Jim Davidson makes feelings clear on Big Break return with Paddy McGuinness dig

The controversial comedian fronted the original series alongside late snooker commentator John Virgo

For the first time in nearly 25 years, beloved snooker gameshow Big Break is set to return to our screens in the coming months.

Earlier this year, the BBC confirmed that, after more than two decades off the air, the iconic show would make its return in 2026, with two new famous faces at the helm. Former Take Me Out and Top Gear presenter Paddy McGuinness is at the helm as host, with seven-time world snooker champion Stephen Hendry joining him in the studio.

The show, which sees professional snooker players from across the circuit joining contestants in a bid to win cash prizes, originally launched back in 1991 and quickly became a cult hit, with comedian Jim Davidson and former snooker champion John Virgo fronting it.

The unlikely presenting duo proved hugely popular, with Davidson on hosting duties and Virgo starring as a referee. The original series ran for over a decade and saw viewing figures peak at almost 14 million people, before it aired for the final time in 2002.

Announcing the show’s return earlier this year, the BBC confirmed that the revamped series will have a “brand-new look and feel” while retaining the spirit of the original show, with Hendry set to showcase a range of trick shots.

The announcement was made just weeks after BBC commentator and ‘The Voice of Snooker’ Virgo died suddenly at the age of 79, while controversial comic Davidson was also overlooked for returning to his old presenting role.

The 72-year-old – who has been widely criticised for a series of controversial remarks about women, racial and ethnic minorities and members of the LGBTQ+ community during his stand-up performances – has since made his feelings clear on Big Break’s return, arguing that the revamped show has “a tough act to follow”.

Addressing the reboot earlier this year, Davidson hit out at the BBC while also admitting he didn’t know who McGuinness was and remarking that the show needed “someone who is a little bit more than an an autocue reader”.

“It’s gonna be a tough act to follow,” he said in a video posted on his YouTube channel. “It was a great, great programme on the Saturday nights and maybe in the week as well.

“We were pulling in thousands and thousands and thousands. We used to film four a day and it was hard work. It was. It’s not an easy show to do, trust me on that.

“Plus, the BBC doesn’t really know how to make TV programmes, so there you go. Deal with that. Paddy McGuinness, I don’t know him so I can’t comment, but I don’t know what he does?

“Is he a comic? Like Vernon Kay, just reads the autocue or what? I don’t know. It needs someone who is a little bit more than an autocue reader. Stephen Hendry I admire and I like. He’s a nice guy. I like him a lot.

“Whether he is John Virgo… John Virgo was brought in because he was funny. He was the snooker player’s comedian. That’s why it worked,” Davidson added.

Admitting that he would like to be fronting the reboot – but adding that he “can’t bear” the BBC – the comedian continued: “I have the ability to ad lib and live and bounce on my feet and John and I developed this chemistry.

“I hope that this Paddy McGuinness and Stephen Hendry try and pull something together. It’s a big act to follow, lads but I wish you luck. Don’t look back at what we did and carry on and do what you want to do. Whether the public will take to you, that’s up to you guys.

“I wish I were doing it,” he added. “Not for the BBC because I can’t bear them. But Paddy and Stephen, I and John up there somewhere in the great gambling den in the sky, we wish you luck.”