Former world champion Stephen Bunting has credited “megastar” Luke Littler with lifting darts to new heights as he prepares for the start of another raucous PDC World Championship at Alexandra Palace later this month.

Bunting admits the sport’s popularity is a world away from when he won the now-defunct BDO title in 2014, and says the 17-year-old’s extraordinary rise has rubbed off on his rivals.

“What Luke has done for our sport in such a short space of time is just incredible, and he is the name on everybody’s lips,” Bunting told the PA news agency.

“He’s a megastar and he’s taken our sport to the top echelons. We were already up there for viewing figures behind Premier League football, but it is now at another level.

“I notice it when I go shopping and I get young kids asking me for autographs and pictures, which never really happened before. It just shows how Luke’s success is bringing the demographic of darts fans down.”

Such is the sport’s current popularity – last year’s final, in which Littler was pipped by Luke Humphries, was the most watched non-football event in Sky Sports history – it has even been afforded the honour of a Panini trading card set.

Current stars, including Littler and Bunting, and some of the sport’s most famous champions feature in the set which for avid collector and staunch Liverpool fan Bunting is another sign of its extraordinary evolution.

“I remember going down the shops to get a pack and getting the shiny crests,” added Bunting. “I always had the sticker book for the year and I’ve still got them now.

“It’s surreal that darts has its own set now, and I’ll certainly be trying to get the Luke Littler one because that could be worth a bit of money in a few years’ time.”

Bunting goes into this year’s tournament as a live contender after winning The Masters in Milton Keynes last February, although he could run into defending champion Humphries in the quarter-final.

A long-time favourite of the Ally Pally crowd, the St Helens-born star cautioned against suggestions by the sport’s supremo Barry Hearn of a future move away from the venue which has hosted every World Championship since 2008.

“In my eyes it would be sad to move away from Ally Pally because it is an unbelievable place for darts,” added Bunting.

“You go there each year and there’s people dressed as Christmas trees and Batman and Robin. It’s a special place for players, officials and fans and it’s just a special venue.”

:: Panini has today launched the first-ever PDC Trading Card collection featuring current stars and historic legends ahead of the 2024/25 PDC World Darts Championship.