Pop star Olly Murs received a mixed reception when he appeared on the giant screen at Alexandra Palace during the World Darts Championship. At day 13 of the competition, featuring the final eight matches before the Christmas interval, Murs was among the spectators enjoying the proceedings.

Before the opening clash this afternoon between Ryan Meikle and Jonny Tata, Murs was interviewed live on Sky Sports Darts. The vocalist confessed his passion for the sport and revealed his enjoyment watching Charlie Manby’s impressive performance in his comprehensive victory over Adam Sevada on Monday night.

Despite being an obvious enthusiast of the sport, Tuesday afternoon’s crowd weren’t particularly delighted by his appearance. Murs faced boos when the cameras spotted him and displayed his image on the large screen.

Social media reaction proved divided, with some viewers less than thrilled by his attendance. @thersw posted on X: “Things we want to see: Darts things we don’t want to see: Olly Murs.”

@OldManWinter999 commented: “Booing Olly Murs. Sensational from the Ally Pally crowd.”

Others welcomed his presence whilst expressing bewilderment at the hostile response.

@emilypaffett_ declared: “Olly Murs at the darts [four heart eye emojis].”

@LittleMissDarts questioned: “Why they booing Olly Murs? !”

The official PDC account on X also acknowledged Murs and promoted his latest single ‘Christmas Starts Tonight’. In a post that included a link to the song, they wrote: “Great to have @ollymurs in the house today. Check out his brand new song ‘Christmas Starts Tonight’ with the Ordinary Boys on the PDC Game Shot Playlist on Spotify.”

X user @remiaxyz responded: “Olly Murs on the darts playlist is elite.”

While @Tom_Christmas_ commented: “Finally, something to save Christmas from being a total snooze fest. However, some other viewers were not as keen.”

@GSR156_ posted: “I’ll give it a miss, thanks.”

And @haliily40 added: “That is true? ? ? No, no, no [thumbs down emoji].”

The 41-year-old singer was treated to some elite darts action, with Meikle pulling off an impressive comeback against Tata in the opening match.

Callan Rydz then triumphed over Daryl Guerney in a deciding set, hitting a 167 checkout twice before breaking his opponent’s throw and clinching the final set 5-3 in legs.

No. 19 seed Jermaine Wattimena seemed poised for an easy win over Scott Williams, but the Englishman rallied from two sets down to even the second-round match.

However, the Dutch player swept all three legs in the final set, securing his return after Christmas to face either former world champion Gary Anderson or Connor Scutt.