John Lowe is an English former professional darts player. Along with Eric Bristow and Jocky Wilson, he was known for dominating darts during the 1980s. Lowe was world champion on three occasions, in 1979, 1987 and 1993. He was also a two-time winner of the Winmau World Masters and a two-time World Cup singles champion. In total, Lowe won 15 BDO and WDF majors. He held the World No. 1 ranking on four occasions. In October 1984, he became the first player to hit a televised nine-dart finish.
John Thomas "Jocky" Wilson was a Scottish professional darts player. After turning pro in 1979, he quickly rose to the top of the game, winning the World Professional Darts Championship in 1982, then again in 1989. Wilson competed in all major darts tournaments of the era and won the British Professional Championship a record four times between 1981 and 1988.
Robert Francis George is an English television presenter and former professional darts 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 song "We Are the Champions".
The BDO World Darts Championship was a professional darts tournament organised by the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and held annually from 1978 to 2020.
The 1986 Embassy World Darts Championship was held between 4–11 January 1986. For the first time, the tournament was held at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, Surrey, having been held at Jollees Cabaret Club in Stoke-on-Trent for the previous seven years. The Lakeside became the third venue in the history of the World Championship.
The 1987 Embassy World Darts Championship was held at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, Surrey between 9 and 17 January 1987. John Lowe, the 1979 champion and four-time runner-up in the event, beat three-time defending champion Eric Bristow in a repeat of the 1981 and 1985 finals. This marked something of a turning point in darts; Bristow had won the title for the three consecutive years prior to this. His defeat by Lowe was his first in the World Championship since 1983. Despite reaching the final of this event three more times he would never again win the world title.
The 2007 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was the 14th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation. The tournament took place between 18 December 2006 – 1 January 2007. The championship was once again held at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex, where it had been staged since the first PDC World Championship in 1994. However, it would turn out to be the last time the tournament would be held at the Tavern: in April 2007, the PDC announced that the event would be moving to Alexandra Palace from 2008.
David Whitcombe is an English former professional darts player who won several major tournaments, he was twice a winner of the Winmau World Masters and lost to Eric Bristow in two World Championship finals in 1984 and 1986.
The 1988 Embassy World Darts Championship was held at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, Surrey between 9 and 17 January 1988. The tournament was won by the number 1 seed, Bob Anderson, who played to a high level throughout the week, averaging over 90 in all of his games and over 97 in all but one.
The 1989 Embassy World Darts Championship was the 12th World Professional Championships, and was staged at the Lakeside Country Club, Frimley Green, Surrey, England for the fourth successive year. The tournament was organised by the British Darts Organisation (BDO).
The 1984 Embassy World Darts Championship was held from 31 December 1983 to 7 January 1984 at Jollees Cabaret Club in Stoke-on-Trent.
Cliff Lazarenko is an English former professional darts player. Nicknamed "Big Cliff" due to his height and weight, he is known for being a colourful character on and off the stage.
The 1983 Embassy World Darts Championship was staged at Jollees Cabaret Club in Stoke-on-Trent from 1–8 January 1983.
The 1991 Embassy World Darts Championship was held at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, Surrey from 4–12 January 1991. Phil Taylor was the reigning World Champion and started off well in the early rounds, before losing in the quarter-finals to Dennis Priestley who took the title. Priestley defeated Eric Bristow by a scoreline of 6-0 in the final. It was the tenth and last of Bristow's world final appearances and the only one in which he failed to win a single set.
The 1982 Embassy World Darts Championship was the fifth year that the British Darts Organisation had staged a world championship. For the fourth successive year, the tournament was staged at Jollees Cabaret Club in Stoke-on-Trent.
The 1981 Embassy World Darts Championship was the fourth year that the British Darts Organisation had staged a world championship. The field was expanded from 24 to 32 players, the format which would remain for many years. For the third successive year the tournament was staged at Jollees Cabaret Club in Stoke-on-Trent.
The 1992 Embassy World Darts Championship was held from 3–11 January 1992 at the Lakeside Country Club, Frimley Green, Surrey.
The 1980 Embassy World Darts Championship was the third year that the British Darts Organisation had staged a world championship. Again the field was 24 players, with the top seeds receiving a bye to the last 16 stage. For the second successive year the tournament was staged at Jollees Cabaret Club in Stoke-on-Trent.
The 1979 Embassy World Darts Championship was the second World Professional Championships. Having been held the previous year at the Heart of the Midlands Club in Nottingham, the event moved to Jollees Cabaret Club in Stoke-on-Trent where it was to remain until 1985.
The 1978 Embassy World Darts Championship was the first BDO World Darts Championship. The tournament was organised by the British Darts Organisation who had already set up the WDF World Cup and Winmau World Masters in its five years since formation. This was the only year that the tournament was played in a matchplay format of legs, rather than sets which came into operation from 1979 onwards. BBC Television covered the event and began a long broadcasting partnership with the BDO. Sid Waddell was the lead commentator on the tournament which he would cover for the BBC until 1994.
John Lowe 
