From his days in the police, to travelling the world, appearing in movies and becoming one of the most recognisable voices in sport - we sat down with Russ Bray to hear his life story in a special episode of the Darts Show Podcast.
‘The Voice’ joined the PDC as a referee in July 1996, and he’s since become one of the most iconic faces in world darts, witnessing the sport’s incredible global growth over the last quarter of a century…
“I absolutely love it. I still get the same buzz I did 25 years ago. I love doing what I do. It’s a fantastic job," said Russ, speaking to Dan Dawson on the Darts Show Podcast.
“This game has given me so many opportunities. When I went to Australia last month, that was my 35th trip to Australia.
“There is only one continent I haven’t called a nine-darter on and that is America.
“In Europe I’ve called loads obviously, I called two out in Asia, with Noel Malicdem and Lourence Ilagan on the Asian Tour.
“Mervyn King did one in South Africa, Phil [Taylor] in Australia, so I’ve just got the Americas to do!
“When you're part of the game, you’re going with the flow, with the rollercoaster, but looking back, I am surprised by how much it has changed.
“Things are a million times better now. The first time we went to the Netherlands, there were 12,000 people at the Ahoy Arena, and it was just a sea of orange.
“When we went to the O2 in Dublin for the first time, it was incredible. That is the intensity of the game nowadays.”
Listen to the full exclusive interview with Russ in the latest edition of The Darts Show Podcast - available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, or watch via YouTube.