IN THE world of sport, there are few greater indications that the festive season is just around the corner than the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace appearing on TV screens in pubs and households up and down the country.

Like world tournaments in other sports, it’s the kind of competition that will attract interest beyond a sport’s usual niche.

This was demonstrated in last year’s final between eventual winner Michael Smith and his opponent Michael van Gerwen.

Both players set up nine-dart finishes early on in the match. Van Gerwen missed double 12 with his ninth dart, leaving the door open for Smith who hit treble 20, treble 19, and double 12 to cap what has gone down as the greatest leg of darts of all time.

The leg and the commentary on it by Wayne Mardle and Stuart Pyke were picked up by media around the world.

The moment went viral on social media, too. The PDC video on Twitter stands at 25.5 million views at the time of writing, and one recreation of the commentary on TikTok by Australian duo Shepmates currently has 7.6 million views.

Part of Mardle’s commentary was an adaptation of rugby league commentator Mick Morgan’s famous “I can’t spake” line, from the Castleford versus Wigan Regal Trophy final in 1994 — itself since gone viral in the internet age.

This helped propel this darts highlight across new media as well as traditional outlets.

Mardle omitted the subsequent expletives and outrage from Morgan’s original commentary as it was a different kind of moment.

It was one of celebration, rather than of anguish as was the case when Morgan was calling for Wigan prop Kelvin Skerrett to be sent off for a swinging arm on Cas forward Andy Hay.

"It was weird because I am just glad that Mardle never finished off the commentary from the rugby league version when he got the yellow card,” reigning champion Smith, himself a St Helens rugby league fan, told Sky Sports, who will broadcast the event.

“He made that nine-darter how special it was with the commentary.

“To be the face of it and take it global was weird but also disappointing as everyone was always talking about the nine and not about me winning!

“But now it is about me winning and the nine comes second to that.

“Because of that nine, the ratings just spiked and everyone tuned in.

“I was getting pictures sent of people in the crowd at the football watching the darts on their phones and stuff.”

Rather than playing out all first-round games in one go, the early stages of the event cleverly combine first round and second round games so there is always one of the higher-ranked players involved in each session.

Smith featured in the opening session on Friday evening, defeating the impressive Kevin Doets. Dave Chisnall and the in-form Gary Anderson both progressed on Saturday, while Joe Cullen and Luke Humphries featured in Sunday’s match-ups.

These early stages see eight games played on most days, until the quarter-finals on New Year’s Day when the real big-hitting matches begin.

Humphries is the favourite to take the world title this year, just ahead of Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price.

Humphries has won three major titles already this year, recently adding the Players Championship to wins in the World Grand Prix and the Grand Slam of Darts.

When at the oche, he has the nonchalance of a seasoned film extra, but the crowd at Alexandra Palace will test the nerve of any player, even the one nicknamed Cool Hand Luke.

Alexandra Palace is becoming the Crucible Theatre of darts. 

The contrast in atmosphere from the hushed rows of theatre seats at the World Snooker Championships to the rowdy beer hall tables of the palace couldn’t be any further apart, but in terms of a sense of setting and of a home for an indoor sport’s biggest tournament, they are comparable.

As darts makes its annual pilgrimage to the People’s Palace in London, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the world of sport.