Keith Deller

Keith Deller is a former professional darts player, renowned for being the winner of the 1983 BDO World Darts Championship and the Unipart British Professional Championship 1987. Competing with all of the top players in the world, Keith has inspired many people to participate in the sport, otherwise known as “The Milky Bar Kid” due to his iconic drink of choice after his dart matches – milk. Having achieved countless records throughout his decorated career and made many firsts, Keith is now highly sought after as an after dinner speaker to share the highlights of his career and the skills he had to hone to succeed in elite sports.

Aged 16, Keith claimed his first victory, becoming the Suffolk Darts Champion. Incredibly, at 17, Keith became the youngest player to reach the divisional final of the News of the World Championship. Proving his excellence as a darts player, Keith took his talents overseas to compete in international competitions, claiming both The Austin Texas and The Cleveland Ohio titles. Such victories led to Keith qualifying to play in the BDO World Darts Championship, iconically going on to claim victory over Eric Bristow by six sets to five. Keith’s check-out of 138 is widely regarded as one of the most memorable events in darting history, with Keith later releasing his autobiography titled 138: Game, Shot & The Match, and commentators often referring to a 138 checkout as the “Deller checkout”.

Other prominent wins of Keith’s include being the 1983 Double Diamond Masters champion, a member of the winning team of the WDF World Cup 1983 and Nations Cup 1984, along with winning both the 2001 PDC Eastbourne Open and the 2001 Eastbourne Pro. Throughout the course of his decorated darts career, Keith claimed countless records. His best-known record saw him secure the Guinness World Record for the fastest three legs of 301 in 97 seconds. He is also widely known for becoming the first player to ever claim a match average of 100 in a BDO World Championship match and recorded a World Record 25 second 301. Such wins and records have seen Keith be highly sought after to appear on beloved British television programmes, having been a regular guest on Bullseye and QE2. Keith has undoubtedly left his mark in the history books of darts, having also been the inspiration for “Keith Talent” in Martin Amis’ book London Fields and an inspiration to David Cameron during his studies at Eton and Oxford College.

Since retiring from professional darts, Keith has enjoyed almost three decades working with Sky Sports as a “Spotter” for the cameras. He has also dedicated a great deal of his time to philanthropy, becoming an avid fundraiser for various charities – most notably raising over £500,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Appointed MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours for Services to Charity, Keith is an iconic public figure who has considerably impacted sports and darts. Now available to hire as an after dinner speaker, Keith shares anecdotes from the highs of his career and engages audiences with the story of his iconic 138 checkout. If you are looking for a former darts player to share the successes of their iconic career at your next event, don’t hesitate to hire Keith Deller today!