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Robert Francis George (born 16 December 1945) is an English television presenter and former professional
darts Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small sharp-pointed missiles known as darts at a round target known as a dartboard. Points can be scored by hitting specific marked areas of the bo ...
player. He is widely recognised as one of the game's biggest personalities, known for his flamboyant entrances in which the "King of Darts" makes his way to the stage bedecked in jewellery, wearing a crown and cloak and holding a candelabra to the
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
song '
We Are the Champions "We Are the Champions" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released from the band's sixth album ''News of the World'' (1977). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, it remains among rock's most recognisable anthems.
'. George won several leading major darts tournaments, he won the
News of the World Darts Championship The News of the World Championship was one of the first major organised darts competitions, which began in 1927. It became England's first national darts competition from 1947, as the years went by it gradually became international essentially ...
twice and appeared in two BDO Darts World Championship finals and was the first full-time exhibition player. Since 1998, George has also worked for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
as a co-presenter and promoter of the game in their coverage of darts tournaments.


Career

George took up darts at the age of 30, and quickly improved, winning the first tournament he entered and making his first appearance at the
World Masters The World Masters, known for sponsorship reasons as the Mita/Sky World Masters, was a snooker tournament held between 13 and 26 January 1991. Conceived by promoter Barry Hearn, the tournament had a similar format to the Grand Slam events in tenn ...
less than a year later. He has won several major tournaments, including the ''News of the World'' Championship in 1979 and 1986, the
Butlins Butlin's is a chain of large seaside resorts in the United Kingdom. Butlin's was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families. Between 1936 and 1966, ten camps were built, including one in Ireland and o ...
Grand Masters in 1979 and 1980, the North American Open in 1978 and the Nations Cup in 1980, as part of an England triples team with Tony Brown and
John Lowe John Lowe may refer to: Sports * John Lowe (darts player) (born 1945), English darts player. * John Lowe (footballer) (1912–1995), Scottish football player * John Lowe (rugby league), English rugby league footballer * John Lowe (cricketer) (18 ...
. And he was WDF Europe Cup champion in 1982 beating
Eric Bristow Eric John Bristow, (25 April 1957 – 5 April 2018), nicknamed "The Crafty Cockney", was an English professional darts player. He was ranked World No. 1 by the World Darts Federation a record five times, in 1980, 1981 and 1983–1985. He was ...
in the final. George's ''News of the World'' victory in 1979 came without dropping a single leg, the only player to do so. Winning the 1979 final with a 100.20 average. Bobby was the first player to get over 100 average on television. George has reached the final of the
BDO World Darts Championship The WDF World Darts Championship is a world championship competition in darts, organised by the World Darts Federation. It would previously organised by the British Darts Organisation (BDO), who held it 43 times from 1978 to 2020. The champion ...
twice. His first final in 1980 was his first appearance in a BDO World Darts Championship: after beating
Dave Whitcombe David Whitcombe (born 27 June 1954) is an English former professional darts player who won several major tournaments and reached two World Championship Finals between 1980 and 1992. Biography Whitcombe was twice a winner of the Winmau World M ...
,
Leighton Rees Leighton Thomas Rees (17 January 1940 – 8 June 2003) was a Welsh professional darts player. He is best known as the first BDO World Professional Darts Champion, having won the inaugural 1978 BDO World Darts Championship and was a former Wor ...
and
Cliff Lazarenko Cliff Lazarenko (born 16 March 1952) is an English former professional darts player. Nicknamed "Big Cliff" due to his height (193 cm / 6'4") and weight (over 127 kg at his peak), he is known for being a colourful character on and off the stage ...
, he lost to
Eric Bristow Eric John Bristow, (25 April 1957 – 5 April 2018), nicknamed "The Crafty Cockney", was an English professional darts player. He was ranked World No. 1 by the World Darts Federation a record five times, in 1980, 1981 and 1983–1985. He was ...
. George reached his second world final in 1994. After beating
Russell Stewart Russell "Rusty" Stewart (born 9 October 1960 in Melbourne) is an Australian former professional darts player. He used the nickname Rusty for his matches. Playing career Stewart was one of the most successful Australian darts players of the 1 ...
and Martin Phillips, he broke his back when celebrating winning a set during his quarter final match against
Kevin Kenny Kevin Kenny (born 3 April 1961) is an English former professional darts player who played for England and Merseyside. Career Kenny received 12 caps for England, winning 11 times, and 116 caps for Merseyside, winning 92. He was also a two tim ...
. George got through that match against Kenny by 4–2 in sets, having damaged his back when celebrating going 3–2 up. In his semi final match against
Magnus Caris Magnus Caris (born 15 November 1968) is a Swedish former professional darts player who competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO) and Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. BDO career Caris made seven BDO World Darts Championship appea ...
, George went two sets up, but then lost the next four sets and the opening two legs of the seventh set. When Caris missed a dart at double 18 to win the match, George responded by winning nine legs in a row to win the match 5–4 in sets. Competing in the final against doctor's advice, Wearing a steel corset, George lost 0–6 to John Part playing in extreme pain. A few weeks after that final, it was found that he had literally broken his back and had to have eight titanium screws inserted into the base of his spine just so that he could stand upright. Since 1998, George has been a co-presenter and pundit on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
darts coverage, primarily of the BDO World Championship. He has also made several other television appearances, not all relating to darts. In 2002, he played himself in
Sean Lock Sean Lock (22 April 1963 – 16 August 2021) was an English comedian and actor. He began his comedy career as a stand-up comedian and in 2000 he won the British Comedy Award, in the category of Best Live Comic, and was nominated for the Pe ...
's sitcom '' 15 Storeys High'', while in 2004, he starred in the comedy film ''One Man and His Dog'' and later followed in the footsteps of fellow professional darts player
Andy Fordham Andrew Fordham (2 February 1962 – 15 July 2021) was an English professional darts player, commonly known as The Viking. He won the 2004 BDO World Darts Championship and the 1999 Winmau World Masters. Darts career Fordham made his first ap ...
by taking part in the ITV programme ''
Celebrity Fit Club ''Celebrity Fit Club'' is a reality television series that follows eight overweight celebrities as they try to lose weight for charity. Split into two competing teams of four, each week teams are given different physical challenges, and weighed t ...
''. In 2006, he appeared in a regular segment of '' Brainiac: Science Abuse'' series 4, in which he played darts in order to explode caravans. He was also a team captain in '' Showbiz Darts'' again alongside Fordham. In 2010, Bobby performed Run DMC's ''Walk this Way'' on Let's Dance for Sport Relief with
Tony O'Shea Tony O'Shea (born 9 May 1961) is an English professional darts player. His squat figure has resulted in the nickname "Silverback". O'Shea has reached the finals of seven British Darts Organisation (BDO) major darts tournaments, but to date ...
,
Willie Thorne William Joseph Thorne (4 March 195417 June 2020) was an English professional snooker player. He won one ranking title, the 1985 Classic. He also reached the final of the 1985 UK Championship, losing 16–14 to Steve Davis after leading 13–8 ...
and
Dennis Taylor Dennis Taylor (born 19 January 1949) is a Northern Irish retired professional snooker player and current commentator. He is best known for winning the 1985 World Snooker Championship, where he defeated the defending champion Steve Davis in a ...
. His colourful character has enabled George to be successful on the darts exhibition circuit, being introduced to it, and money races by his friend
Tommy O'Regan Thomas "Tommy" O'Regan (28 February 1939 - 8 October 2000) was a professional Irish darts player who captained both the Ireland and England darts teams. From Limerick in the south west of Ireland, he was one of the pioneers of the modern era of ...
. He became the game's first full-time exhibition player when he stopped playing regular tournaments in 1986. In 2009, he teamed up with Bristow and
John Lowe John Lowe may refer to: Sports * John Lowe (darts player) (born 1945), English darts player. * John Lowe (footballer) (1912–1995), Scottish football player * John Lowe (rugby league), English rugby league footballer * John Lowe (cricketer) (18 ...
to tour theatres around the UK and Ireland, appearing in a show named Legends of the Oche which was presented and hosted by comedian
Duncan Norvelle Duncan Norvelle (born 2 April 1958, Hoton, Loughborough, Leicestershire, England) is an English comedian in the variety tradition, who appeared on British television from the early 1980s. He was often referred to as Duncan "Chase me" Norvelle, ...
. He appeared in a 2009 episode of BBC's ''
Cash in the Attic ''Cash in the Attic'' is a British television programme that aired on BBC One from 4 November 2002 to 24 May 2012. The programme's tagline was ''The show that helps you find hidden treasures in your home, and then sells them for you at auction'' ...
''. In January and February 2016, George appeared in the three-part BBC series ''
The Real Marigold Hotel ''The Real Marigold Hotel'' (known in Australia as ''The Indian Dream Hotel'') is a British travel documentary series created by Twofour productions, directed by Aparna Sanyal and broadcast on BBC One and BBC Two. The show, whose name is based ...
'', which followed a group of celebrity senior citizens including
Miriam Margolyes Miriam ( he, מִרְיָם ''Mīryām'', lit. 'Rebellion') is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus. The ...
and
Wayne Sleep Wayne Philip Colin Sleep (born 17 July 1948) is a British dancer, director, choreographer, and actor who appeared on the BBC series '' The Real Marigold on Tour'' and ITV's '' The Real Full Monty''. Early life Sleep was born in Plymouth, D ...
on a journey to India. He also appeared on ''The Real Marigold on Tour'', visiting
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and
Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...
in 2016,
Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese pro ...
and
Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
in 2017, and
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
in 2019. In November 2017, George appeared on ''Gone to Pot: American Road Trip'' in which five celebrities (mainly older aged) go across
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
and
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
to find out how
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...
can be used medicinally and how it would affect the UK if it was legalised.


Personal life

George was born in Manor Park, London. After leaving school, he had various jobs including as a
nightclub bouncer A bouncer (also known as a doorman or door supervisor) is a type of security guard, employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs, cabaret clubs, stripclubs, casinos, hotels, billiard halls, restaurants, sporting events, schools, concerts, or ...
and floor layer before taking up darts. George lives with his wife and manager Marie () and their sons Robert George () and
Richie George Richard George (born 18 December 1989) is a former English professional darts player. He was born in Essex and is the son of former world championship finalist Bobby George. They became the first father-and-son duo to play in the BDO version of ...
(), at George Hall. The layout of the rooms has been designed to look like a dartboard. George is a keen fisherman, and within the George Hall grounds are well-stocked fishing lakes. George has two grandsons, Robert Jr (son of Robert) and Edward (son of Richie), who were born within 23 hours of each other in July 2013. His son
Richie Richie or Richy is a masculine given name or short form (hypocorism) of Richard. It is also a surname. First name *Richie Ashburn (1927–1997), American Major League Baseball player, member of the Hall of Fame *Richie Benaud (1930–2015), Austr ...
is also a professional darts player. He reached the semi-final of the
2013 BDO World Darts Championship The 2013 Lakeside World Professional Darts Championship was the 36th World Championship organised by the British Darts Organisation, and the 28th staging at the Lakeside Country Club at Frimley Green. Christian Kist was the defending men's cham ...
, losing to eventual champion
Scott Waites Scott Waites (born 17 February 1977) is an English professional darts player who plays in tournaments of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He is a two-time BDO World Darts Champion having won the 2013 tournament and 2016 tournament. ...
. George has worked as an ambassador for basic arithmetic, touring schools teaching children how darts can help with counting skills.


Quotes

* "Ton-eighties (or scores or trebles) for show and doubles for dough." * "Throw where you're looking and look where you're throwing." * "That's the way to do it, Luvverly jubberly." * "May the darts be with you." * "Putting the 'art' in 'darts'." * (After being asked about a player's chances in a match) "It's like a computer, innit. If you press D, you play darts. If you press something else, you play like" (corpsing) "something else..."


Tournament wins

*North American Open: 1978 *
News of the World Darts Championship The News of the World Championship was one of the first major organised darts competitions, which began in 1927. It became England's first national darts competition from 1947, as the years went by it gradually became international essentially ...
: 1979, 1986 *Butlins Grand Masters: 1979, 1980 *WDF Europe Cup Singles: 1982 *WDF Europe Cup Team: 1982


World Championship results


BDO

*1980: Runner Up (lost to
Eric Bristow Eric John Bristow, (25 April 1957 – 5 April 2018), nicknamed "The Crafty Cockney", was an English professional darts player. He was ranked World No. 1 by the World Darts Federation a record five times, in 1980, 1981 and 1983–1985. He was ...
3–5) *1981: Quarter-finals (lost to
Cliff Lazarenko Cliff Lazarenko (born 16 March 1952) is an English former professional darts player. Nicknamed "Big Cliff" due to his height (193 cm / 6'4") and weight (over 127 kg at his peak), he is known for being a colourful character on and off the stage ...
0–4) *1982: Semi-finals (lost to
John Lowe John Lowe may refer to: Sports * John Lowe (darts player) (born 1945), English darts player. * John Lowe (footballer) (1912–1995), Scottish football player * John Lowe (rugby league), English rugby league footballer * John Lowe (cricketer) (18 ...
1–4) *1983: First round (lost to Tony Brown 0–2) *1984: First round (lost to Malcolm Davies 1–2) *1985: Second round (lost to
Fred McMullan Freddie "Fred" McMullan (born 4 June 1950) is a Northern Irish former professional darts player who competed in the 1980s. Career McMullan played at the World Darts Championship three times. In 1985, he beat Peter Locke of Wales in the first ...
1–3) *1986: First round (lost to Bob Anderson 0–3) *1987: First round (lost to John Lowe 0–3) *1993: Semi-finals (lost to John Lowe 3–5) *1994: Runner Up (lost to
John Part John Part (born June 29, 1966) is a Canadian former professional darts player and current commentator. Nicknamed Darth Maple, he is a three-times World Champion, having won the 1994 BDO World Darts Championship on his world championship debut, a ...
0–6) *1995: First round (lost to Ronnie Sharp 0–3) *1997: Second round (lost to Roland Scholten 0–3) *1998: Second round (lost to
Sean Palfrey Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; angliciz ...
2–3) *2000: Second round (lost to
Ronnie Baxter Ronnie Baxter (born 5 February 1961) is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He used the nickname "The Rocket" for his matches. Baxter was known for his fast robotic throwing a ...
2–3) *2002: First round (lost to Raymond van Barneveld 1–3)


Career statistics


BDO major finals: 4 (2 titles, 2 runners-up)


WDF major finals: 1 (1 title)


Independent major finals: 2 (2 titles)

(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Prel.) Preliminary round; (DNQ) Did not qualify; (DNP) Did not participate; (NH) Not held


Performance timeline


References


External links

*
Bobby George's profile and stats on Darts DatabaseKingdom of Bobby George
{{DEFAULTSORT:George, Bobby English darts players British sports broadcasters People from Manor Park, London Sportspeople from Essex 1945 births Living people People educated at Reigate Grammar School British Darts Organisation players Darts people