Fans don’t just flock to Alexandra Palace in their thousands to watch darts every Christmas.
They capture the imagination in a way that you don’t see in other sports.
And in both senses, Stephen Bunting is one of the best.
The 38-year-old is one of the favorites to win this season’s PDC World Darts Championship, and for good reason.
Not only is Bunting a former BDO World Champion, he has yet to drop a set in his first two matches and is averaging over 101 in the second round.
But that’s not the only reason Ally Pally loves Bunting.
To many, he’s the guy who makes adults dressed as baked bean cans belt out Sia’s “Titanium” on their way to Auche.
And he is the one who makes funny videos on TikTok.
With over 65,000 followers and up to 942,000 views on a single video, “The Bullet” is another national treasure.
Speaking to talkSPORT, the British Liverpool player said of the online sensation: , we should do this.’ And that’s the kickoff.
“I must be doing something right because people mention it in every interview. But it just shows a side of me that people don’t see.
“Personality-wise…I’m a fun guy, just a normal young guy, and I think that was the most important thing I tried to convey when I did TikTok.”
Bunting may think of himself as an average guy, but his talent in front of the dartboard is anything but.
What’s the secret behind that amazing level of focus and concentration? Apparently it’s hypnotherapy.
“I’ve already got a plan in the back of my head of what I want to do, but I don’t want to reveal too much,” he added.
“I have some hypnotherapy classes booked for the next hour, so basically I’m going to have you sleep for about 40 minutes, which simulates four hours of sleep. , it just increases your brain’s ability to concentrate.
“Because we do visualization, what I wanted happened and it worked for me.
“I’ve been seeing a hypnotist for probably about 12 months, and to be fair, it’s a big part of my job now.”
Bunting will face crowd favorite and three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen in the Titans’ third round match on Friday night.
But there is one man at Palace who is more popular than Bunting and van Gerwen this season, and that is 16-year-old Luke Littler.
The teenage sensation reached the last 16 and became a national treasure in the process, with Bunting likely to be his mentor going forward.
Bunting continued: “He’s a special talent. Obviously he’s got a lot to learn at 16 years old, but at the moment he’s pretty fresh, unblemished and yeah, as long as he keeps winning. He will continue to feel that way.
“What’s difficult for him is when he starts losing and you might see a different side of him, but at the moment he’s a breath of fresh air in the sport and yeah, he’s got a lot of attention. There’s a lot of people there, so that might affect him.”There’s a little bit of pressure on him, but like I said, he’s great.
“He’s also literally around the corner from me. His manager approached me last week and said he wanted to practice with me, so we set up a few practice sessions and see how it goes. I’m going to try it.”
Bunting vs Van Gerwen will be broadcast live tonight on talkSPORT 2 from 8pm.
