Mitchell Lawrie hopes to face Luke Littler before £501,000 prize is won

Mitchell Lawrie hopes to get his chance at beating Luke Littler before another contestant claims the £501,000 prize in Netflix’s live darts special on Friday.

The 15-year-old from Renfrew is among 24 players selected for Beat Luke Littler at the Manchester Central Convention Complex. Coverage starts at 7pm UK time on Friday 30 October, with Gary Lineker hosting and Richard Osman providing analysis.

Lawrie arrives as the WDF world number one and reigning JDC Junior World Champion. But his place in the line-up does not guarantee a meeting with the two-time PDC world champion: the contestants must first compete for 20 places, and the competition ends as soon as someone beats Littler.

Mitchell Lawrie hopes his chance comes early

Each challenger who reaches the main competition will need to win a single leg of 501 against Littler to take the £501,000 prize.

Netflix says the successful contestants will be split into groups and randomly selected to face the world number one. Anyone waiting for their turn could see their opportunity disappear if an earlier challenger wins.

“If someone has already beaten Littler, that’s the show done,” Lawrie told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast.

He said there were “a bundle of good players in there” and admitted there were “a few big names I want to go before”.

The format gives every challenger a chance over a short distance, but Lawrie knows the difficulty of the task against the 19-year-old.

“Everybody there has a chance at the end of the day,” he said. “He is obviously the best player in the world so it may be only one leg of darts but it is a very hard leg to win.”

Despite his experience on major stages, Lawrie expects the occasion to bring nerves.

“There’s going to be nerves there obviously,” he said, adding that “being live on Netflix at 15 years of age is just something else”.

Scotland’s victory over Littler’s England team

Lawrie already has a winning memory from a team competition involving Littler.

He recalled Scotland’s 4-3 semi-final win over an England team including Littler at the JDC Junior World Cup in Gibraltar in 2023, when the tie went to a deciding leg.

Scotland then beat Ireland 4-0 in the final, with Lawrie hitting the winning double to secure the country’s first JDC Junior World Cup title.

“We also went on to win that tournament,” he said. “It is the first time Scotland ever won the World Cup and it was my first year.”

Lawrie described the achievement as “a surreal experience that I would love to have back”. Friday offers a different challenge, with a single leg against Littler potentially worth more than half a million pounds.

Mitchell Lawrie’s rise through the ranks

Known as “Wee Sox”, Lawrie has built an impressive record in both youth and senior darts. His Target Darts player profile lists him at number one in the WDF’s open and youth rankings.

In November 2025, he became the youngest player to win three senior WDF titles, aged 15 years and four days. His victories at the Welsh Open, British Open and Irish Classic broke a record previously held by Littler, according to Sky Sports.

He followed that breakthrough by winning the 2025 WDF World Youth Championship, beating Florian Preis 4-2, and reaching the senior final at Lakeside on the same day.

Lawrie led Jimmy van Schie 3-0 in the senior final before the Dutchman won six consecutive sets to take the title 6-3. Van Schie described the teenager as “the future of darts”.

Later that month, Lawrie added the JDC Junior World Championship title at Alexandra Palace, beating Kaya Baysal 5-2.

From a board on a chair to Netflix

Lawrie names two-time PDC world champion Gary Anderson as his inspiration and says he started playing when he was two, after his grandfather mounted a dartboard on a chair.

“It just spiralled from there,” he said.

He began taking darts seriously around three and a half years ago, having decided a career as a professional footballer was unlikely. His progress has since taken him to Lakeside, Alexandra Palace and now a live Netflix event.

When is Beat Luke Littler on Netflix?

Beat Luke Littler starts at 7pm UK time on Friday 30 October. Viewers need an active Netflix subscription to watch.

Read our Beat Luke Littler viewing guide for the start time, format and contestant details, or visit our darts hub for more coverage.

Mitchell Lawrie: your questions answered

How old is Mitchell Lawrie?

Mitchell Lawrie is 15. He was born on 4 November 2010 and is from Renfrew, Scotland. He turns 16 the week after the Netflix event.

What has Mitchell Lawrie won?

He won the 2025 WDF World Youth Championship and JDC Junior World Championship, and reached the senior WDF World Championship final at Lakeside.

Will Mitchell Lawrie play Luke Littler?

Not necessarily. The 24 contestants compete for 20 places, and the competition ends as soon as anyone beats Littler. Lawrie must qualify and get his turn before the prize is won.

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