At 41 years old, James Wade is darts’s most successful left-hander, and over the course of his career has taken home 11 PDC titles.

But after a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and ADHD, plus becoming a dad and younger players picking up steam, James has found his priorities shifting.

So when we meet him in Game of Throws: Inside Darts, he’s seriously considering putting his arrows down for good.

Though can he really walk away when he’s seeing a career resurgence and is inches away from re-entering the top 10 seeded players in the world?

Speaking ahead of the series launch, James talks about his career to date, the importance of telling his mental health story, and why he’s considering saying goodbye to the game.

It’s the fact it’s played at Christmas. It means time off work for the fans, and they can get dressed up, enjoy the darts and get in the festive spirit.

For the players it’s a bit different. Some love it but some do miss that time with the family.

There’s definitely positives and negatives to it – they create an amazing atmosphere but when you’re struggling a little bit on stage it can be tricky. It’s part of the tournament though and you just get on and play.

I would love to know how many in the crowd could tell you who won the matches they’d watched though. I think they might be having too much fun to remember!

I can remember being a kid and playing darts in the kitchen with my nan and it was on in the background and Paul Williams was playing. I can specifically remember him hitting double after double – just eating them up – and thinking ‘how can he be that good?’

I always liked to watch good players – even when I was 10 or 11 years old – I’d sit in the pub, studying the adults, trying to work out how I could beat them.

In the documentary, former world number one, Michael Van Gerwen mentions missing kids’ birthdays and family events to get to where he did – what sacrifices have you had to make?

I’m not sure people outside the sport have any idea of what it takes to get to the top. Playing darts is a wonderful opportunity to have success and win a lot of money, but it does take over your life.

It can get to the point where you have to weigh it all up - especially when your kids are young. My two wonderful boys (James has two sons) are the most important things in the world to me and I don't want to miss any more time away from them than I absolutely have to.

You talk about retiring in the documentary – how hard is that to contemplate after dedicating so much of your life to the sport?

As soon as Arthur was born and I held him in my arms, I knew things had to change as I knew I didn’t want to miss any of their growing up. I think I cry more when I go away now than Arthur or Alfie does!

I know that sounds soppy or emotional but it’s true. It’s also hard on my wife Samantha, she is basically raising them as a single parent which isn’t fair.

I know as a father my role is to provide for them, but when it means being away so much, I do start to question it. You have to be careful – you’re not living for darts; you’re living for your family.

I now understand better why I have outbursts and sometimes say things I shouldn’t. It hasn’t helped me prepare for matches differently though.

My wife and my management team try to help in that respect, but you know the saying; ‘you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink’? That’s me. I am a little calmer and definitely not as hot-headed as I used to be, and I will listen to their advice – which I wouldn’t have done ten years ago.

But most of the time I am still my own worst enemy. Even with the diagnosis, I still don't know how to manage myself emotionally, but I am what I am, I'm 41 and I don't think I'm going to change now.

At the end of the day, I know I need to do it, so that's what I do. So, when I have made my mind up, I get quite regimental about my time. I work out when I need to leave, when I need to be at the airport to fly somewhere, when I need to be at the hotel.

I follow the clock and that helps me.

It's a drug. When things are going well, it’s a lovely feeling. You wonder ‘why can’t it be like this all the time?’

On stage can be a really fun place to be, and in some ways, it feels like a dream job.

It was over very quickly - I played absolutely awfully - but it meant I had the best Christmas in years. I didn’t have that pressure hanging over my head and I forgot all about it.

The word ‘darts’ wasn’t even mentioned in the house, because everyone in my family knows what a sore loser I am.

Instead, it was everything else – watching Home Alone and Die Hard, eating loads of food and arguing! Ha!

There’s no secret to it – he’s just a brilliant player. He's phenomenal. Let’s see what happens in the long term though. I don't think he'll ever dominate the sport like a Phil Taylor or a Michael Van Gerwen.

He has the ability, don't get me wrong, but I don't think he necessarily has the mentality or the personality to do it. He might not even be playing darts in five years’ time. He may have made his money and be off doing other things.

He's a lovely lad, really quiet, never rude and always polite. I think Luke will do what he wants to do. I don't think he's someone that can be pushed around, which I quite like.

That said, I also feel sorry for him. He never gets left alone. I spoke to him three days ago – we were practicing together - and all he wants to do is play darts but there are always people making demands on his time.

My fear is things will change when he's 18. At the moment the press is being well behaved and playing nice, but I worry that will change. They'll be following him everywhere and giving him a bit of a hard time, which is not the kind of pressure any 18-year-old wants.