'He’s an absolute wet wipe': Scott Williams jokingly responds if Daryl Gurney is 'hard' in hilarious quip

Scott Williams has never been one to blend quietly into the background. Whether it’s firing in no-look 180s, winding up German crowds, or playfully leaning in for a kiss with Josh Rock on the Grand Slam stage, the man known across darts as Shaggy has built a reputation for being unapologetically himself.

In a wide-ranging chat with TalkSport Darts, Williams opened up on his football loyalties, his unlikely rise in darts, run-ins with the DRA, and why he sees himself more as Eddie the Eagle than LeBron James.

Supporting Newcastle

Williams’ sporting heart was won back in 1995 when Alan Shearer made his record-breaking move to Newcastle United.

“In ’95, when Shearer moved from Blackburn to Newcastle, that was when I was massively into football,” Williams recalled. “My dad and brother were Chelsea fans and they tried to make me support Chelsea, but I refused point blank – just because Shearer moved. I’ve supported Newcastle ever since then.”

Has he regretted missing out on Chelsea’s trophy-laden two decades? Not a chance. “Zero. No regrets.”

And as for meeting Shearer? “I haven’t. I’d probably do a little wee – just because I’d be excited. But I’m not really one for celebrities. I’m kind of used to it now, being one myself.”

The next step

Williams’ talent on the oche is unquestionable, but he remains without a PDC major title. He believes the key is consistency away from the TV cameras.

“I think I need my floor game to be a bit better,” he admitted. “The more confidence and experience I get on the floor and the European Tour, the more something will come from that. But TV is my forte – it’s what I love.”

The quiet of the ProTour is, if anything, too much for him. “It’s mundane. It’s boring. There’s no atmosphere. You can hear a pin drop or a chair squeak from the other side of the room. Maybe it’s too professional. I want noise, booing, cheering.”

From forklifts to the oche

Remarkably, Williams only took darts seriously in 2017, after his son was born. “I worked in a warehouse for a label company called Caveris,” he said. “They did labels for Coke bottles, Tesco packaging – that sort of thing. I was lugging big reels of material, forklift driving, just a general busybody. I did that for five or six years before I packed it in to try darts properly.”

Before then, he only played “the odd game every six months” for his dad’s pub team. Within a few years, he had a PDC Tour card and was causing chaos on stage.

Hardest man in darts, certainly not Gurney

When asked who he thought the toughest darting hardman is, Williams gave a few surprising picks.

“You’ve got to look at Boris Krčmar – just as a general hardcase. Rob Cross would be surprisingly hard. Gezzy obviously knows what he’s doing, technically good at fighting. Rob’s probably like a little scratter, handbags out. And then the big Dutch lads – they’re just monsters.”

As for Daryl Gurney? Williams laughed: “No. He’s an absolute wet wipe. Love you, Daryl!”

German dart crowds and DRA fines

Williams has become infamous for clashing with fans, particularly in Germany, where he’s received jeers and handed out a few hand gestures of his own.

“The crowds are weird. Some are fine, some boo. If I play a German, I get no support. If I play someone they’re not fond of, I might get a few. Earlier this year at an exhibition I flipped the crowd off again – I don’t care, I’m not bothered.”

But the Professional Darts Corporation does care. “I got fined £1,000 for that finger. A couple of years ago I got £250 for two fingers at Luke Humphries at the Grand Slam. No justice in that! I even got £250 for saying the F-word on Sky Sports.”

Some fines have even caught him off guard. “Those double fingers behind Luke Humphries were a complete accident. I didn’t even think about it. Then in the taxi home I got the call: ‘What have you done?’ I had no idea. Then I saw the videos. £250 gone.”

Showmanship and Eddie the Eagle

Williams is best known for his stage presence and crowd-pleasing antics, but insists it’s not an act. “I absolutely love the stage. I love people. I’m working-class, so if fans pay their money, I want to entertain – by keeping my clothes on and chucking some decent darts.”

Asked which sportsman he compares himself to, Williams swerved away from obvious answers. “Other than LeBron James? Probably Eddie the Eagle. He should never have got to where he got, and I’m the same. Just a council house kid who got good at this pub game because I loved beers – and look at me now.”

Josh Rock kiss

One of Williams’ most memorable moments came at the Grand Slam when he and Josh Rock almost locked lips. “We’d just become good mates. I went to kiss him on the cheek, he went the same way, and we kind of kissed above the lips in the moustache area. No tongues, but close! We were just excited.”

That tournament ended in heartbreak, though. “He should’ve lost to Luke Humphries which would’ve meant I qualified – but he didn’t, so I went home. That’s probably the last time I cried.”

Shaggy for Life

So where did the nickname “Shaggy” come from? “There’s nothing to it really. When I was 18, I worked in a food delivery warehouse. I was skinny, scruffy, with a little beard coming through and messy hair. The lads there just started calling me Shaggy, and it stuck. Now everyone back home calls me Shag, Shagster, Shagmeister, Shagnasty… it’s my nickname, not just my darts name.”