By Sarah Leaver on 180UK Debut
Chris Dobey’s career really hit the ground running in 2023 when he reached the quarter-final of the World Darts Championship for the first time. This came in a run where he beat two former World Champions in Gary Anderson and Rob Cross, before being defeated by Michael van Gerwen in the quarter-final.
However, prior to this, the Bedlington man worked in traffic management, doing 12-hour shifts where he put the cones out on motorways. He became a PDC Tour Card holder in 2015 and made his first major TV appearance in the 2015 UK Open.
Dobey – also known as “Hollywood” because of his outfit choices when playing – made a real imprint on the sport at the 2016 German Masters, where he averaged over 100 in almost all of his matches, including in the quarter-final against Michael van Gerwen where he led the world number one 5-4, but eventually lost 6-5.
In 2021, Dobey won his first PDC ranking title at Players Championship 18 where he beat some big names, such as Luke Humphries, Jonny Clayton, and Stephen Bunting. He won his second ranking title in the same year at Players Championship 28.
Hollywood reached three consecutive televised quarter-finals in 2023: the World Matchplay, the World Grand Prix and the European Championship, however in most of these, he was defeated by the eventual champion of the competition.
2023 also saw his full Premier League debut, where he won the first night after beating Peter Wright, Nathan Aspinall and Michael van Gerwen, before losing in the quarter-finals of each night until night seven, where he reached the final. He finished in seventh place in this year after only registering two more wins in the competition.
Dobey is a lifelong supporter of Newcastle United, and at his home match in the 2023 Premier League he used a special walk-on song: “Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero” in addition to his playing jersey bearing the black and white colours of the football club, as well as sometimes wearing a blue star (in reference to Newcastle Brown Ale) containing a silhouette of the Tyne Bridge.
The 2024 World Championship saw some of Dobey’s best darts, after he demolished defending champion Michael Smith 4-0 in the fourth round, before establishing a 4-0 lead over Rob Cross in the quarter-finals, but Cross made a historic comeback, winning five sets in a row to defeat the North East star.
Despite this loss in the quarter-final, Dobey won three Players Championships this year, in PC 7, 19 and 25.
In 2025, Dobey made history for himself by reaching the semi-final of the World Championship for the first time, but he was denied a place in the final by a 6-1 defeat to Michael van Gerwen.
Dobey also made his debut in the Bahrain Masters in this year, being eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual winner Stephen Bunting.
His stellar performances in 2024 and 2025 ranked him ninth in the PDC Order of Merit and led to his selection for the 2025 Premier League line-up.