Jim Davidson and John Virgo built an unlikely friendship (Image: BBC)
BBC snooker icon John Virgo has passed away aged 79, prompting an outpouring of tributes from across the sporting and television worlds. Dubbed ‘The Voice of Snooker’, the Salford-born legend claimed four professional titles during his playing career, including the 1979 UK Championship, the 1980 Bombay International and the 1984 Professional Snooker League, before retiring after 18 years to pursue broadcasting.
He subsequently built an enormously successful second career, becoming a fixture of the BBC‘s snooker coverage throughout the decades. His passing was announced on Wednesday morning, with promotions firm Snooker Legends releasing a statement: “Heartbreaking to share the news that we’ve lost the great ‘JV’ John Virgo this morning, he passed away in Spain.
“Rosie and Brooke-Leah would like everyone to know. Our hearts go out to them both, Gary and the grandchildren. JV was doing what he loved to do right up until the end, entertaining everyone.
“Such an important person in my life but in our sport in general. An amazingly loyal friend to me, and someone you felt was sat with you at the match when he was commentating on TV. Hard to take this one…one great person who touched so many lives and loved the game. We will never forget you bud. RIP JV.”
Whilst Virgo will be celebrated for his prowess at the table and excellence behind the microphone, he also achieved success as co-presenter of snooker-themed television show Big Break throughout the 1990s.
The programme, which aired for more than a decade, featured the unexpected presenting partnership of Virgo and comedian Jim Davidson, with Davidson as host and Virgo appearing as the referee.
Contestants paired up with professional players to tackle various snooker-themed challenges in pursuit of prizes, and the format became enormously popular, with audience figures reaching nearly 14 million viewers at its height.
Although Virgo had doubts about the programme’s potential for success when initially approached, he was delighted to be proved mistaken.
Speaking to Express Sport last year, he remembered: “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.
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Big Break was a huge hit with TV audiences (Image: BBC)
“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! We ran for 10 years and peaked at nearly 14million viewers. It was remarkable.”
The programme also marked the beginning of an unexpected bond between Virgo and Davidson, with the former confessing: “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.
“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.”
It was a friendship that endured beyond the programme’s final transmission in 2002, with the duo continuing to collaborate on pantomime productions together for eight years.
Nevertheless, since Big Break ended, Davidson has faced widespread backlash over a string of controversial comments about women, racial and ethnic minorities and members of the LGBTQ+ community during his stand-up act.
The 72-year-old has insisted he was unjustly “cancelled” by the BBC, claiming on GB News that he received £1million from the broadcaster to “go away” after achieving success as a presenter.
At the time, Virgo expressed his own views on the situation, acknowledging that Davidson’s absence from television was “understandable” whilst describing it as a “waste of talent”.
He revealed that the pair no longer communicated regularly, but maintained “a warmth that I don’t get with many people” whenever they happened to encounter each other. “Jim is a comic genius and yet he can’t appear on television, because he has a black mark against his name,” the commentator said. “It’s understandable. I just feel it’s a waste of a talent.”
After Virgo’s passing, Davidson wrote on Instagram: “Heartbroken to hear that my great mate John Virgo has passed away at 79. What a character, what a talent.
“From our time together on Big Break, to the snooker commentary chair, you brought so much joy to so many. Rest easy, John. You will be missed.”