibilities Edgar discussed was a Royal Rumble-style darts competition and a direct confrontation between Littler and 15-year-old Mitchell Lawrie, who ultimately did not get the opportunity to face the world champion. "I think there's a big audience out there right now who want to see Mitchell Lawrie versus Luke Littler," he said. "I think maybe not even on Netflix, maybe just on YouTube. There's demand right now to see that showdown." He admitted: "That was one of the disappointing factors of last night, that we never got to see that showdown, even for one leg."
Edgar also noted the contrast between the criticism directed at Sherrock on social media and the support she apparently received from viewers, claiming that 75 per cent of the viewing audience voted for her. Despite his criticisms, his overall verdict remained positive: "Never since the days of Bullseye has entertainment crossed over successfully into our sport before. So I think everyone involved in this deserves a huge round of applause, and I can only see this being the start of something special." He concluded: "Overall, I thought it was a success. Few tweaks, and could be onto a winner here."
