The British Professional Championship [1] was a darts tournament organised by the British Darts Organisation and televised by the BBC between 1981[2] and 1988. After the 1988 championships, the BBC withdrew their coverage of the event and it left UK terrestrial television with only one televised tournament – the World Championships. The game was at an all-time low and players eventually went on to set up the World Darts Council in an attempt to bring back sponsors and television.
| British Professional Championship | |
|---|---|
| Tournament information | |
| Venue | Fiesta Club Stockton-on-Tees (1981), Gaskins Conference Centre Middlesbrough (1982), Coatham Bowl Redcar (1983–88) |
| Country |  Great Britain |
| Established | 1981 |
| Organisation(s) | BDO Major (8 editions) |
| Format | Sets |
| Final Year | 1988 |
| Final champion(s) | |
 Jocky Wilson | |
Jocky Wilson won the title a record four times – John Lowe also reached four finals but lost them all.
British Professional Championship finals
edit| Year | Champion (average in final) | Score | Runner-up (average in final) | Prize money | Sponsor | Venue | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Champion | Runner-up | ||||||
| 1981[3][4] | Jocky Wilson |
6–5 |  John Lowe |
£12,000 | £6,000 | £3,000 | Fiesta Club Stockton-on-Tees | |
| 1982[5][6] | Eric Bristow |
7–3 | John Lowe |
£26,000 | £7,000 | £3,500 | Gaskins club Middlesbrough | |
| 1983[7][8][9] | Jocky Wilson |
7–2 | Dave Whitcombe |
£30,100 | £8,000 | ? | Coatham Bowl Redcar | |
| 1984[10][11] | Mike Gregory |
7–5 | John Lowe |
£29,600 | £8,000 | £2,000 | ||
| 1985[12][13] | Eric Bristow |
7–4 | John Lowe |
£34,000 | £9,000 | £4,500 | ||
| 1986[14][15] | Jocky Wilson |
7–6 | Dave Whitcombe |
£35,800 | £10,000 | £4,500 | ||
| 1987[16][17] | Keith Deller |
7–5 |  Leighton Rees |
£38,200 | £10,000 | £5,000 | ||
| 1988[18][19] | Jocky Wilson |
7–2 | Ray Battye |
£39,700 | £11,000 | £5,500 | ||
References
edit- ↑ Waddell, Sid (10 November 2009). Bellies and Bullseyes: The Outrageous True Story of Darts. Random House, 2009. ISBN 9781407030449. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- ↑ "Broadcast - BBC programme". BBC Genome. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "British Professional 1981". DartsDatabase. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ "Wilson shock for Evans". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 27 September 1981. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ "British Professional 1982". DartsDatabase. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ "Bristow is champ". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 26 September 1982. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ "British Professional 1983". DartsDatabase. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ "Jocky retains title in superb style". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 25 September 1983. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ "Broadcast - BBC programme (prize money details)". BBC Genome. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "British Professional 1984". DartsDatabase. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ "Gregory's on a high". The Sunday People (London). 30 September 1984. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ "British Professional 1985". DartsDatabase. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ "Ah, it's Bristow". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 29 September 1985. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ "British Professional 1986". DartsDatabase. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ "Jocky back on the trail". Northern Echo (Darlington). 29 September 1986. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ "British Professional 1987". DartsDatabase. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ "Deller champion and a dad-to-be". Northern Echo (Darlington). 28 September 1987. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ "British Professional 1988". DartsDatabase. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ↑ "Huddersfield darter". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 12 September 1988. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
External links
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