Luke Littler has put to bed any suggestions that crowd hostility affects him, following what observers are describing as “the most relaxed reaction to booing in sporting history.”
The 18-year-old—who averaged a serene 106.58 against Rob Cross—showcased his complete lack of concern by immediately running laps around the Alexandra Palace stage upon hitting his winning double, pointing at various sections of the crowd in what body language analysts would surely confirm was “definitely not bothered behaviour.”
“I’m not bothered. Really, I’m not bothered,” Littler clarified in his post-match interview, before adding: “You guys pay for tickets and you pay for my prize money, so thank you for my money, thank you for booing me!”
An interesting choice of words for someone who, by his own admission, couldn’t care less about the reception.
A Masterclass in Indifference
The Warrington wonderkid’s unbothered energy was palpable throughout the match. So palpable, in fact, that he later admitted he had “lost his head” during proceedings—presumably referring to a brief moment where he momentarily forgot just how unbothered he was.
The teenager also noted that the hostile reception “definitely fuelled me up and made me play better”—which, to be clear, is entirely different from being bothered. Being fuelled is merely a chemical reaction. Being bothered would require emotional investment, which Littler has repeatedly confirmed he does not have.
In those exact words.
Multiple times.
Unprompted.
Expert Analysis
Former world champion and Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle has witnessed countless players handle pressure situations, but Littler’s ability to not acknowledge something whilst simultaneously acknowledging it for several minutes straight is genuinely unprecedented territory.
The crowd at Alexandra Palace, who had been firmly behind Rob Cross, were treated to a post-match interview that will surely go down in history as one of the sport’s great displays of not caring about things.
“It was hostile, nobody wanted me to win the game, but I proved them wrong,” Littler explained, in what was clearly a casual observation rather than evidence of someone who had been keeping careful track of precisely who wanted what.
Looking Ahead
Bookmakers have already installed Littler as favourite to claim the title of “Least Bothered Individual” at the 2026 BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards, though insiders suggest he probably won’t care either way.
The unbothered star returns to the Ally Pally stage on New Year’s Day to face Luke Woodhouse or Krzysztof Ratajski in the quarter-finals, where he has announced he will “expect the worst”—a typically carefree mindset from someone who definitely isn’t thinking about crowd reactions at all.
Should he reach the final, one imagines the atmosphere will be electric. And Littler, for his part, won’t be bothered in the slightest.
He’ll probably mention it, mind.