In the 1970s and 80s, darts was booming in the UK, with weekly TV coverage and household-name stars. But by 1989, the sport had declined, leaving only the world championship televised.
Top players blamed the British Darts Organisation for failing to keep the game on TV and broke away in 1993 to form their own competitions. This rival tour became the Players Darts Council in 1997, which now runs the sport's biggest tournaments.
Three-time world champion John Lowe MBE, one of the rebel players, has been speaking to Tim O'Callaghan about the split. The story is featured in a BBC World Service podcast episode titled "Sporting Witness," released on 14 Feb 2026 and lasting 10 minutes, which explores historical sporting events through eyewitness accounts.
