Andy Fordham arrows in on Comic Relief laughs

The Lakeside is darts’ hallowed ground.

They don’t let just anyone on the oche at the Frimley Green venue, which hosts the world championships every year.

Apart from when Comic Relief’s in town, that is, and rank “arraz” amateurs such as Richard Osman, Liza Tarbuck and comics Sean Lock and Tim Vine team up with darts legends like Andy Fordham and Bobby George for a pro-celebrity tourney.

Former world champ Andy “The Viking” Fordham was paired with funnyman Bob Mortimer and says: “I’ve met Bob before when we filmed a darts segment with some of the girls for one of his TV shows with Vic Reeves.

“He’s a lovely man and very, very funny and I did struggle to concentrate.”

Surely 6ft 7in seven Pointless host Osman had an unfair advantage as all he had to do was lean forward from the oche and stick the darts directly into the board?

“He is a very, very big guy and another who’s a funny man it’s going to make some great TV and they were some of the best days I’ve ever had,” adds Andy.

With top darts players such as Martin “Wolfie” Adams also involved, there was also a lot of professional pride at stake.

“Definitely it’s the first time it’s been done so everybody wanted to be the first to pick up the trophy,” nods Andy, who’s 53.

“You’ll be quite surprised at some of the talent the celebrities show.”

After a first flush of popularity when the likes of Jocky Wilson, Eric Bristow and John Lowe were household names, the fact darts is part of Comic Relief shows how popular it is once again.

“Yeah, it’s massive again,” Andy agrees.

“People talk about the drinking side of it and no one knows about that better than me.

“I’m suffering for it now, but that’s my own fault.”

Andy, who can’t remember winning the world championship in 2004, admits the worst thing that ever happened to him was when he discovered he could still play well after 25 bottles of lager.

“Yeah, it was probably a bit more than that,” he says.

“I was getting nervous before I played and I ended up on the spirits, and drinking bottles of vodka and brandy just seemed like nothing.

“How my liver lasted as long as it did I don’t know, but I haven’t had a drink in eight years now.

“I went down from 31-and-a-half stone to just under 16 stone but I’ve put some of the weight back on. I’m up to about 24 stone again though I need to lose a little bit of that.

“I’ve just had a hernia op a few weeks ago and being the big bloke I am, it wasn’t just a simple one.

“But I’m feeling good, my confidence is coming back massively.”