Emma Paton on the sights she has witnessed at Alexandra Palace since taking over as Sky Sports’ lead darts presenter
As Sky Sports’ lead darts presenter, Emma Paton is better qualified than most to assess the standard of fancy dress at the World Championship.
The backdrop of fans dressed as anything from traffic cones to cartoon characters and WWE wrestlers has become synonymous with the darting extravaganza, which concludes on Saturday as Luke Littler takes on Gian van Veen in the final, with a £1million top prize at stake.
Paton has also become a staple of the tournament since taking over from Dave Clark, who is battling Parkinson’s disease, as Sky’s main darts presenter. She has seen pretty much everything when it comes to fancy dress and her favourite supporter outfits show she’s the perfect pick to front Sky Sports’ coverage of the sport.
“I like the new ones,” she told the Mirror ahead of the 2024/25 tournament. “We’ve all seen the traffic cones, Mario and Luigi, a group of nuns. So, anything that’s a little bit more out there…
“I always like the Mona Lisa ones. They’re so big and take up so much space with the painting around them. I also remember there was a group of chips with one baked bean. I liked that.
“It’s like a mix between a stag-do and a major sporting event! Even driving up the hill to get there – and I’ll turn up hours before we go on air – there will be people in fancy dress.
“I don’t know where they’ve been or where they’re going because they’re not allowed in at that point! I always say I’ve got the best seat in the house in the studio because I can just sit there and watch it all unfold in front of me.”
Paton has witnessed numerous interesting antics outside the iconic venue. She recalled: “One of my first days of working on the Worlds when there were fans [as Covid-19 restrictions were eased] was, I think it might have been a traffic cone, and they just threw up in their own shoe!
“That was one of the very early images I was left with. It didn’t put me off. I just thought, ‘Wow, this is different!'”
Defending champion Littler booked his place with a handsome 6-1 victory over Ryan Searle, while Van Veen, the new Dutch number one, thrillingly saw off Gary Anderson 6-3 in the other semi-final.
The final will be shown on the Sky Sports Main Events and Sky Sports Darts channels. Coverage gets under way at 7.30pm before the players take to the stage at around 8.15pm.
Watch the World Darts Championship on Sky Sports
The PDC World Darts Championship gets underway on December 11 and fans can watch every match exclusively live with Sky’s Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle.