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Way before the stunning emergence of Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen and Luke Humphries – plus the razzmatazz, sell-out crowds and wall-to-wall TV coverage of today – we had the first golden era of darts. And what a truly wonderful, halcyon period it was, too. And with the World Championship now just around the corner, this special edition takes a look back at the legends of the game. The image of darts was very different back in the 1970s, ‘80s and early ‘90s – it was booze, beer bellies and bullseye. With their double chins, large builds and fags or pints in hand, some of the players certainly didn’t look the part of professional sportsmen. They played hard – on and off the oche. But what characters – and experts with the arrows – they were. The nation fell in love with the stars of yesteryear as they made a traditional old pub sport mainstream. Eric Bristow, Jocky Wilson, John Lowe, Bobby George, Keith Deller, Cliff Lazarenko... The names, and many more on top, just reel off the tongue for sports fans of a certain vintage. They became household names, hugely-popular figures watched by millions of gripped viewers who tuned in to no fewer than 23 televised TV tournaments a year at one point. Darts had suddenly become big. One or two players even became known as housewives favourites – or unlikely sex symbols! Increasing the fame was the huge hit quiz show Bullseye, featuring players throwing for charity, which had a prime Sunday night TV slot and drew in a bumper audience of 20 million for one Christmas special. The rivalries were intense. Bristow v Lowe, Wilson v Bristow, Lowe v Wilson. Lazarenko versus Bob Anderson, Mike Gregory against Bobby George, Dave Whitcombe locking horns with Peter Evison. All aided by some truly epic commentary lines uttered by the peerless Sid Waddell. Inspired by the sudden new popularity of darts, the next generation quickly arrived towards the end of the decade and the start of the ‘90s. Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor – record-breaker galore – Dennis Priestley, John Part. They increased the level of competition even further. We used to see some titanic tussles and great storylines, whether at Jollees, Lakeside or Circus Tavern before the days of the Ally Pally. The incredible tales surrounding so many of these original darts stars are covered off in this special Daily Star supplement designed to pay tribute to them. A step back in time really does make for some fascinating reading. Sometimes you simply can’t beat a good old bit of nostalgia. Not when it’s this good, anyway! Click HERE to buy online and have it delivered directly to your door, or you can purchase it in participating supermarkets, high street retailers and independent newsagents in the UK from November 5, 2025. Online postage and packaging costs apply.
