KING of bling Bobby George is heading to Bolton for a night of throwing arrows and darts fun.

Despite being a late starter and 30-years-old when he first played the game, the former professional darts champion enjoyed a successful career in the sport.

One of the most charismatic and entertaining faces on the circuit, he will be at G Casino Bolton's first darts exhibition night on Thursday, November 27, along with fellow former player Wayne Mardle.

The pair will take part in a meet and greet, question and answer session, as well as giving several fans the chance to join them on the oche.

Essex-born Bobby, aged 68, said: "I do a few with Wayne.

"It's a fun night, we make a bit more entertaining, not just serious darts."

Known for his extravagant stage entrances to the sound of Queen's We Are The Champions — dressed in a sequinned cape and carrying a lit candelabra — Bobby has become a favourite among fans.

With a number of championship titles under his belt, he has co-presented the World Darts Championships for BBC TV since 1999 and regularly appears at exhibition events across the country.

He said: "I've done it nearly 40 years now.

"It's a fair old time.

"I was 30-years-old when I first threw a dart.

"I went fishing in Ireland but the sea was so rough, we went in a pub."

At the time he was working as a floor layer and admits he had no interest in darts but played a game with his pal in the pub and realised he had a natural ability.

He said: "My friend told me to go in the Super League and I've never looked back.

"I thought, I like this game. It's better than digging tunnels and laying floors.

"Everyone bought me a drink, when I dug the tunnels no-one bought me a drink.

"If the sea wasn't rough, I would never have played."

Speaking of what made him a success, he said: "Probably my temperament, I could handle the pressure.

"I didn't feel the pressure, I didn't know it.

"I didn't have time to think of the pressure, I just threw the darts.

"I think with darts players, you can worry about making yourself look a fool because it can happen.

"You can play really good one day and not the next."

Bobby's son Richie, aged 24, is also a darts player who threw his first set of arrows at the tender age of two.

They became the first father-son duo to play in the British Darts Organisation (BDO) version of the World Championship, when Richie played in the 2013 event.

Bobby said: "He wanted to be a darts player.

"I didn't really push him as such.

"He had the gift as well."

Another person who Bobby says has a gift for darts is Bolton's Lisa Ashton, from Johnson Fold, the 2014 BDO women's world champion.

He said: "She is a great darts player.

"She is the best lady player I have seen.

"Her standard is so good, especially in the World Championships this year.

"She was well behind and she was out of the game but then came back with 180s, 100s, no messing.

"I always say she throws like Steve Beaton but she doesn't look like him.

"There's only half a dozen lady players in the world throw like that.

"There's not that many."

Bobby George and Wayne Mardle will be at G Casino Bolton, Moor Lane, on Thursday, November 27, at 7pm.

General admission tickets cost £10, call 01204 375820.