Nathan Aspinall was caught appearing to urge the Alexandra Palace crowd to continue their explicit chant directed at Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during the World Darts Championship.
The incident occurred as Aspinall secured a comprehensive 3-0 victory over American player Leonard Gates.
Spectators at Ally Pally loudly sang “Keir Starmer is a w****r” during the second set of the match.
As the chanting grew increasingly louder, Aspinall was observed gesturing to the crowd with his arms in an up-and-down motion, clearly encouraging fans to maintain and amplify their singing.
Sky Sports was compelled to censor the broadcast as the anti-Starmer chants rang out through the venue.
The win secured Aspinall’s place in the last 32 of the tournament.
This was not an isolated incident for the broadcaster, which has previously been forced to take similar action to muffle chanting aimed at the Prime Minister.
Nathan Aspinall was caught appearing to urge the Alexandra Palace crowd to continue their explicit chant directed at Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during the World Darts Championship
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SKYSPORTS
Back in October, Sky Sports faced the same situation during the World Grand Prix when Stephen Bunting faced Danny Noppert.
On that occasion, the broadcaster also intervened to drown out the crowd’s songs targeting Sir Keir.
The repeated need for censorship highlights an ongoing challenge for televised darts events, where the boisterous Ally Pally atmosphere frequently produces chants that cannot be aired without intervention.
The songbook directed at the Prime Minister has become a recurring feature at major darts tournaments, forcing production teams to remain vigilant throughout broadcasts.
Aspinall now turns his attention to Kevin Doets, with a place in the final 16 at stake in their upcoming encounter.
The English thrower admitted his head-to-head record against the Dutchman leaves much to be desired.
“Kevin, he’s a great dart player, I’ve got an awful record against Kevin,” Aspinall told Sky Sports. “I think he knows that.”
He revealed that Doets has been chatting with him frequently at the players’ hotel in recent days, describing his opponent as both talented and personable.
Despite acknowledging his struggles against Doets in previous meetings, Aspinall expressed confidence that quality opposition would elevate his own game.
“But I think if someone starts throwing decent darts at me I’ll respond and that’s what I think is going to happen,” he said.
Meanwhile, Aspinall also revealed that Gates had given him a scare before their clash.
The reason why? Because he confronted him wearing a Chewbacca mask.
“Honest to God, I can’t say it, I nearly pooed my pants, I was a bit scared,” he said.
“He’s a great guy. I played Leonard here last year. I had a job to do, I won 3-0, it was very comfortable and I’m back after Christmas.”
Gates had previously explained his decision: “We were in the players’ room and I was wearing my Chewbacca mask. I walked up to him and he was like, ‘Oh my God, what is this?'”