Ever since the then 16-year-old Luke Littler stormed to the final of the World Darts Championship last year, Britain has gone darts mad.

Tickets for this year’s tournament sold out in record time. Today in Focus presenter Helen Pidd and producer Tom Glasser were lucky enough to get two, and they went along to see what the fuss is all about.

Guardian sports writer and darts fan Jonathan Liew is Helen’s guide to the world of arrows, preparing her for the sights and sounds of Alexandra Palace in full swing – and the prospect of witnessing a perfect set of darts, a nine-dart finish, or “the closest thing you get to a biblical miracle in a sporting context”.

Darts has travelled far beyond the pub to become a worldwide sport, and Saudi Arabia is now vying to host a future competition. But will Helen fall in love with the game?