Iconic darts star’s alternative ‘unable to sleep’ after making ‘terrible’ mistake
Replacing iconic figures can be hard, just ask David Moyes after following Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United or Lewis Jones stepping in to succeed darts stalwart John McDonald.
Jones was instructed as the man to lead the Professional Darts Corporation’s (PDC) coverage as their Master of Ceremonies (MC). The shoes to fill for McDonald are big, metaphorically and physically, something that the new MC learned about all too quickly after he decided to step away from the oche after the World Championships at Alexandra Palace in January 2026.
On the stage in Bahrain, Jones’ opening to the camera and the expectant crowd in the Middle East soon went viral after a mistake was clipped and then shared across social media.
Lewis Jones’ mistake quickly went viral(Image: Aidan Hunter/Action Plus/Shutterstock)
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“It was just awful,” he says. “I don’t know why, just the name of the tournament got muddled up in my head and I started looking around the stage for it and I couldn’t see it. It was just the most, honestly, I felt like the world would fall out my head, that was pretty tough.
“A couple of people said to me, ‘you’re going to make mistakes and it’s going to be tough, you’re going to get criticised for it’. So I knew that but you still don’t want to make them.”
High-profile mistakes are customary at any level of sports, whether it is missing three darts at a double or miscalculating a checkout to bust. Jones had to deal with the nightmares of that error, sparking the self-doubt and bout of imposter syndrome but he is now becoming more recognisable as his talents shine through.
And there is no better time to be involved within the darting world with record crowds and record prize money. In turn, there are more eyes on the sport than ever which opens up the opportunity for scrutiny.
The new voice of the arena, affectionately known as ‘Lewdog’, will spearhead the charge, offering a different approach to mastering the ceremonies than McDonald. But in doing so, he is forging his path in a way that is unapologetically different to the cult master of ceremonies that he replaced.
Jones is no stranger to the art of mastering the ceremonies having worked for MODUS Sports Management, who run independent darts events and manage some players.
John McDonald retired from duties last year(Image: Shane Healey/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock)
Already in his five months as the main man, he has been through the hardship, even making errors now that go unnoticed. Opening up the Premier League in Newcastle, the place of his dad’s birth, features highly in the list of growing achievements for Jones.
Jones shrugged off the embarrassment of the hiccup in the Middle East. He has received public backing from Vincent Van der Voort, with former world no.1 Luke Humphries among those acting as a close confidant to support him.
His predecessor, McDonald, has acted as a sounding board during the period of acclimatisation, while being thrust into the relentless schedule of the Premier League Darts has been hugely beneficial to settling in.
The highs and lows are part and parcel of new roles and change. For Jones, who is a likeable character on the tour with his energy, enthusiasm and the knack of whipping up a crowd, the support of his peers and those before him has been invaluable.
Jones says: “I don’t think I would’ve been able to do it without the way John was, in terms of the speed which it happened. Originally I came in to start a backup role, it was to give John more flexibility, to look after John. Then John retired probably a lot quicker than I think maybe people were expecting, certainly quicker than what I was expecting.
“It’s been amazing. Of course, it’s been tough at times. There have been days and nights where I’ve not been able to sleep and the self-doubt, a bit of imposter syndrome (creeps in). But I’ve had a lot of support as well, particularly John, we still regularly talk about things, still gives me advice.
Lewis Jones is currently at the World Matchplay(Image: Aidan Hunter/Action Plus/Shutterstock)
“The PDC have been amazing with me. When you learn their job and you happen to wait a long time in between things but to be honest, the World Championships, it doesn’t feel like it stopped really.
Jones will have to wait to MC at Ally Pally for the Worlds in December but next up on the PDC roadshow in the United Kingdom is the World Matchplay at Winter Gardens.
Its tournament that he holds in high esteem. He says: “ I’ve ticked a lot of them (tournament) off my sheet but the one for me to do is the main one at the Matchplay, I know I’ve done the women’s but to be doing the main event at the World Matchplay is going to be massive.
“I’ve always absolutely loved that tournament, you know, the Winter Gardens, there’s something about it, I just can’t wait to get there and do it.
“Some of the best matches you’ve ever seen have been at the World Matchplay. There’s been some incredible, unbelievable matches at the Matchplay and it’s something about that, the Emperors Ballroom, the noise in there, I don’t know what it is, it is like the sound of everything in there just sounds better when people are cheering in there.”
Jones will have to wait to MC at Ally Pally for the Worlds in December but he’s currently at another famous darting venue with the World Matchplay at Winter Gardens.
The wait has been agonising for Jones as he builds up to a tournament that he holds to high esteem. He says: “ I’ve ticked a lot of them (tournament) off my sheet but the one for me to do is the main one at the Matchplay, I know I’ve done the women’s but to be doing the main event at the World Matchplay is going to be massive.
“I’ve always absolutely loved that tournament, you know, the Winter Gardens, there’s something about it, I just can’t wait to get there and do it.
“Some of the best matches you’ve ever seen have been at the World Matchplay. There’s been some incredible, unbelievable matches at the Matchplay and it’s something about that, the Emperors Ballroom, the noise in there, I don’t know what it is, it is like the sound of everything in there just sounds better when people are cheering in there.
“It’s an incredibly exciting time. So I’m very, very lucky to be involved at the time it’s going on.”
