Sky Sports host Polly James lifts lid on World Darts Championship chaos and bumping into A-Listers at Ally Pally
OCHE rock chick Polly James says that darts is now the hottest ticket in town for A-listers.
The Welsh Radio X DJ will be on our Sky Sports screens this week as the PDC World Darts Championship returns.
James is the coolest presenter on TV as she interviews the new sporting heroes of the arrows.
She was a fan herself having once attended the Ally Pally dressed as Marge Simpson and now reckons it’s crazier than ever. But she also admits getting social media haters because of her neck tattoos.
James told SunSport: “The best fancy dress I’ve seen this year is the Hangover guy with the baby. I think it’s been done a lot but I’ve not seen it at the darts.
“I once came as Marge Simpson and the rest of the times I came I was in the VIP and you’re not allowed fancy dress in there!
“I think it’s important that it’s always a party. The fans expect it to be like that at the Ally Pally, so I want to play my part in the fun.
“Every year it just seems to get louder and louder at the venue.
“It’s my perfect place. Loud music, fancy dress, it’s like my own festival, it gives me goosebumps.
“I’ve seen Liam Gallagher, Slipknot, Sam Fender, Maccabees at the Ally Pally; it just proves how big time darts has become. It is the hottest ticket in town.
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“It’s so hard to get a ticket. Some people are gifted at getting tickets online, I’m not one of them. I didn’t get an Oasis or Glastonbury ticket despite trying so hard.
“I’m pretty sure they could have sold twice the amount of tickets for this tournament every day.
“They say that darts is now for A-listers and I’d agree, so many people ask me about it. It’s a trendy thing to go to, everyone wants to go.
“Jack Whitehall was here the other night dressed as Ali G with his mates, just in with the fans.
“He does that because he can’t wear fancy dress in the VIP bit. I’m sure before he turned up one year as the Wizard of Oz character but got turned away from VIP!”
James, who once got Tom Jones to sign her knickers, does the Radio X weekend show from 1-4pm every Saturday and Sunday.
But she also loves her darts reporting job with Sky Sports as it has boomed in popularity.
She added: “It’s not just down to Luke Littler. He did take the sport into more households during the last World Championship.
I’ve seen Liam Gallagher, Slipknot, Sam Fender, Maccabees at the Ally Pally; it just proves how big time darts has become. It is the hottest ticket in town.
Polly James
“But the Michael Smith perfect leg final the year before was also huge, it was everywhere like American TV and across the globe.
“I’ve always felt proud to work in darts but after that it seemed to explode.”
The only downside to being watched by millions is the social media abuse about her body art.
She added: “I do have rhino skin when it comes to the social media hate about my tattoos.
“You have to be like that when you work on a platform with radio and TV. Even though I have that hard shell, I can still be soft.
“I really take pride in my work so I just wish sometimes people would judge me on my work, not my appearance.
“I have ‘Family’ on one side of my neck and a rose on the other side.
“There’s such a poignant reason for the words because my big family mean so much to me.”