He is highly respected as a referee all over the world and is hugely popular with darts fans wherever he goes.

It is by a strange twist of fate that Bray came to the job that has made him the man he is today. "It's all about being in the right place at the right time," he admitted.

Russ used to throw a mean dart or two. He was a county standard player with Hertfordshire for many years and actually played the professional circuit.

"I really enjoyed that time and won a couple of tournaments. Eric Bristow and I won the Finland and Norway Pairs Titles and it was a lot of fun. I have to be honest though and admit I wasn't quite good enough to go all the way to the top."

He stumbled into calling and refereeing by accident. Russ explains: "At one of the county matches, the caller didn't turn up. I stepped in, people like what they heard and it all went from there."

In 1996, Russ contacted the PDC to see if they wanted a reserve referee to support the experienced Freddie Williams and Bruce Spendley. He was given a trial at the World Matchplay Championships in Blackpool.

He takes up the story: "It was unbelievable because my first ever match featured the great John Lowe. It gave me a real buzz. I thought it had all gone well and they gave me a job! My first tournament, as part of the team, was the 1997 World Championships at the Circus Tavern and to be honest, I've never looked back."

It is certainly a pressure job in front of packed houses and a huge live TV audience on Sky Sports but Russ takes it all in his stride.

"The maths are second nature. It is just like riding a bike! Sometimes though, it can go wrong!"

"At the World Championships a few years ago, I made a complete mess of calling a throw from Colin Lloyd. I got it wrong, then got it wrong again, before finally getting it right! Colin saw the funny side and the crowd were laughing as well. Somebody wanted to give me their glasses!"

The distinctive sound of 'The Voice' has brought him a new following. He now does a lot of voice-over work. Russ has also appeared in TV programmes like Eastenders, Family Affairs and Little Britain. He has also made his acting debut on the big screen, appearing in a film called 'Heartlands'.

Russ has taken charge of the top matches all over the world, as darts continues to spread its wings. He is also very much in demand for exhibitions and does a lot of work in Holland with the likes of John Part, Peter Manley, Andy Fordham and Daryl Fitton.

"I get a huge amount of enjoyment out of what I do and the deal with Unicorn is the icing on the cake for me," he said.

So, what about the best moments of his career? "The number one for me just has to be back in July 2002. Phil Taylor's history-making moment, when he became the first player to nail a 9-dart finish on live TV. He was playing Chris Mason at the World Matchplay Championships and to call that in was just amazing."

" There are three matches which really stand out for me. John Part's epic victory over Phil Taylor in the World Championship Final. Another game involving Taylor, also at the Circus Tavern, when he beat John Lowe 3-1 but it was a lot closer than that and there were 17 maximum's in the match. The standard was mind-blowing. Finally, Andy Jenkins against Steve Coote at the Las Vegas Desert Classic in 2004. It just sticks in the memory bank, because the quality of darts from both players, was fantastic."