Following Luke Littler’s latest run-in with a hostile crowd over the weekend, the Sky Sports Love The Darts Podcast has debated whether it is time for the world champion to change his approach.
Littler’s bid for a clean sweep of all major PDC titles in 2026 was ended on Sunday after a crushing 10-4 defeat to Jonny Clayton in the last eight at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam, but the action was overshadowed by the Brit’s unhappiness at being repeatedly whistled at by the Dutch crowd.
After facing significant hostility during his win over home favourite Danny Noppert on Friday, Littler threatened to boycott future tournaments in the Netherlands after being booed and whistled at during his victory over Nathan Aspinall on Saturday, prompting referee Charlie Corstorphine to intervene.
Littler has taken a stance against volatile crowds before, refusing to travel to European Tour events in Germany as a result of his treatment from fans there.
On the latest episode of the Love The Darts Podcast, World Series of Darts Finals champion Ross Smith explained his own approach to hostile crowds, which he admits is inspired by three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
“It’s a real difficult situation,” Smith said. “I can’t speak for Luke because I’m not him and I wasn’t in his position, I wasn’t on stage at the time. I didn’t really experience the whistling too much. I try not to rise to it because I know you’re just going to get more stick.
“My manager once said to me, if you look at Michael van Gerwen, he never reacts, not once will he ever react to the crowd. He’ll always thank them and he never really gets too much stick and he’s very professional about how he does things. So, I admire him for that and I try and learn off of other people.
“I had a bit with Kevin Doets, obviously the crowd, rightly so, they’re cheering their local guy on. Same with Gian [van Veen], they’re doing exactly the same, but I think if you’re aggressive towards the crowd and you’re letting them know that it’s affecting you and you’re making them unhappy, it’s not a good thing.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
“I tried to, with Gian, I had more banter with them, you know what I mean? Just like thumbs up to them, but smiling, not in an aggressive way and they sort of laugh with you, it’s not a problem.
“I think it’s how you can react on stage, if you’re aggressive towards them, it’s going to create problems for you. But like I said, I can’t really comment on Luke because I wasn’t playing in the games with Luke and I don’t know what he actually went through, but they can be brutal at times.”
Nicholson: Maybe Littler can learn from others
Former world championship quarter-finalist Paul Nicholson praised Smith’s approach, and suggested that Littler could benefit from learning from some of his rivals.
Nicholson, who himself was known for often having fractious interactions with crowds, also pointed to the way 2021 world champion Gerwyn Price has adapted his behaviour on stage.
Following on from Smith’s comments, Nicholson said: “That’s a really, really good way of looking at it, what Ross has just said, because from my standpoint, I tried to be aggressive because I wanted to be different and it was something that I had my entire career for, more than 10 years.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
“Gerwyn Price has taken years to figure it out. Now he gives the smile with the aggression, and the crowd are with him more than they ever have been.
“So, it just goes to show that Ross is looking at this right, in order to make sure that his career is in the right place moving forward.
“So, we learn from mistakes, but we actually learn from what other people are going through as well. We don’t want to see Littler not going to events, but maybe he can learn from what other people are doing as well.”
Why whistling is worse than booing for players
Nicholson also explained why Littler and other players may become particularly frustrated at being whistled.
He added: “We have seen Littler have some banter with the crowd, which we’re all for by the way, because we want people to have that connection. One of the greatest things about this sport is that there is a connection between the fans and the stars.
“But what we have at the minute is a trend of people using whistling as a way to make themselves feel heard. Dart players don’t like it because it’s piercing. It gets in your ear and it happens in a very short, sharp way, and it comes from nowhere.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
“You don’t know if it’s going to come when you’re throwing a match dart, a leg dart, or even going for a treble. If it comes out of nowhere, it can put you off and your shoulder jolts, and you don’t want that.
“A boo is a lesser frequency and it’s more mundane, you can handle them a lot better. But these short, sharp whistles, which is what they are, they’re horrible.
“And the worst thing is, if it happens once, you are thinking about whether it’s going to happen again, and you can’t fully focus.”
Sky Sports remains the home of darts with the World Grand Prix (September 28-October 4), Grand Slam of Darts (November 14-22) and World Darts Championship (December 10-January 3) all live. Stream darts and more through NOW with no contract.