UK government legislation had banned tobacco companies from attaching their brands to sporting events from 2003.

The tournament had been previously known as the Embassy World Championship for 26 years since its inception in 1978.

The prize fund for 2004 matched the previous year, with the exception of the non-qualifiers payments which were removed.

Andy Fordham became a new name on the trophy after defeating defending champion, Raymond van Barneveld in the semi-final and Mervyn King in the final.

Fordham hit the highest 3-dart average in the final (97.18) since the PDC/BDO split in 1993 - although Phil Taylor and Eric Bristow had each surpassed that figure twice in their previous BDO title wins.