Vincent van der Voort has delivered a scathing verdict on Netflix's Beat Luke Littler, the show that gave 24 challengers the chance to beat world champion Luke Littler in a single leg of 501 and win £501,000. Speaking on the Darts Draait Door podcast, the former professional didn't mince his words. "What a circus," he said, before adding later: "I really didn't enjoy it at all."
Van der Voort's main frustration was with the line-up. The show was presented as a chance for amateur players to take on Littler, but several familiar names from the darts world were among the challengers. Fallon Sherrock's presence drew particular criticism, despite her going on to claim the top prize by beating Littler in 15 darts. "That guy is up on stage shouting that she's a hairdresser. She hasn't been near a hair salon in six years. She's a professional, you know," Van der Voort said. He was not surprised that Sherrock issued a statement about her participation afterwards. "The fact she put out a statement the next day shows how many complaints there must have been. And I think some of that criticism was fair."
At the same time, the Dutchman stressed that Sherrock herself had done nothing wrong. "It's impressive that she could play like that under pressure. Whatever you think of the show, she still hit a 15-darter. An 18-darter probably would have been enough too, but she took out a 15-darter. That was a great achievement," he said. He had hoped the chance to challenge Littler would go mainly to amateur players who were not already well known. "I was hoping it would be a show featuring really good amateurs that none of us have heard of. I would have enjoyed that." Instead, he saw a mix of experienced competitive players and challengers who, in his view, had little chance. "There were a few amateurs, but some of them couldn't play at all," he said, adding: "A few of them had never played an official match before."
Fourteen-year-old talent Jayden Walker, who had been seen as one of the contenders, also failed to reach his usual level. "You saw it with Jayden Walker too. He couldn't play at all, even though he's a really good player," Van der Voort said, pointing to the intense pressure of such an appearance. The challengers' behaviour towards one another also surprised him. "They're all standing there cheering each other on in the practice room, and they're all happy for one another. But surely you realise that if that person wins, you can no longer win that half-million?" he said. "Then they all start acting as if they've suddenly become best friends. It's ridiculous."
He said Sherrock's win must have been a huge disappointment for the players who had yet to face Littler, pointing in particular to 15-year-old Scottish talent Mitchell Lawrie, who lost his chance to play Littler after Sherrock's victory. "You must be gutted when Fallon hits that 15-darter. He had a really good chance of winning that leg. And then suddenly you could win half a million pounds. So, yes, I don't understand all that celebrating." During the podcast, his co-host pointed to the show's entertainment value, but Van der Voort stood by his verdict. The fact that viewers could vote on which challengers got to play did not change his mind. "I really didn't enjoy it at all," he reiterated.
