BBC John Virgo's true feelings on Jim Davidson as comedian claims he was 'cancelled'

Edinburgh Live

06-05-2025

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BBC snooker pundit John Virgo has shared insights into his bond with comedian Jim Davidson, following Davidson's comments about being 'cancelled'.
The pair became an iconic team on television throughout the 90s, co-hosting the hit snooker game show Big Break. With Davidson at the helm and Virgo donning the referee's gloves, the show paired members of the public with professional snooker players in a bid to win prizes, drawing in audiences of nearly 14 million at its peak.
As Virgo, who is now 79, was transitioning from professional snooker to a career in broadcasting, he initially doubted the potential success of Big Break. His reservations were quickly dispelled as the show soared in popularity.
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Speaking to the Daily Express, Virgo reminisced: "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'.
"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.", reports Wales Online.
"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," he exclaimed. "We ran for 10 years and peaked at nearly 14million viewers. It was remarkable."
The programme also marked the beginning of a surprising friendship between Virgo and Davidson, which nobody could have predicted.
"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," Virgo shared.
"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."
After the show concluded its run in 2002, the two amigos still shared the spotlight, performing together in pantomime for eight straight years.
Nonetheless, since Big Break wrapped up, Davidson has been embroiled in controversies following a slew of contentious remarks and episodes, often incorporating offensive jokes aimed at women, ethnic minorities and members of the LGBTQ+ community in his comedy routines.
He later insisted that he was unjustly "cancelled" by the BBC, claiming on GB News that he received £1 million from the broadcaster to "go away" after his heyday as a game show host.
Virgo has disclosed his viewpoint on these developments, conceding that Davidson's absence from television is "understandable" yet describing it as a "waste of talent".
He revealed that although they don't converse often, there's "a warmth that I don't get with many people" when they do meet.
"Jim is a comic genius and yet he can't appear on television, because he has a black mark against his name," the commentator shared with The Telegraph. "It's understandable. I just feel it's a waste of a talent."