The iconic snooker gameshow is returning to our screens after nearly 25 years away
Iconic snooker gameshow Big Break is returning to our screens after more than two decades, with the BBC confirming that the much-loved programme is being revived with presenter Paddy McGuinness and seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry at the helm.
In the announcement made earlier this week, the corporation confirmed that the revamped series will have a “brand-new look and feel” while retaining the spirit of the original show, with professional snooker players from across the circuit joining contestants in a bid to win cash prizes and Hendry showcasing a range of trick shots.
The original show became a cult hit after it launched back in 1991, with comedian Jim Davidson and former snooker champion John Virgo forming an unlikely but hugely popular partnership, with the former presenting and the latter starring as a referee.
It ran for over a decade and proved a huge hit with viewing figures peaking at almost 14 million people, before it aired for the final time in 2002.
Virgo – who was known as ‘The Voice of Snooker’ after moving into commentary for the BBC following his 18-year playing career – tragically passed away earlier this year at the age of 79, leaving the sport in mourning.
Tributes poured in from across the the worlds of snooker and television, with Davidson among those to remember him as a “great snooker player, great dad and a great bloke”.
Virgo and Davidson’s friendship may have been an unlikely one, with the two men at opposite ends of the political spectrum, but it was one which lasted beyond the show’s final broadcast as they continued to team up to do pantomime together for eight years.
However, Davidson has since been widely criticised for a series of controversial remarks and incidents, including making numerous offensive jokes about women, racial and ethnic minorities and members of the LGBTQ+ community during his stand-up performances.
Now 72, the comedian has claimed he was unfairly “cancelled” by the BBC, alleging on GB News that he was paid £1 million by the corporation to “go away” after finding success as a presenter.
In an interview with the Daily Express, Virgo previously shared his true feelings on Davidson and the show that helped to build his career in the media, admitting he had been sceptical about its chances of success when he was first offered the opportunity.
“All of a sudden, I get this phone call, ‘Would you be interested in doing this TV show, a quiz show with snooker, with this comedian, Jim Davidson’,” he recalled. “I’d met him once a few years previously, but I didn’t really know him. It was funny because we got there and he didn’t know much about snooker.
“In all honesty, after doing the first couple of shows, I was thinking, ‘I don’t see how this works’. Anyway, we did eight [episodes]. We took over the slot from A Question of Sport on a Tuesday night and the viewing figures were better! That shows you the popularity of snooker at the time.
“Then I got another phone call and they wanted us to go back into the studio to do another 18!,” Virgo added. “We ran for 10 years and peaked at nearly 14 million viewers. It was remarkable.”
On his friendship with Davidson, the late BBC commentator added: “It’s a funny thing about life. He’s your crafty Conservative comedian and I’m your dour northern socialist. How do you come up with that? But obviously the chemistry worked.
“Although Jim didn’t know much about snooker, what a funny man and a very generous man to work with. We really got on well. Besides, when you’re in those positions, the most important thing is that the show works.”
As for the controversies surrounding his former colleague, Virgo later admitted that Davidson no longer being on TV was “understandable” but also a “waste of talent”.
In an interview with The Telegraph in 2022, he added that the pair no longer spoke regularly, but shared “a warmth that I don’t get with many people” whenever they happened to cross paths.
“Jim is a comic genius and yet he can’t appear on television, because he has a black mark against his name,” said Virgo. “It’s understandable. I just feel it’s a waste of a talent.”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login