Bobby George facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bobby George
George in April 2014
Personal information
Full name	Robert Francis George
Nickname	King of Bling Bobby Dazzler Mr Glitter
Born	(1945-12-16) 16 December 1945 (age 79) Manor Park, London, England
Home town	London, England
Darts information
Playing darts since	1976
Darts	Winmau 23g Bobby George
Laterality	Right-handed
Walk-on music	"We Are the Champions" by Queen
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO	1977–2009
BDO majors – best performances
World Ch'ship	Runner Up: 1980, 1994
World Masters	Semi Final: 1979
World Darts Trophy	Last 32: 2002
Int. Darts League	Last 32 Group: 2005
Other tournament wins
Butlins Grand Masters 1979, 1980 News of the World Darts Ch'ship 1979, 1986 North American Open 1978 Santa Monica Open 1980 WDF Europe Cup Singles 1982 WDF Europe Cup Team 1982

Robert Francis George (born 16 December 1945) is an English TV presenter and a former professional darts player. He is famous for his exciting entrances. Bobby, known as the "King of Darts," would walk onto the stage wearing lots of jewellery, a crown, and a cloak. He would also carry a candelabra while the song "We Are the Champions" by Queen played.

Bobby George has won many big darts tournaments. He won the News of the World Darts Championship twice. He also reached the finals of the BDO Darts World Championship two times. He was the first darts player to focus only on exhibition games. Since 1998, Bobby has also worked for the BBC. He helps present and promote darts tournaments on TV.

Bobby George's Darts Career

Bobby George started playing darts when he was 30 years old. He got good very quickly! He won the first tournament he entered. Less than a year later, he played in the World Masters.

Major Wins and World Championship Finals

Bobby won several important tournaments. These include the News of the World Championship in 1979 and 1986. He also won the Butlins Grand Masters in 1979 and 1980. In 1978, he won the North American Open. He became the WDF Europe Cup champion in 1982, beating Eric Bristow in the final.

His 1979 News of the World victory was special. He won without losing a single "leg" (a part of a darts game). No other player has done this! He also had a very high average score of 100.20 in that final. This was the first time a player got over a 100 average on TV. In 1980, he played for England and won the Nations Cup. He was part of a team with Tony Brown and John Lowe.

Bobby reached the final of the BDO World Darts Championship in 1980. This was his first time playing in the World Championship! He beat strong players like Dave Whitcombe and Leighton Rees. In the final, he played against Eric Bristow. Bobby was leading for a while, but Eric Bristow won in the end.

Bobby reached his second World Championship final in 1994. During his quarter-final match, he hurt his back while celebrating a win. Even with a serious injury, he kept playing! He won his semi-final match against Magnus Caris. Doctors advised him not to play in the final. He wore a special back brace. But he lost 0–6 to John Part because he was in so much pain. After the final, doctors found he had actually broken his back. He needed surgery to put eight titanium screws in his spine.

Bobby George on Television

Since 1998, Bobby George has been a co-presenter and expert on BBC darts coverage. He mainly covers the BDO World Championship. He has also appeared on many other TV shows.

In 2002, he played himself in the TV show 15 Storeys High. In 2004, he was in the comedy film One Man and His Dog. He also joined the TV show Celebrity Fit Club. In 2006, he was on Brainiac: Science Abuse. He played darts to make caravans explode! He was also a team captain on Showbiz Darts. In 2007, he appeared on Don’t Call Me Stupid with Vanessa Feltz.

In 2010, Bobby performed a song on Let's Dance for Sport Relief. He danced to Run DMC's Walk this Way with other sports stars. His fun personality has made him very popular for darts exhibitions. These are special shows where he plays darts for an audience.

In 2009, he toured with Eric Bristow and John Lowe. Their show was called "Legends of the Oche." He also appeared on the BBC show Cash in the Attic in 2009.

From 2016 to 2019, Bobby appeared in the BBC series The Real Marigold Hotel. This show followed older celebrities as they traveled to different countries. He visited India, Florida, Kyoto, Chengdu, Havana, and St. Petersburg.

Bobby George's Personal Life

Bobby George was born in Manor Park, London. Before playing darts, he had many jobs. He worked as a nightclub bouncer, a floor layer, and a builder. He also worked as a miner on the Victoria line underground railway. He started darts at age 30.

Bobby lives with his wife and manager, Marie. They have two sons. Their home is called George Hall. The rooms are designed to look like a dart! Above the front door, there is a stained glass dartboard. Bobby loves fishing. There are even fishing lakes on the grounds of George Hall.

His son, Richie, is also a former professional darts player. Richie reached the semi-finals of the 2013 BDO World Darts Championship.

Bobby George has also worked as an ambassador for basic arithmetic. He visits schools to teach children how darts can help them with counting and math skills.

Tournament Wins

• North American Open: 1978
• News of the World Darts Championship: 1979, 1986
• Butlins Grand Masters: 1979, 1980
• WDF Europe Cup Singles: 1982
• WDF Europe Cup Team: 1982

World Championship Results

BDO World Championship

Bobby George reached the final of the BDO World Darts Championship twice:

• 1980: Runner Up (lost to Eric Bristow 3–5)
• 1994: Runner Up (lost to John Part 0–6)

He also reached the semi-finals twice:

• 1982: Semi-finals (lost to John Lowe 1–4)
• 1993: Semi-finals (lost to John Lowe 3–5)