Darts Contestants
Here's a guide to the contestants involved in Let's Play Darts For Comic Relief...
Lee 'Hit The Board' Mack
An avid darts fan, Lee Mack grew up in a pub and at 17, and says he went on the dole so he could play darts all day. Lee has said he was convinced he would become a professional darts player. Lee beat Eric Bristow at darts at an event a few years ago. He said it is his greatest darts victory and rates himself as a 9 out of 10 for competitiveness. If Lee wins the Let's Play Darts trophy, he will keep it in his cellar, along with the seven losers who will be forced to stay there and just look at Lee's trophy all day.
Martin Adams: Martin 'Wolfie' Adams is one of the most recognisable faces of darts; he's played at every World Championship since 1994, winning the title three times in 2011, 2010 and 2007. Martin started playing darts seriously in pub leagues in 1981 and was made the captain of the England Darts team in 1993. He held the position until 2013 becoming the longest serving England Darts captain of all time. Having made his Lakeside debut in 1994 at the age of 37, Martin finally reached the final on his 12th attempt in 2005 where he lost to Raymond van Barneveld, 2-6. Most recently, Martin lost out to Let's Play Darts for Comic Relief coach Scott Mitchell in a one of the most exciting BDO championship finals in recent memory. Current BDO Ranking: 2.
Sean 'The Midwife' Lock
Sean Lock first played darts at the age of 10 when his brother got a dartboard. He rates himself as a darts player as much as the Queen rates herself as a footballer and currently describes his darting ability as "teetering on rubbish". If Sean wins the Let's Play Darts for Comic Relief trophy he is going to construct a special place in his home where he can display it. Sean's plan is to build a strip lit walkway which leads to an aquarium tunnel with sharks swimming overhead. The tunnel will then guide you to a marble staircase, where a cabinet with a button on it will be at the top. You will then press the button and then the trophy will rise up from the inside of the cabinet.
Ted Hankey: Ted 'The Count' Hankey is one of the greatest showmen in darts. His larger than life "on oche" persona has made him one of the most popular players of the sport. His walk-on is one of the most theatrical displays in the sport. He walks on wearing a cape and throws toy bats into the audience. His fans even occasionally throw bats on stage as a sign of appreciation. Ted has suffered from 'oche rage' during his career - getting angry at opponents or spectators during matches. Ted won the BDO World Championship in 2000 and 2009. Current BDO Ranking: 25.
Tim 'The Punaway Train' Vine
Tim Vine is a stand-up comedian and actor who is best known for his role on the BBC series Not Going Out and for his one-liners, which have won him several awards and a World Record. He is a very keen darts fan and has been playing since the age of 13. Growing up, Tim wished he could be a professional darts player and admits it's a dream he has never let go of. Tim has played darts against Lee Mack on a number of occasions and admits that they both take it very seriously. On who is the better player, Tim wouldn't be drawn on an answer and said, "We'll have to see". If Tim wins the Let's Play Darts for Comic Relief trophy he will display it on his front door and hopes to be able to replace his door knocker with it. He says he will also rename his house 'The Let's Play Darts for Comic Relief Cottage'.
Darryl Fitton: Darryl 'The Dazzler' Fitton is a very popular figure in the world of darts, known for his love of Ska music and often seen with dark shades on. To date, Darryl has taken part in part in 12 BDO World Championships. His best ever finishes came in 2005 and 2009 when he made it to the semi finals, losing out to Raymond Van Barneveld and Tony O'Shea respectively. He is known as a consistently high scorer and once broke the record for best average in a full, televised match, scoring an average of 114.15. He has also achieved the highly-coveted 9-dart finish, making him part of an elite club of players to complete such a feat. Before becoming a full time darts player, he was an undertaker. Current BDO Ranking: 12.
Bobby 'Carpets' Mortimer
Bob Mortimer is a British comedian and actor, best known for his double act with Vic Reeves on shows including The Smell Of Reeves And Mortimer, Shooting Stars and House Of Fools. Bob describes himself as an "incredible and futuristic" darts player with a "jerky but accurate" and "sensitive" style. He says he is "fearless" when facing the dart board and believes his technique could change the way people play for years to come. Whilst training for the tournament, Bob balanced his dartboard on loads of big packets of Anglo bubble gum in order to get it to the right height. As a reward, every time he hit three darts in the 20 segment, he had a piece of bubble gum. Bob thinks he has an excellent chance of winning the tournament and believes he must be the bookies' favourite. If Bob wins the Let's Play Darts for Comic Relief Trophy he will nail it to his front door.
Andy Fordham: Andy 'The Viking' Fordham is a much loved figure in the darts community. Since his debut in 1990 he has worked his way up to win the most prestigious tournaments around, including the BDO World Championship in 2004. His nickname ‘The Viking’ was actually started by Bobby George after Andy went to see him at an exhibition. Andy says "Next thing I knew a mate turned up to see me play in full Viking gear, head to toe, and it just stuck. But it seemed to suit me, being a big man with long hair and the beard." Current BDO Ranking: 134.
Roisin 'The Wedding Slinger' Conaty
Roisin Conaty is a stand-up comedian, writer and performer best known for starring in BBC Three hidden camera show Impractical Jokers and Channel 4 sitcom Man Down. Until she started training for this tournament, Roisin had hardly ever played darts before. She describes her darting ability as "barely legal" and her technique as "maverick". Roisin describes herself as very competitive. She says she was the kind of child that would pick up the ball and take it away if she was losing. She also admits to being a rule breaker and is known to cheat at board games in order to win. Her darting strength is her "fearlessness in the face of hostility" and Roisin's favourite thing about the world of darts is the 'couture'. When asked about her chance of winning the tournament, Roisin said, "I believe in miracles".
Richie George: 'Richie Rich' is the son of the darts legend Bobby George. Three years into his career he has stepped out from his father's shadow and has started carving an image and reputation of his own. His best BDO World Championships result to date is reaching the 2013 Semi-Finals and he is the first son of a pro darts player to play at Lakeside. Richie's first TV appearance came at the tender age of four during a BBC News piece that showed him learning how to play darts in his father's pub in the family home, George Hall. Current BDO Ranking: 35.
Richard 'The BFG' Osman
Richard Osman, aka the Big Frimley Giant (BFG), is a television presenter, writer and producer. He is best known for co-presenting BBC One quiz show, Pointless and hosting BBC Two's Two Tribes. A huge darts fan, Richard has had a darts board since he was 7 years-old and has always loved watching it on TV. Richard describes his darts style as "fluid and graceful - like a darting Tiger Woods." His signature move is "missing doubles" and feels that being tall is a huge disadvantage in darts explaining that a short forearm is key to being a good darts player and so tall people are naturally at a disadvantage. Richard is very competitive - he loves to compete and do his best but is not as fussed about winning. He says he is "a gallant loser."
Deta Hedman: Deta 'The Dark Destroyer' Hedman is one of the greatest female darts players in recent history. She has won some of the most prestigious titles in the darts world including the World Masters, Europe Cup, Las Vegas Desert Classic and Zuiderduin Masters. She was runner-up in the 2012 and 2014 BDO Women's World Championships and has been awarded BDO Ladies Personality of the Year 6 times; in 2012, 2010, 1996, 1995, 1991 and 1990. She was also awarded BDO Ladies Player of the Year on 4 occasions; in 2012, 1997, 1996 and 1991. At the 2005 Budweiser UK Open, Deta become the first lady to defeat a male player in a televised major. She won 4-3 against Aaron Turner. As well as being a pro darts player, Deta has a full time job with the Royal Mail. Current BDO Ranking: 2.
Liza 'Queen Of Darts' Tarbuck
Liza Tarbuck is an actress, television and radio presenter. She currently hosts her own Saturday night Radio 2 show. On getting involved in this year's Let's Play Darts for Comic Relief, Liza says "I've always played darts, it's an everyman game, I thought it was a great idea. The company assembled was too good to miss." Liza is excited just to be playing with the pros, but as she has been coached by Scott Mitchell she 'likes to think a bit of her natural skill has rubbed off on him'. She jokingly says that 'she is currently negotiating for him to be my stunt double in a remake of John and Yoko's Film No 4... It's very exciting.' On her chances she says "I got two hours coaching with Scott and Gary Stafford and my game went steadily downhill. It's now awful. I was match ready, and now I'm squinting at the board with my tongue out, and my shoulder hurts putting deodorant on... bring it on."
Bobby George: Bobby 'King Of Bling' George is a darts legend, widely recognised as one of the sport's most charismatic and colourful characters, known for his extravagant entrances, love of flashy jewellery and larger than life personality. He has taken part in 15 BDO World Championships. His best ever finishes were as runner up in 1980, when he lost to Eric Bristow in the final, and 1994, when he lost out to John Part. Bobby only started playing darts at the age of 30. The first time he played was when a friend of his was one man down for his pub darts team, and talked Bobby into playing. One year later he turned pro. Traditionally Bobby makes his way to the oche holding a candelabra with a jewel incrusted crown on his head. He is coming out of retirement for Let's Play Darts for Comic Relief. Current BDO Ranking: Retired.
Martin 'Chariots' Offiah
Martin Offiah is a former professional rugby league player who played from the late 1980's until the early 2000s. Martin represented both England and Great Britain as a winger. Coincidentally, he scored 501 tries in his rugby career, making him the third highest try-scorer of all time. Martin says his darts strength is that he is always up for a challenge and won't crumble under pressure. His weakness is his lack of experience and his greatest fear when facing the dartboard is missing the board completely. Martin describes Let's Play Darts as a challenge where he will be out of his comfort zone. He says if he wins the Let's Play Darts for Comic Relief trophy, he will display it in his downstairs loo next to his Celebrity Gladiators runner-up trophy which, despite all his rugby medals, is the biggest trophy he's ever won.
Anastasia Dobromyslova: Anastasia 'From Russia with Love' Dobromyslova is current BDO World Champion and one of the world's leading female darts players, winning the World Championship three times in 2008, 2012 and 2013. As BDO Women's World Champion in 2008, she was invited to play in the Grand Slam of Darts - the first time a female darts player was asked to do so. Anastasia became the second female player to win a match at a men's world darts tournament, beating Dutchman Vincent van der Voort at the 2009 PartyPoker.com Grand Slam of Darts. She started playing darts at the age of 12, and has won the Russian National Championship a total of seven times. Current BDO Ranking: 1.
Let's Play Darts For Comic Relief is a 7-part BBC Two series. It starts on the 1st March.