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Wales Online
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Mark Williams stunned Crucible as bizarre press conference unfolded
Mark Williams stunned Crucible as bizarre press conference unfolded The Welshman is no stranger to causing a bit of a stir Mark Williams conducts his post match interview without any clothes on after winning the 2018 World Championship (Image: PA ) Mark Williams has never been afraid to have a bit of a laugh, even when he's under the gaze of the biggest stage in snooker. The Welshman has already delighted fans at this year's World Championships in Sheffield, enjoying a cheeky moment with referee Olivier Marteel during his first-round match with Yize Wu at the Crucible Theatre. But nothing will ever come close to the scenes that followed his 2018 title win, the third of his career, with Williams duly delivering on a previous pledge to get naked if he managed to go all the way. Article continues below He would subsequently go on to conduct his press duties afterwards with nothing but a towel to preserve his modesty. "I'll never forget it," he told WalesOnline in 2023. "I was in the dressing room and I came in and I was called for the press conference, and just thought 'Here we go'. So I took all my clothes off and everything." Fans were left in stitches, but snooker chief Barry Hearn wasn't at all amused. "He burst through the door and was just saying 'there are kids in there, you can't do it. You've got to wear this towel'," Williams said. "He pops up with this BetFred towel. I told him I didn't want it. So I was walking down with my hands covering, walking down, and he was insisting. He must have already had it planned, I don't know. "I've still got the towel in my house!" After signing off from media duties, Williams then embarked on an infamous kebab-fuelled night out, live tweeting his exploits throughout the celebrations, which carried on well into the following morning. His love of kebabs was recently immortalised in a doner-themed birthday cake for his 50th birthday last month, in a more recent and hefty nod to those legendary celebrations. But while he clearly enjoys the chance to toast his success, he's never quite been one to take himself too seriously, even in the heat of competition. During a tight first-round match at this year's World Championship, where he edged to a 10-8 win, Williams seemingly stepped in after a foul went uncalled as the pink ball was potted in error. Referee Marteel didn't spot the mistake at first, prompting Williams to swiftly retrieve the pink from the pocket and return it to the table, much to the amusement of the crowd, who broke out into laughter. Marteel, with a smile, tried to clarify his oversight by saying: "Yeah, I was talking, I was talking to someone in the crowd. No, it's OK (as Williams picked ball up)." Article continues below In a bid to reassert control, Williams returned the ball, and the official then loudly declared: "Foul, Mark Williams, six." Williams continues his World Championship campaign against Iran's Hossein Vafaei, with the opening session set to get under way at 10am on Friday morning.
BBC News
11-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Plans approved in Manchester for tallest UK tower outside London
Plans for the UK's tallest skyscraper outside of London have been approved for Manchester. The 76-storey tower, planned by developer Salboy for the city centre, will stand at 246m high (656ft) and include 452 flats and a 160-bed hotel. It is one of two new high-rise buildings proposed by the firm, with a smaller 23-storey tower also approved by Manchester City Council. Simon Ismail, managing director of Salboy, said the development would "shape Manchester's skyline for years to come". Salboy previously said the 76-storey tower would become the tallest residential building in Western Europe. A spokesman for the developer said the flats would be "luxury residences" aimed at meeting demand for "high-quality accommodation for the international city's residents and visitors". Meanwhile the smaller building would include 133 affordable apartments, he added. Mr Ismail said the firm was "delighted" with the approval and said the scheme, known as Viadux 2, would help meet the "substantial need" for accommodation at different price points and tenure developer, founded in 2014 by BetFred owner Fred Done is behind many of the high-rise developments across Salford and Manchester. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
