Bobby George is big and brash and darts fans the world over love him for it.

His appeal stretches beyond his chosen sport, of course, because he is something of a TV star in his own right, and has been a big favourite on the BBC show ‘The Real Marigold Hotel’ in recent times.

However, it’s for his darts that the 73-year-old remains best known and he remains in big demand even though by his own admission his days as one of the leading players have long since gone.

These days he’s wanted for his larger than life personality as much as for his darts and as such he will soon be heading to Gloucestershire for the Cheltenham Masters, an ever-popular event that this year takes place at the Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse on Friday 5th April.

The knockout competition will feature two of the biggest names in the game today – Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson – but they’ll do well to get a bigger cheer on the night than George, or the Bobby Dazzler as he is commonly known.

George may or may not play in the Cheltenham Masters but he’ll feature in a couple of exhibition games against members of the crowd beforehand and he will certainly be the main man when it comes to whipping up a party atmosphere.

He’s good at that, of course, very good. He made his name as a darts player back in the late 70s and early 80s when the likes of Eric Bristow, John Lowe and Jocky Wilson were in their pomp.

And while Bristow, Lowe and Wilson all had their supporters – they were all world champions – it was George, twice a world championship runner-up, who grabbed most of the headlines.

He was the King of the Bling, the player who used to walk through the crowd to the oche accompanied by Queen’s ‘We are the Champions’.

The players all have their own songs now, of course, but George was the first.

“Everyone loved it,” said George, speaking to The Local Answer from his home in Essex. “Everybody used to sing along, it was a great atmosphere. It made it more theatrical.”

It certainly did and the music was only part of it because George used to go on stage wearing a crown and a sequinned cape while carrying a lighted candelabra.

“I was just being me,” he said. “Okay the crown, cape and candelabra were extras but otherwise I was just behaving naturally.

“Eric Bristow was a bit mouthy, John Lowe always had a serious face and I was all flash and sparkly. All the players at that time were characters.”

They certainly were and they played a big part in helping to make darts the global game that it is today.

“When I started playing you were just up against the best players in the British Isles,” he said. “Now the top players come from all over – the Netherlands, Germany, Japan.”

And while that is undoubtedly true, it’s also true that you had to be very good back in the day to be on top of the pile.

And George was on top of the pile for a short period because he was ranked number one in the world. He won a number of major tournaments as well and played 30-odd games for England in an era when they were winning world and European team titles for fun.

“That was my proudest achievement,” he said. “There can be no greater honour for any sportsman than representing your country. It’s the pinnacle and we were lucky enough to be very successful at the time.”

Remarkably, George didn’t start playing darts until he was 30 – before that his jobs included working as nightclub bouncer and as a floor layer – but that wasn’t the reason he didn’t rack up the number of tournament wins of some of his rivals.

“I was never a trophy hunter,” he explained. “For me, it was a business, it was the bees and honey.

“I played exhibition matches which meant I got paid to play, I didn’t pay to play. You could travel to a tournament, get knocked out in the first round and be out of pocket.”

Not that that happened too often to George when he was in his prime.

And he had a simple philosophy back in those days as well.

“Once I started playing I only looked at the dartboard,” he said. “I never noticed the crowd, I was just looking at the dartboard and it never changed.

“Too many players get affected by what the crowd are doing.”

And some of the lessons he learned he obviously passed on to his younger son Richie, who reached the last four of the world championships in 2013.

“He always wanted to be a professional darts player,” said his dad, “but he’s packed up playing now. He’s working as a heating engineer.

“But he’s only 29, I hadn’t started playing by then so he’s got time to come back.”

And if he does, who would win out of father and son?

“I think he’d beat me up bad,” laughed George senior.

And George fears a similar result if he plays in the Cheltenham Masters and gets drawn against van Gerwen.

“I’d have to walk on to the oche accompanied by the Beatles song Help!” he laughed. “I’d definitely need it!”

George has one-liners aplenty and is happy to talk at length despite having given countless interviews over the years.

“I’d rather talk to someone on the phone than talk to myself,” he said. “When I start talking to myself I know that I’m nearing the end!”

And on being well into his eighth decade he said: “I don’t feel old although when I look in the mirror I realise I look old.

“When I’m shaving in the morning, I think, ‘You’re getting ugly, you used to be good looking!’.”

He liked that line, did Bobby, and he certainly enjoyed being part of The Real Marigold series where celebrities of a certain vintage discover how other countries treat their elderly.

It’s taken him to Russia, India and the US and he’s had good experiences in all three countries.

“India is a great place,” he said, “the people, the weather, the food. That’s my favourite place.

“Russia is nice too. We went to St Petersburg and I was quite shocked, it only took us just over three hours to get there.

“The people were great and so is their food. Their steak and chips are marvellous. All their food is fresh, there’s no frozen food.

“The food’s great in the US too, but if you’re an OAP in America you need some money.

“I’ve been very lucky, I’ve travelled the world but I never forget it was darts that gave me the opportunity.”

And it’s an opportunity he’s grabbed with both hands.

He’s often accompanied on his trips by his wife Marie, who doubles up as his manager, and she’ll be with him when he comes to the Cheltenham Masters for what is sure to be a great night of darts.

They’re staying overnight and Bobby, who clearly enjoys his food, will be delighted to hear that there are some excellent restaurants in and around Cheltenham!