Fat, Boozy and Toothless

After a childhood spent in care, and large parts of his adult life spent on the dole, Jocky Wilson shot to fame and glory in the early 1980s in front of millions of fanatical darts fans on television. In 1982 he won the first of his two world champion titles and went on to become an iconic figure in the sport throughout the decade that followed.

But criticism and ridicule regarding his appearance and lifestyle dogged Wilson throughout his career and his spiral into bankruptcy and ill health forced his retirement from the game at the age of just forty-five. He became a recluse, separated from his friends and family, and passed away at his one-bedroom council flat in Kirkcaldy, aged 62, in 2012.

In this long overdue biography, Lance Hardy, the former BBC Sport Editor and best-selling co-author of Bobby Dazzler, the critically-acclaimed autobiography of Bobby George, offers an affectionate and analytical look at the life and times of this true working-class hero, who shone so brightly, albeit so briefly.