BRAY LANDS BIZARRE ROLE AS VOICE OF A DOOR

RUSS BRAY has gone from calling 180s at the oche to voicing a DOOR on the big screen.

The former PDC ref has landed one of the most unusual roles of his career in the fantasy film The Land of Sometimes. 

The 68-year-old legend even attended the premiere at Leicester Square as he swapped darts for showbiz. 

Bray revealed the bizarre part he plays in the movie which follows a brother and sister exploring a magical world. 

He told the Double Tops Podcast: “We went to a premiere of it a couple of three weeks ago at the Odeon Leicester Square, which was good to do. 

“I ended up becoming the voice of a door.  

“The voice of a door where the two young kiddies go to the land of sometimes where you’ve got a pink sky and blue trees.  

“It’s a lovely story actually as a brother and sister.  

“And they go through this door, it takes them all to different chambers and I become the voice, ‘hello, what are you doing?’”

‘The Voice of Darts’ has worked as an official in the sport for nearly 30 years.   

The raspy-voiced ref called 28 PDC World Championship finals and was inducted into the PDC Hall of Fame in 2024.   

Bray revealed he does not lubricate or warm up his voice before calling at Professional Darts Corporation events. 

He added: “I don’t do anything. Honestly, seriously, I don’t drink water. My doctor turns around and says, no, you’ve got to drink lots of water, drink lots of water. 

“You’ve got to, you know. It’s good for you. It is, because it flushes the system. 

“I drink a lot of tea or something like that. But in the end, I really don’t do anything to warm my voice up. 

“You know, like singers would do.” 

Bray also reflected on his favourite match to officiate during his stellar career on the oche. 

He continued: “I suppose it’s got to be the, you mentioned Raymond van Barneveld and Phil Taylor in the 2007 [World Championship] final. 

“It was the very last one at the Circus Tavern, which made it somewhat special in itself.  

“It went to the sudden death leg, and it was Barney’s first year over. 

“Barney, at that time, I think hit the record amount of 180s in the final.  

“In that last leg, it was the last time that when they threw for the bullseye, you could leave the dart in. So, Taylor threw for the bullseye first and just landed under the bull on the 25. 

“Well, these days you have to take the dart out. That’s what you have to do. Barney asked him to leave it in, which he had to. 

“Barney put his dart on top of it and hit the bullseye. So, he threw first. He went up for a ton, I think. 

“Taylor went up and hit a 180. As I’m stood there, I thought, I he’s got him now. Barney followed him with a 180. 

“Taylor thought, oh, poof and you just see everything drain out of him. His next shot was something like 41 or whatever. 

“Barney went on, pop-pop, left himself tops and won the 2007 final which was unbelievable.  

“It was just the whole concept of everything into that made it probably one of the greatest finals.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.