Latest news with #TheWorldSnookerChampionship
Wales Online
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
John Virgo makes feelings clear on Jim Davidson after Big Break star 'cancelled'
John Virgo makes feelings clear on Jim Davidson after Big Break star 'cancelled' The World Snooker Championship commentator fronted the popular BBC show alongside Davidson in the 1990s Davidson and Virgo no longer speak regularly but remain friends (Image: BBC ) BBC snooker commentator John Virgo has opened up on his friendship with his former Big Break co-host Jim Davidson, after the comedian claimed he was 'cancelled'. The unlikely presenting duo fronted the popular snooker-based programme for just over a decade in the 1990s, with Davidson presenting and Virgo starring as a referee. It saw contestants team up with professional players to compete in various snooker-related rounds in order to win prizes, and proved a huge hit with viewing figures peaking at almost 14 million people. It came as Virgo, now 79, was starting to wind down his snooker career and move into broadcasting, and he admits that he was sceptical about the show's chances of being successful when he first landed the gig. However, he was soon happily proven wrong. He told the Daily Express: "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. "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. Article continues below 'Then I got another phone call and they wanted us to go back into the studio to do another 18!," he added. "We ran for 10 years and peaked at nearly 14million viewers. It was remarkable.' The show was also the start of a close friendship between Virgo and Davidson, as unlikely as it initially seemed. "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 added. '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.' The pair's friendship continued after the show aired for the final time in 2002, as they did pantomime together for eight years. However, since Big Break ended, Davidson has come under fire for a series of controversial comments and incidents, making numerous offensive jokes about women, racial and ethnic minorities and members of the LGBTQ+ community in his stand-up act. He has gone on to claim he was unfairly "cancelled" by the BBC, alleging on GB News that he was paid £1 million by the corporation to "go away" after his success as a presenter. Virgo has since made his feelings clear on the matter, admitting that Davidson no longer being on TV is "understandable" but claiming it is also a "waste of talent". He added that the pair no longer speak regularly, but share "a warmth that I don't get with many people" whenever they cross paths. Article continues below "Jim is a comic genius and yet he can't appear on television, because he has a black mark against his name," the commentator told The Telegraph. "It's understandable. I just feel it's a waste of a talent.'
Daily Mirror
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Suspended snooker players including former world champion and match-fixers
A rundown of the snooker players currently banned from competing, including an ex-world champion and those involved in the match-fixing scandal that rocked the sport The World Snooker Championship is set for a thrilling conclusion this weekend. Seven-time Crucible champion Ronnie O'Sullivan is battling it out with Chinese qualifier Zhao Xintong, with the score level at 4-4 after the first session. Meanwhile, world No. 1 Judd Trump is facing off against three-time world champion Mark Williams, who was trailing 5-3 after the opening session. The semi-finals will wrap up on Saturday, with the final set for Sunday and Monday. Other players will be observing from a distance after being knocked out earlier in the tournament or failing to qualify. Meanwhile, some are currently serving suspensions handed down by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA). Here's a rundown of the players currently serving bans from snooker.... Mark King King is serving a five-year ban after being found guilty of match-fixing. An independent disciplinary committee found the 51-year-old guilty of one count of match-fixing and one count of providing inside information on a match. The WPBSA suspended the former Northern Ireland Open champion in March 2023 after suspicious betting activity was reported on his match with Joe Perry in the previous month's Welsh Open. King was ordered to pay £68,000 in costs. Two other charges relating to King's match with John Higgins on December 13, 2022 were dismissed. King's suspension is set from March 18, 2023, until March 17, 2028. Graeme Dott Dott has been suspended after being charged with child sex abuse offences. The 47-year-old is accused of two charges relating to primary school-age children. Dott, who clinched the World Championship title in 2006 and was a finalist in 2004 and 2010, has been banned by the WPBSA amidst the ongoing legal proceedings. The WPBSA said: "Graeme Dott has been suspended by the WPBSA due to a case which is scheduled to be heard before the High Court in Scotland. Whilst court proceedings are ongoing, it would be inappropriate for the WPBSA to make any further comment." Match-fixing scandal A total of 10 Chinese players received bans in 2023 as part of a huge match-fixing scandal which rocked the sport. Suspensions ranged from one year and eight months to lifetime bans for Liang Wenbo and Li Hang. The pair were both found guilty of a string of charges, including that they fixed or were party to fixing matches; solicited, induced, enticed, persuaded, encouraged or facilitated players to fix matches; that they attempted to cover up their involvement in match fixing while aware of the enquiry. Five of the other eight players are still serving bans - Lu Ning, Yan Bingtao, Bai Langning, Chen Zifan and Zhang Jiankang. Bans served O'Sullivan's semi-final opponent Zhao, who received the lightest punishment of the 10, saw his 30-month ban reduced to 20 months due to his early admission of guilt. He returned to action last year, qualifying for the UK Championship, where he lost in the first round, before coming through qualifying to reach the Crucible. The former UK champion will be back on the tour full-time next season. Chang Bingyu, whose ban ended in December 2024, will join Zhao back tour next season after recently winning Asia-Pacific Championship. The latest player of the 10 free to resume his career is Zhao Jianbo, who completed his ban in April. Four-time world champion John Higgins was banned for six months and fined £75,000 in 2010 for failing to report the illegal approach and intentionally giving the impression he was prepared to act in breach of betting rules. The Scot, who was the target of a sting operation by the now-defunct News of the World, was cleared of match-fixing. In 2017, Stuart Bingham was found guilty of breaking WPBSA rules on betting on matches involving himself and other players. The 2015 world champion was ordered to pay £20,000 in costs. The WPBSA said there was no suggestion that he aimed to "influence matches or engage in any corrupt activity". Stephen Lee was found guilty of accepting payment to influence the outcome of a match and received a record 12-year ban, which expired in October 2024. There has been no indication that the now 50-year-old is planning a return to competitive snooker. In 2000, Stephen Maguire was banned from IBSF tournaments for three years for an incident that left a hotel room in China damaged. Maguire, now 44, denied responsibility, but declined to reveal the guilty parties, reported The Herald at the time.
