Luke Littler to face 24 amateur darts players for £501,000 prize
Luke Littler is due to play 24 amateur darts players in Manchester, with £501,000 for the first challenger to beat him over a single leg of 501.
How it was covered
- ITV was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on the unusual one-leg challenge, the £501,000 prize and the young amateurs.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC One, Channel 4, GB News and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
Luke Littler will take on 24 amateur darts players in Manchester this evening. The first challenger to beat him over a single leg of 501 will win £501,000, just over half a million pounds. ITV reported that the referee Huw called it the second biggest prize darts has ever given.
ITV's Lunchtime News reported that each contender will go head to head with the world champion and world number one. The reporter Liam Kenny went to the venue in Manchester and said he had been around darts for a long time without seeing a concept quite like it.
ITV reported that some contenders are as young as Littler was when he broke through, and that one is 15 years old. Kenny spoke to some of the amateur players and described them as a confident bunch. One contender said he could not wait and hoped it would go his way, while accepting the event would be different from the previous week.
ITV also interviewed Huw, a darts referee who has officiated in two world finals. He said calling the winning double for an amateur to win half a million pounds would be 'right up there' with his career highlights and would be life-changing for the player.
Littler told ITV he had been practising ahead of the event. He said: 'Either I get the money give it to charity or someone walks over half a million quid.' He added that the contest would be competitive and take a lot out of him, and that it would be one of his best achievements so far.
The ITV report ended with Kenny trying for double top at the venue and missing.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A darts event gives 24 amateur players the chance to face Luke Littler over a single leg of 501, with the first to beat him winning a prize described as half a million pounds. | |
| One of the amateur challengers is 15 years old. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV1 treated the event as a light human-interest preview from the Manchester venue. It focused on the unusual one-leg format, the £501,000 prize and the ages of the amateur contenders, with interviews with players, the referee Huw and Littler. The tone was warm and promotional, and the report offered no outside criticism.
- “I don't think I've ever come across a concept quite like this”
- “It's literally the second biggest prize that darts has ever given”
- “Either I get the money give it to charity or someone walks over half a million quid”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 13:49 GMT
Luke Littler, world number one
ITV Lunchtime News · Fri 30 Oct
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.