Sky Sports presenter reacts after viral ‘hotel room’ comment from darts player on live TV
Andrew Gilding may have been focused on reaching another World Matchplay quarter-final, but it was his post-match interview that ended up stealing the show.
The experienced Englishman had just produced an excellent performance against Dirk van Duijvenbode at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens when Sky Sports presenter Polly James asked him about the secret behind his victory.
Gilding’s answer was completely unexpected — and one particular phrase instantly sent darts fans into overdrive.
The viral moment that caught everyone off guard
Gilding defeated Van Duijvenbode 11-5 in the second round of the 2025 World Matchplay, racing into a 5-0 lead before eventually securing a comfortable victory. He averaged around 100 and converted his opportunities on the doubles well during an impressive display.
But when James asked about how he had prepared for the match, Gilding delivered an answer that nobody watching expected.
“Thank you. I don’t know what happened. I’ve spent two days in the hotel room, getting stiff and come up here today feeling absolutely awful and somehow it happened.”
There was an obvious double meaning in the wording, and social media immediately picked up on it.
The funniest part, however, was James’ reaction. She later admitted online that maintaining a straight face during the interview had been impossible.
“People asking how I kept a straight face….. I bloody didn’t,” James wrote on X after the interview.
That response only added fuel to the moment, because viewers had already noticed her trying to process exactly what Gilding had just said live on television.
Gilding probably didn’t mean what fans thought
The beauty of the moment is that Gilding appeared to be talking about spending time in his hotel room preparing and practising before the match.
His choice of words, though, made the statement sound very different.
Gilding is not exactly known for producing carefully rehearsed media answers. That has arguably become part of his charm. Rather than delivering polished sporting clichés, the 54-year-old tends to speak in his own style, which can occasionally produce moments like this.
James herself later described him as one of her favourite players to interview because he is “always honest and real” and you never quite know what he might say next.
That probably explains why the clip travelled so quickly.
In modern sports, a huge performance can sometimes be overshadowed online by a funny ten-second interview. Gilding discovered exactly that at the Winter Gardens.
Goldfinger was actually playing some serious darts
It would be easy to forget just how good Gilding had been because of the interview.
The victory over Van Duijvenbode was no fluke. Gilding started brilliantly, moving 5-0 ahead and maintaining control despite his Dutch opponent attempting to fight his way back into the contest.
Van Duijvenbode reduced the deficit to 8-5, but Gilding responded strongly and closed out the match 11-5. The result earned him a place in the World Matchplay quarter-finals for the second consecutive year.
That achievement was particularly notable because the World Matchplay is one of the biggest tournaments on the PDC calendar.
Gilding had already shown at the tournament that he was capable of upsetting higher-profile opponents. His run began with a 12-10 victory over Damon Heta before he followed it with the win against Van Duijvenbode.
And there was plenty more to come.
A huge test against Luke Littler
Gilding’s reward for reaching the quarter-finals was a meeting with reigning world champion Luke Littler.
That was a completely different challenge. Littler had already established himself as one of the biggest stars in darts and entered the tournament as the number two seed.
The match eventually became an extraordinary battle.
Littler opened up a sizeable advantage, leading 12-8 and later 14-9, but Gilding refused to disappear. He won three consecutive legs to move within one at 15-14, setting up the possibility of a dramatic deciding leg.
Littler ultimately held his nerve to win 16-14.
The teenager averaged 103.91 and hit 18 maximums, setting a new record for the most 180s by a player in a World Matchplay quarter-final. Gilding, meanwhile, averaged 98.45 in an impressive performance that pushed the eventual champion all the way.
So while the hotel-room comment became the viral headline, the performance behind it deserved plenty of attention too.
Why darts keeps producing moments like this
There is something uniquely entertaining about darts interviews.
The sport has always had personalities who speak more freely than athletes in some other major sports, and that can produce genuine, unpredictable moments.
Players spend long periods travelling together, staying in hotels and competing week after week. They know each other well, develop friendships and rivalries, and often have a very different relationship with the media compared with football or other major sports.
Gilding fits that culture perfectly.
His relaxed personality contrasts sharply with the intensity of a major tournament match. One minute he is averaging around 100 and defeating a dangerous opponent; minutes later, he is accidentally producing one of the funniest television moments of the tournament.
That contrast is probably why fans enjoyed it so much.
Polly James was left trying not to laugh
For James, the incident was probably one of those interviews where the presenter has to maintain professionalism while simultaneously wondering whether they have really just heard what they think they heard.
Her later reaction confirmed that she found the moment just as funny as everyone watching at home.
And importantly, she did not appear to take the comment negatively. Instead, she embraced the humour and explained why Gilding was such an entertaining person to interview.
That makes the episode feel less like a controversy and more like one of those wonderfully awkward sporting moments that fans will remember long after the actual match has disappeared from the headlines.
The perfect example of Gilding’s personality
Ultimately, the viral interview tells only part of the story.
Andrew Gilding was in Blackpool to compete, and he was doing it extremely well. He reached consecutive World Matchplay quarter-finals and pushed Littler to the limit before eventually bowing out 16-14.
But the phrase from his interview ensured that his appearance at the Winter Gardens would be remembered for something completely different.
That is the charm of live sport. You can plan the questions, prepare the broadcast and know exactly what happened on the stage — but you can never completely predict what a player is going to say when the microphone reaches them.
And in Gilding’s case, one awkwardly chosen description of his hotel routine was enough to turn a routine post-match interview into one of the most talked-about darts moments of the tournament.
What do you make of Andrew Gilding’s hilarious hotel-room comment — and could you have kept a straight face in Polly James’ position?