Hazel Irvine praised Shaun Murphy for his actions (Image: BBC)
BBC host Hazel Irvine was amazed to hear of World Snooker Championship finalist Shaun Murphy‘s kindness towards the family of John Virgo on Monday. The son and daughter of the late snooker commentator, who was a legendary figure in the sport, were both at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield to watch the concluding session of Murphy’s final against Wu Yize. Virgo died in February at the age of 79 just weeks after working at the Masters for the BBC.
After an 18-year career in snooker, Virgo worked for the BBC as a commentator from 1994 and became known as the voice of snooker. Virgo’s daughter, Leah-Brook Murrells, appeared on the BBC on Monday night to reveal that her and her brother were in attendance thanks to Murphy gifting them tickets. She said: “Shaun Murphy is a very good friend of our family and he has been messaging all of us, checking in. He flew to Spain for my dad’s private family funeral, he means a lot to us. So this morning we woke up at 7am, me, my brother and knew we had to get in that car. So we drove here to be with him and Jo and be a family, that’s what we are.”
The BBC’s coverage returned to the studio where Irvine was sat alongside Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis. She said: “Fantastic to see Brook-Leah and Gary here as well. They’ve been so, so strong the last few weeks. Obviously at the memorial service Gary gave the most incredible eulogy, he really did.
“And of course Brook-Leah spoke as well there. The mark of Shaun Murphy, the fact he sorted them out with the tickets. They had to be there. That in itself, I did not know that. That’s a wonderful story.”
Hendry replied: “Yeah very good of Shaun. Very brave of them to come here. The standing ovation, you had goosebumps didn’t you? I know we’ve said it a few times these last 17 days, it feels weird John not being in that box commentating on the final. It feels very strange.”
Davis then added: “He’d have absolutely revelled in this. He would have been saying ‘where’s the cue ball going?’ many times during this match. He was a snooker fan right through the middle of him. He would have built the tension wonderfully. Not to say that the next commentators that are going there won’t be able to do a good job on that as well!”
To which Hendry replied: “I shall try my best.” But the ever-classy Irvine responded to the Scot: “You’re doing brilliantly, I must say.”
He was popular for his “where’s the cue ball going?” catchphrase and his legacy has been celebrated throughout this year’s World Championship.
The 2005 world champion Murphy previously worked alongside Virgo for the BBC and said in reaction to the news of the 79-year-old’s death three months ago: “I first met John in 1994, filming Junior Big Break. He then went on to become a friend and colleague.
John Virgo’s daughter Leah-Brook appeared on the BBC on Monday night (Image: BBC)
John Virgo was an incredibly popular figure in the world of snooker (Image: BBC)
“I learned so much from him whilst sharing a commentary box. The voice of snooker will be sadly missed.” Murphy recently offered to host Big Break, the iconic BBC show which was hosted by Virgo and comedian Jim Davidson between 1991 and 2002.
Murphy said: “It would be up there in the top two or three possible tributes to JV, wouldn’t it? Big Break was just part of all of our childhoods. I was actually in conversation many, many years ago with the creator of Big Break, who put me forward as he wanted me to be one of the hosts.
“I was absolutely delighted to be included in the conversation. Not sure where that conversation went, but it’s not on the screen yet. If it were to come back and they came calling, I’m in. If I get asked, I’m doing it.”
Virgo’s daughter Leah-Brook added to the BBC: “I am so proud. It’s amazing, this is our snooker family, what an honour to be here and we have been looked after like royalty. We are so grateful and proud doesn’t even touch what we feel about our dad.
“I have probably spent 11 weeks crying so it [reaction to the standing ovation] does not bode well, but the warmth and the stories that everyone [has], you really feel like everyone is going through this loss. It was emotional, inevitably never to be done again, it was something special.
“I have been saying it all day, every day, ‘how lucky are we to have this guy as our dad?’. What a legend, the voice, keep him alive. It means everything to me and my family, everything.”