World Snooker Championship star shows true colours with John Virgo comments

Daily Mirror

21-05-2025

BBC star John Virgo is snooker royalty as a result of his successful playing career in the 1970s and 80s and his status as being one of the voices of the sport
Snooker ace Neil Robertson has praised John Virgo and the BBC commentary team for their stellar work behind the microphone. The 43-year-old former world champion, who still competes at the top level, occasionally shares his insights from the commentary box.
Among those he shares the gantry with is 1979 UK Championship winner Virgo, a familiar voice in snooker broadcasting. Despite his successful playing career, Virgo is perhaps best known for his role as a commentator with the BBC commentator, an organisation he joined in 1991 when he co-presented Big Break.
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At one stage, it looked like Virgo was going to be replaced by the BBC, after he claimed they were on the hunt for younger voices after the 2022/23 snooker campaign. Reflecting on his own stint alongside Virgo, Robertson had nothing but praise.
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Speaking on Stephen Hendry's Cue Tips podcast, the Australian said: "I was doing some commentary and punditry work at the World Championships last year.
"You realise just how good some of those guys are in the commentary box. I thought Virgo was just absolutely amazing. The timing and the delivery of everything he is saying."
Hendry, a seven-time World Snooker Championship winner who has also shared the commentary booth with Virgo, wholeheartedly agreed. He added: "The thing is, you and I, will sort of talk technically and say what is happening and everything, but they bring the excitement."
Renowned for his captivating commentary and distinctive delivery, Virgo is famous for his catchphrase: "Where's the cueball going," often exclaimed when the white ball teeters towards a pocket.
There was a time when it seemed fans would miss out on Virgo's voiceover skills. The commentator had announced the BBC were planning to replace him after the 2022/23 season, as the broadcaster looked to freshen things up with younger talent.
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After hearing the news in 2022, he told the Telegraph: "I wouldn't have been like this 30 years ago, I would have been fighting my corner. But I've realised – and it's taken me a long time to realise it – not to get caught up in something you have no control of.
"I can't have any bad feelings. Maybe it's a working-class attitude I've been brought up with but there's b******s all I can do about it, so why get bothered?
"I'm not going to go round on my hands and knees begging for a job. I'm past that. So I'll just get on with what I'm doing, enjoy it and treasure every moment. I understand that you get over a certain age and they want to try something different."
However, the BBC reversed their decision and chose to retain Virgo in the commentary box. Speaking on the BBC podcast 'Snookered', Virgo shared their change of mind, saying: "I spoke to one of the producers and I said, 'Well you know it'll be my last year...' and he said 'No no no, we're not going to do that now. We're going to stay as we are for the foreseeable future'.
"Which was fantastic. I'd have missed that terribly you know. Just going there. So for the foreseeable future, now whether that's this year, next year and that'll be it? So that was great, it was music to my ears."