BRZEZINSKI AND JONES BACKED TO SHARE PDC MC ROLE

PHILIP BRZEZINSKI and Lewis Jones should share the PDC Master of Ceremonies role.

Brzezinski made his debut on the Premier League Darts stage on Thursday night in Berlin and impressed fans with a fresh and energetic performance.

His return comes after the retirement of long-time caller John McDonald, with Jones stepping in as his successor for this campaign in the major events. 

But Brzezinski’s showing has reignited calls for a dual-MC setup, with many believing the pair could share duties moving forward. 

Pundit Charlie Murphy said on the OLBG podcast: “I really enjoyed that last night. It was really refreshing. It was a nice edition, so I did really enjoy that, and I think a lot of people at home did as well.

“It’s nothing against the other guy. It could be a shared role to be honest as a viewer.” 

Former pro Matt Edgar also backed the idea, pointing to how other areas of the sport already rotate talent. 

He added: “A lot of roles are in darts if you look at the commentary, that is very shared, whether that is legal cover. 

“Then you have an afternoon team and an evening team. Emma Paton doesn’t cover everything at the World Championship. 

“You have different presenters. It’s the same with the reporter. I wouldn’t be surprised if we move into a world where we see a dual MC role. 

“Rather than what we had before, where we just see John McDonald.” 

Jones has come in for criticism online after a few early slip-ups in his new role on the professional circuit. 

He mistakenly referred to the Bahrain World Series instead of the Bahrain Darts Masters, while Gian van Veen was introduced as a World Championship semi-finalist despite reaching the final. 

His call of “Michael Mighty van Gerwen” also raised eyebrows among fans.

But former Players Championship Finals winner Paul Nicholson has leapt to Jones’ defence, insisting the backlash was always inevitable given who he is replacing. 

He told Sporting Life: “Lewis Jones has taken a fair bit of stick as the new Master of Ceremonies for all of the PDC’s televised darts events but, again, I think that was going to be inevitable for whoever was going to attempt to fill the huge vocal chords of John McDonald. 

“I’ve known Lewis for 16 years and he used to be Simon Whitlock’s security, driver and facilitator. 

“That is how he got into the sport and then he started working for Modus where he gained experience of being an MC. 

“He has faced plenty of criticism on social media – most of which has been unfair and not constructive at all – but I did see him backstage on Saturday night when I was leaving, and he was in a great mood. So hopefully he’s not been taking it too personally. 

“He loves doing the job and has sought the right advice from voice coaches and other ways to try and project himself better. 

“He’s not standing there and simply reading a cue card. He’s actively trying to better himself. 

“Look at who he was replacing. We’ve had just two MCs in the PDC since 1993. 

“And the longer there’s no change, the harder it is for the public to accept change when it does come. 

“John McDonald was nervous at the beginning and he didn’t know much about Phil Taylor, Dennis Priestley and all these guys.

“But over time he grew into the role and that’s what we’ll see with Lewis, who is nurturing his own style week by week and clearly improving with every passing tournament.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.