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Sixteen-year-old Luke Littler is stealing the show at the World Darts Championship – and is now tipped as one of the favourites for the title.

Nicknamed “The Nuke”, the teenager’s sensational performances have seen him storm into the third round and have won plaudits from his idol Phil “The Power” Taylor.

Here’s everything you need to know about the sport’s new prodigy – from learning to play in nappies as a toddler to his celebratory meals going viral.

Playing darts at 18 months old

Luke Littler celebrates after winning against Christian Kist (not pictured) on day six of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, London. Picture date: Wednesday December 20, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story DARTS World. Photo credit should read: Zac Goodwin/PA Wire...RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.

He may only be a teenager but Littler, from Warrington, Cheshire, has been practising his throwing for some time.

He told Sky News: “There’s a video on YouTube of me when I was 18 months in a nappy listening to Raymond van Barneveld’s music, listening to Phil Taylor’s music, doing their celebrations.

“That’s when it started – 18 months and in a nappy on a magnetic board.

“[Aged] four or five I was on a proper board but it was a bit low and then about seven to eight (years old), that’s when I started playing [at] the proper height and the proper length. So it’s just been all darts in my life so far.”

Talent is one thing, but having the right support system to nurture it is just as important.

The teen clearly thinks a lot of his parents, who he says are “proud” of what he’s achieved so far.

“They just can’t believe (it), I can’t believe it myself,” he told Sky News.

“But it’s just good to have a set of parents who are supportive and that are always there for me and I’ve got a good management team around me. So it’s just the best group of people that can be around me, to be honest.”

Viral celebrations

A photo of Littler celebrating his first round win at the PDC World Dart Championships with a kebab went viral on social media.

The 16-year-old’s newly formed fan base probably expected a similar photo to come out after his second victory too, as he told Sky Sports he’d most likely tuck into another kebab to celebrate on Thursday night.

A plot twist came on Friday morning, though, as Littler revealed on Sky News that he opted for a different celebratory meal.

“Last night was just a standard KFC,” he boasted.

He’s clearly a down-to-earth lad, but with a World Darts Championship fixture looming over him until after Christmas, will Littler’s festive period feel a bit different to ours?

“It’s just like Christmas every year,” he said.

“Just chill, relax with the family, and obviously while they’re doing whatever, I’ll have to get on the board for a few hours each day and then obviously come back down, whenever the schedule’s next out.”

Fans and fame

Luke Littler walks out to play Christian Kist (not pictured) on day six of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, London. Picture date: Wednesday December 20, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story DARTS World. Photo credit should read: Zac Goodwin/PA Wire...RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.

Littler’s celebrity status is rising with every dart he throws.

His Instagram account has gone from 4,000 followers at the start of this tournament to 23,500 and counting.

He told Sky News he could feel the nation’s support while on the big stage.

“Everyone’s cheering, wanting my autograph and everything,” he said.

“Even young kids having my darts shirt on… It was good to see when I stepped on the stage.”

He also talked about the popularity of his personalised “The Nuke” darts sets.

“After my first two games in Ally Pally, 900 sets sold,” he said. “People all over the world… [I] couldn’t believe it. 900 sets, for winning two games at the Ally Pally!”

His career so far

Luke Littler

Littler won his first match at the PDC World Championship on Wednesday, averaging an astonishing 106.12 in his demolition of former Lakeside champion Christian Kist in the first round.

He then held off a mid-match charge from the experienced Andrew Gilding to knock out the 20th seed with a 3-1 win on Thursday night.

Littler’s matches have seen the famously rowdy crowd at London’s Alexandra Palace (or Ally Pally) chanting: “You’ve got school in the morning.”

His early form means he’s suddenly on his way to being a household name, but his talent has been evident for some time.

He won the England Youth Grand Prix in 2019, became England Youth Open champion in 2021 and won his first senior title at the Irish Open later that year.

He won the Welsh Open in 2022 and this year notched further senior titles at the Isle of Man Classic, Gibraltar Open, British Open and British Classic.

The 16-year-old is also a back-to-back JDC World Champion and reigning World Youth Champion.

Littler’s got big dreams

Luke Littler reacts during his match against Christian Kist (not pictured) on day six of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, London. Picture date: Wednesday December 20, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story DARTS World. Photo credit should read: Zac Goodwin/PA Wire...RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.

The rookie reckons he can go all the way this year, and bookies clearly agree – he’s their fifth favourite to take home the championship trophy.

“If my A-game is there throughout the tournament, then I don’t see why not,” he told Sky Sports News when asked if he backs himself to win it.

“I know I’ve got a good chance,” he went on.

“I just wanted to win my first-round game and then as soon as I got back to my hotel, I said to my dad, ‘let’s make sure we come back after Christmas’.

“Now I’ve overachieved and hopefully I can beat Matt [Campbell] and overachieve again.”

When asked about his hero Phil Taylor backing him to win the tournament, he added: “What Phil has said, it’s a nice thing. It’s unbelievable – my idol talking about me.

“I’ve got to beat whoever’s in front of me, and just got to go game by game and hopefully, I do win it.”

The Power isn’t the only former darts player singing his praises. Sky Sports Darts’ Wayne Mardle has said Littler is “probably the most naturally gifted player I have ever seen in my life”.

What’s next for Littler?

He’ll face 34-year-old Canadian Matt Campbell on 27 December, live on Sky Sports Darts, with the final taking place on 3 January.

If he goes all the way, Littler will celebrate his 17th birthday on 21 January as the world champion.

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Joy star James Norton on the ‘postcode lottery’ of IVF – and playing the scientist who was part of creating the first ‘test-tube baby’

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Joy star James Norton on the 'postcode lottery' of IVF - and playing the scientist who was part of creating the first 'test-tube baby'

Actor James Norton, who stars in a new film telling the story of the world’s first “test-tube baby”, has criticised how “prohibitively expensive” IVF can be in the UK.

In Joy, the star portrays the real-life scientist Bob Edwards, who – along with obstetrician Patrick Steptoe and embryologist Jean Purdy – spent a decade tirelessly working on medical ways to help infertility.

The film charts the 10 years leading up to the birth of Louise Joy Brown, who was dubbed the world’s first test-tube baby, in 1978.

James Norton stars in Joy. Pic: Kerry Brown/ Netflix
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In the UK, statistics show the proportion of IVF cycles paid for by the NHS has dropped from 40% to 27% in the last decade

Norton, who is best known for playing Tommy Lee Royce in the BAFTA-winning series Happy Valley, told Sky News he has friends who were IVF babies and other friends who have had their own children thanks to the fertility treatment.

“But I didn’t know about these three scientists and their sacrifice, tenacity and skill,” he said. The star hopes the film will be “a catalyst for conversation” about the treatment and its availability.

“We know for a fact that Jean, Bob and Patrick would not have liked the fact that IVF is now so means based,” he said. “It’s prohibitively expensive for some… and there is a postcode lottery which means that some people are precluded from that opportunity.”

Bill Nighy, Thomasin McKenzie and James Norton star in Joy. Pic: Netflix/ Kerry Brown
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Bill Nighy, Thomasin McKenzie and James Norton star in Joy. All pics: Netflix/ Kerry Brown

Now, IVF is considered a wonder of modern medicine. More than 12 million people owe their existence today to the treatment Edwards, Steptoe and Purdy worked so hard to devise.

But Joy shows how public backlash in the years leading up to Louise’s birth saw the team vilified – accused of playing God and creating “Frankenstein babies”.

Bill Nighy and Thomasin McKenzie star alongside Norton, with the script written by acclaimed screenwriter Jack Thorne and his wife Rachel Mason.

The couple went through seven rounds of IVF themselves to conceive their son.

James Norton and Thomasin McKenzie star in Joy. Pic: Kerry Brown/ Netflix
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Norton portrays scientist Bob Edwards, while McKenzie plays embryologist Jean Purdy

While the film is set in the 1970s, the reality is that societal pressures haven’t changed all that much for many going through IVF today – with the costs now both emotional and financial.

“IVF is still seen as a luxury product, as something that some people get access to and others don’t,” said Thorne, speaking about their experiences in the UK.

“Louise was a working-class girl with working-class parents. Working class IVF babies are very, very rare now.”

In the run-up to the US election, Donald Trump saw IVF as a campaigning point – promising his government, or insurance companies, would pay for the treatment for all women should he be elected. He called himself the “father of IVF” at a campaign event – a remark described as “quite bizarre” by Kamala Harris.

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Bill Nighy ‘proud’ of new film on IVF breakthrough

“I don’t think Trump is a blueprint for this,” Norton said. “I don’t know how that fits alongside his questions around pro-choice.”

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In the UK, statistics from fertility regulator HEFA show the proportion of IVF cycles paid for by the NHS has dropped from 40% to 27% in the last decade.

“It’s so expensive,” Norton said. “Those who want a child should have that choice… and some people’s lack of access to this incredibly important science actually means that people don’t have the choice.”

Joy is in UK cinemas from 15 November, and on Netflix from 22 November

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Cillian Murphy and wife Yvonne McGuinness buy cinema Oscar winner visited as a child

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Cillian Murphy and wife Yvonne McGuinness buy cinema Oscar winner visited as a child

Cillian Murphy and his wife Yvonne McGuinness have bought a cinema the Oscar-winning actor used to visit as a child.

The couple will refurbish The Phoenix Cinema in Dingle, County Kerry, south-west Ireland, next year.

The venue, which had previously been used as a dance hall, had been in operation for more than 100 years, and on the market for three before Murphy and McGuinness bought the building.

Oppenheimer and Peaky Blinders star Murphy, from Cork, said: “I’ve been going to see films at The Phoenix since I was a young boy on summer holidays.

“My dad saw movies there when he was a young man before me, and we’ve watched many films at The Phoenix with our own kids. We recognise what the cinema means to Dingle.”

McGuinness added: “We want to open the doors again, expand the creative potential of the site, re-establishing its place in the cultural fabric of this unique town.”

FILE - Cillian Murphy poses in the press room with the award for best performance by an actor in a leading role for "Oppenheimer" at the Oscars in Los Angeles on March 10, 2024. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
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Murphy won big this awards season. Pic: AP

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The Phoenix is the only cinema in the tourist area of the Dingle Peninsula, and without it, the closest other movie theatre for residents of the town is in Tralee, almost 30 miles away.

It opened in 1919 and was reconstructed twice in the decades that followed, after fires damaged the building.

Its previous owners struggled to keep The Phoenix going amid the COVID-19 pandemic and shut the cinema’s doors in November 2021, citing rising costs, falling attendance and challenging exhibition terms.

Murphy took awards season by storm this year, winning a Golden Globe, a Bafta and an Oscar for his performance as the titular character in Oppenheimer.

Next year, he will reprise one of his most well-known roles by playing Tommy Shelby in a movie version of Peaky Blinders.

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Ed Sheeran ‘helped Ipswich sign player’ before appearing on stage with Taylor Swift

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Ed Sheeran 'helped Ipswich sign player' before appearing on stage with Taylor Swift

Ed Sheeran helped Ipswich Town to sign a player over the summer just before getting on stage with Taylor Swift, according to the club’s chief executive.

Mark Ashton claims the pop star got on a video call to encourage a prospective new signing to seal his move to the East Anglia outfit.

He did not reveal the player’s name, but said he is “certainly scoring a few goals” and is a fan of Sheeran, who is a minor shareholder at his hometown club.

“Ed jumped on a Zoom call with him at the training ground, just before he stepped on stage with Taylor Swift,” Ashton told a Soccerex industry event in Miami.

“Hopefully that was a key part in getting the player across the line.”

Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran perform onstage during "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at Wembley Stadium on August 15, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management )
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Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran at Wembley Stadium. Pic: Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images

Sheeran and pop icon Swift were on stage together on 15 August at Wembley Stadium, one day before Sammie Szmodics signed from Blackburn.

After scoring an overhead kick in Ipswich’s 2-1 win over Tottenham this month, he shared a picture of himself with Sheeran on Instagram.

“Overhead kick, Win & a smudge with big ed. GET IN THERE,” Szmodics wrote alongside the post.

Ashton joked Sheeran is now “officially a part of our recruitment team”, adding he is a “local man” and “global superstar”.

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Sheeran has been the club’s shirt sponsor since 2021 and is regularly seen at matches at the club’s Portman Road stadium.

Ipswich host giants Manchester United on Sunday, a match that’s particularly notable for being Ruben Amorim‘s first game in charge of the Red Devils.

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