BBC and Sky TV commentator known as 'the voice of darts' who played a key role in the promotion of the sport's modern era
Sid Waddell was renowned as a darts commentator at the BBC and then Sky TV, and for his skill at manipulating the English language to suit the unbridled excitement he personally felt about every dart thrown. Sid, known as "the voice of darts", who has died of cancer aged 72, played a key role in the promotion and development of the sport's modern era.
Well-known phrases, such as "there hasn't been this much excitement since the Romans fed the Christians to the lions" and "there's only one word for that – magic darts", endeared him to fans and fellow commentators. Mike Walters, of the Daily Mirror, summed up Sid's appeal: "If puns, pathos or peerless analogy is your currency, nobody does it better."
The son of Martha and Bob Waddell, Sid was born in Alnwick, Northumberland. His parents were determined that neither he nor his brother, Derrick, would follow their father down the mines. His parents gave him "the material and moral support to live my sporting dreams and realise my academic potential," Sid recalled.
He was educated at Ellington County primary school and later Morpeth grammar school, where he excelled at English and history. In 1958 he was awarded a scholarship to St John's College, Cambridge. Sid captained a darts team there, later claiming that his group was once beaten "by a team of trainee vicars".
After graduating with a degree in modern history, in the summer of 1962 he applied for a job as clerk at the colliery offices in Ashington, but was turned down for being overqualified. He then obtained a post as a research assistant at Durham University and toyed with the idea of a career in academia. However, in 1965 Sid became a TV researcher, eventually working his way up to producer of current affairs programmes.
In 1972, he became involved with the production of one of the most eccentric television programmes ever produced, Yorkshire Television's The Indoor League. The show, which ran for six series, set champions of pub games against each other. The programme helped lead to darts being more regularly featured on British television, and launched the TV darts commentating careers of not only Sid but also Dave Lanning, with whom he would go on to share the commentary box for many years.
Sid commentated on his first darts match for the BBC in 1977 and in 1994, moved from the BBC to Sky. He believed the key to being a commentator was "to know when to shut up". He said his proudest moment was being voted sports commentator of the year in 2002 by his fellow sports commentators. Other awards included being elected (along with Lanning) to the Professional Darts Corporation's hall of fame in 2008.
Sid underwent treatment for bowel cancer in September 2011, but rejoined the Sky commentary team for the McCoy's Premier League Darts competition at Manchester Arena in February 2012.
He wrote and compiled a dozen books, including Bedroll Bella (1973), the story of a "17-year old Geordie lass using foul language to pushy, randy lads", which was banned by WH Smith and John Menzies, as well as several books on darts. These included Bellies and Bullseyes: The Outrageous True Story of Darts (2007), his autobiographical account of the modern era of the sport. During his time with the BBC, he wrote 10 episodes of the children's TV series Jossy's Giants.
Sid always regarded the darts player Phil Taylor as "the greatest living sportsman" and ghosted his autobiography, The Power (2003), as well as Jocky (1983), that of his friend Jocky Wilson.
He is survived by his wife, Irene, their children Lucy, Emma, Charlotte and Daniel, and Irene's son Nicholas.
• Sidney Waddell, TV sports commentator and writer, born 10 August 1940; died 11 August 2012