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In the 1970s and 80s the sport of darts was booming in the UK. It was on TV almost every week and the sport’s stars were household names.
But by 1989 the sport was in decline, and the world championship was the only event that was still televised.
The sport’s top players blamed the British Darts Organisation for failing to keep the game on TV and broke away to form their own competitions in 1993.
This rival tour became the Players Darts Council in 1997, which is now responsible for the sport’s biggest tournaments.
John Lowe MBE is a three-time world darts champion and was one of the rebel players. He’s been speaking to Tim O’Callaghan.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.
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(Photo: John Lowe at the 1993 Darts World Championship. Credit:Mark Leech/Offside via Getty Images)