THIS INCREDIBLE DVD TELLS THE COMPLETE STORY OF DARTS FROM ITS EARLY BEGINNINGS IN ENGLISH PUBS IN THE MIDDLE AGES RIGHT THROUGH TO THE DRAMATIC TELEVISED COMPETITIONS OF THE EMBASSY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.

 

PRESENTED BY THE LEGENDARY BOBBY GEORGE, THE BBC'S FACE OF DARTS, THE PROGRAMME USES A MIX OF ARCHIVE FOOTAGE AND STILLS TO TELL THE EARLY HISTORY, BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE TELEVISED ARE FROM THE 70s ONWARDS.

 

IT ALL STARTED IN 1978, WHEN WELSHMAN LEIGHTON REES BEAT ENGLISHMAN JOHN LOWE 11-7 IN THE FIRST EVER EMBASSY WORLD DARTS FINAL.  LOWE REMAINS ONE OF THE MOST ENDURING CHARACTERS IN THE GAME, CAPTURING A WORLD TITLE IN THREE DIFFERENT DECADES, GOING ON TO WIN AGAIN IN 1987 AND 1993.  BUT WAS “CRAFTY COCKNEY”, ERIC BRISTOW, WHO RULED DARTS DURING THE 80s.  HE CLAIMED THE FIRST OF HIS EMBASSY WORLD TITLES IN 1980 BY BEATING VETERAN BOBBY GEORGE AND HE SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDED IT THE FOLLOWING YEAR.  BUT BRISTOW'S DOMINATION WAS OCCASIONALLY CHALLENGED BY OTHER LEGENDS OF THE BOARD, NOTABLY JOCKY WILSON AND JOHN LOWE.

 

YET ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS FINALS OF THE 80s TOOK PLACE BETWEEN BRISTOW AND THE RELATIVELY UNKNOWN KEITH DELLER, WHO HAD ALREADY KNOCKED OUT WILSON AND LOWE.  DELLER, GIVEN LITTLE HOPE, TRIUMPHED IN PERHAPS THE MOST EXCITING FINAL IN EMBASSY DARTS HISTORY WHEN HE BEAT BRISTOW 6-5 IN THE 1983 THRILLER.  IT WOULD BE HIS FINEST HOUR.

 

BY THE TURN OF THE DECADE, BRISTOW GAVE WAY TO HIS GREAT FRIEND PHIL TAYLOR WHO WON TWO WORLD TITLE DURING THE 90s INCLUDING THE EPIC 1992 VICTORY OVER MIKE GREGORY, THE GREATEST GAME OF DARTS EVER SEEN.  DUTCHMAN RAYMOND BARNEVELD WAS TO MATCH TAYLOR'S RECORD OF TWO EMBASSY CHAMPIONSHIP WINS IN 1998 AND 1999, AND THE PROGRAMME IS BOUGHT RIGHT UP TO DATE WITH THE EMERGENCE OF FIRST-TIME EMBASSY WINNER AUSTRALIAN TONY DAVID IN 2002 AND THE FIRST EVER LIVE 9 DART FINISH ACHIEVED BY SHAUN GREATBATCH AT THE DUTCH OPEN IN FEBRUARY 2002.

 

A SENSATIONAL DVD TO BE WATCHED AGAIN AND AGAIN BY DARTS FANS EVERYWHERE.

 

Total running time – 170 Minutes