The Upshot

The Rope and Anchor, 2013. The pub’s 53-year-old darts champion gulps as his opponent puts down his PSP and step up to the oche. It’s Luke Littler, the six year old sensation whose rise to the top has just begun. From splurging prize money on vapes to chirpsing girls on Xbox live, this is the story of darts’ first wonderkid… Links from the pod: Luke playing at 18 months old: https://x.com/JumbleBag/status/1748617919368499612  Crowd singing “you’ve got school in the morning”: https://www.skysports.com/darts/video/12288/13035515/school-in-the-morning-16-year-old-luke-littler-loves-crowd-chant  Michael van Gerwen aged 17: https://share.google/H8BENZ9THwVUf4OqA  Rival’s post match interview: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=845583344145998  “Nah chill begging it”: https://x.com/AFC_Iddy/status/1916919883578647002 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join us as we dish out the only gongs more worthless than Fifa’s peace prize. LINKS FROM THE POD: Lamine Yamal party: https://x.com/JackMacCFB/status/1944719886992744913 Emmanuel Petit announces Pat Rice’s death: https://x.com/AlleyMatty/status/1881478083313906032  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Jerry Springer’s threesomes to infiltrating the Taliban, this is the story of The Fake Sheikh… Mazher Mahmood has been caught out using the claims of a serial fantasist to flog a bollocks story about Posh Spice being kidnapped. And his downfall has only just begun… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus: Samuel Eto’o’s AFCON meltdown and a knife-wielding Sunderland striker. Get tickets to to the Upshot’s Live shows in April: https://www.livenation.co.uk/the-upshot-live-tickets-adp1637635 We’re hiring! Apply for the role as The Upshot’s new video producer: https://www.upshot.email/p/we-re-hiring-a-video-producer-36e9  Download SAILY in your app store and use our code UPSHOT at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase! For further details go to https://saily.com/upshot  Join The Upshot’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/upshottowers   (Sign up in your browser, not the patreon app - it’s cheaper). Links from the pod: Kolkata riot: https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1plfmgo/ani_fans_at_salt_lake_stadium_got_angry_with_the Statue unveiling: https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/12/12/12/104672397-15377981-image-a-45_1765543002051.jpg Hola Messi fanzone: https://assets.telegraphindia.com/telegraph/2025/Dec/1765375010_hola-messi-1.gif Suarez nutmeg: https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1pmfjzm/suarez_got_nutmegged_by_a_teen_indian_girl/?utm_source=www.upshot.email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=i-see-a-snake&_bhlid=16c820a8f979cb6080947e9b36af165b189dceb7 Nitin Kumar walking out: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedarter88/video/7583727677526396193  Killing the Ally Pally wasp: https://x.com/MarkWilsonRadio/status/2000235018254459016 Cameron Menzies meltdown: https://x.com/_shaunmiller_/status/2000578781082251448 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dubai, 2006. Sven Goran Eriksson sips Dom Perignon with an Arabian prince on the deck of a 70ft superyacht. But Sven’s white-robed companion is no oil-rich Emir: it’s the Fake Sheikh. For three devious decades, the tabloid hack lived life undercover, exposing everyone from murderous GPs to Mick Jagger. From Jerry Springer’s threesomes to infiltrating the Taliban, this is the story of The Fake Sheikh… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices