1982: Jocky Wilson Said

Looking back at the story behind the unexpected appearance of a Scottish darts legend on BBC One's flagship music programme.

Thursday September 30, 1982: At 7.35pm millions of people settle down in their living rooms to watch Top of the Pops, BBC One's weekly music programme that provides a shared experience up and down the country; from the parents complaining about the musical output or the clothing worn, to kids discussing the programme the next day at school.

As Yellow Pearl by Phil Lynott kicks in, the lights flash, and the records flying towards us are obliterated, the anticipation builds. Who will be presenting the show? Who will be performing? And which dancers will be able to thrust themselves towards the cameras whilst retaining a tiny bit of their dignity?

1980s World Darts Championships

This week I am taking a look back at the World Darts Championships in the 1980s. A decade dominated by Eric Bristow, cigarettes and alcohol, and a ten year period that saw the sport rise and fall. There were a few dodgy number ones along the way too.

1984 World Darts Championship

This week I am taking a look back on the 1984 World Darts Championships, as Eric Bristow emphatically rights the wrong of the previous year, Keith Deller finds it tough at the top, John Lowe causes ire, and a slightly tipsy Jocky Wilson takes a tumble in a classic semi-final.

1986 World Darts Championship

The 1986 World Darts Championship may have been played at a different venue, but it was very much a case of the same old story come the end of the final. Eric Bristow celebrated his fifth world title on the stage of the Lakeside Country Club, and his period of domination looked set to continue for years to come. The fact that this would be his last world championship may have been surprising, but his march to a third consecutive title had a chilling inevitability about it from the off.

1989 World Darts Championship

Such was the popularity of darts in the UK at the start of the 1980s that it was hardly surprising come the end of the decade that the nation's love affair with the sport had waned considerably. As with any relationship, you have the initial excitement, the buzz of anticipation during those early days when everything is so new and different, but over time you have to be on your guard that things do not become stale and repetitive, otherwise there may be trouble ahead.

In 1989, darts and television were definitely going through a cooling off period. The BDO World Championships was now the only tournament to be shown live on national television, and although the image of the sport was being addressed - this would be the first World Championships where players could not drink alcohol on stage - the writing was on the wall for the marriage. 

The messy divorce would arrive in 1993, which eventually would lead us to the world of darts that we see today. In 1989 though, this seemed a million miles away, as the world's best players arrived at the Lakeside Country Club, Frimley Green, Surrey, to contest the 12th World Darts Championship.

Keith Deller: 1983 World Darts Champion

Sporting legacies are all well and good, but there is something to be said for that one occasion in a sporting career where everything seems to click for the competitor involved. A one-off performance when all falls into place, or a tournament where for some reason, the participant can do no wrong, and is fully in the zone. 

So for every Davis or Hendry, there will always be a Joe Johnson; Sampras may have dominated Wimbledon, but for two glorious weeks in 1996, Richard Krajicek reached levels that he probably didn't know existed in his game; and Bristow may have ruled world darts in the early to mid-eighties, though for one magical week in 1983 in Stoke-on-Trent, Keith Deller, a 23-year-old from Ipswich, shocked the darting world by becoming the first qualifier to win the World Championship, and the youngest winner at that.