This England (1978) Snooker Documentary - ITV Granada

[@tonynaccarato4751]

Love everything about the film, i feel it because I grew up in that atmosphere, very genuine, stil playing in 2024.

[@DarrenWalley]

What a fantastic documentary & John Virgo has always been a character. 👌

[@dieseann6708]

Wow! Thank you so much for uploading this historical gem!

[@thomaskershaw744]

You are more than welcome 😊 It was in my Grandad Jim's possessions after he passed so thought I would share

[@dieseann6708]

@@thomaskershaw744 My condolences for your loss! Your Grandad must have been interesting. He spreads happiness even after passing. Thanks again, that's a nice way of honoring a loved one.

[@onepalproductions]

@@thomaskershaw744 Thanks for sharing. I thoroughly enjoyed this. For 30 minutes, I was 10 again.

[@kingsleyayden9217]

You probably dont give a damn but does any of you know a trick to get back into an instagram account..? I was stupid forgot the password. I appreciate any tricks you can give me!

[@jacksonjaime3525]

@Kingsley Ayden instablaster ;)

[@patrickcrowther9195]

That was absolutely superb. Granada made some stunning television in that period. So well filmed and edited, a beautifully weighted pace.

[@jamesfoote8916]

Thank you very much just love watching that. James

[@howey935]

I used to work with a lad who could regularly knock in centuary breaks in practice but as soon as you put half a dozen people watching he couldnt pot a ball. He had all the skill to be a professional but he couldnt get over been in front of an audience.

[@ArtistFormerlyKnownAsShitlord]

Lots of pros were done in when they banned alcohol and stimulants from the professional game because they suffered from the same affliction. Bill Werbeniuk used to consume between 8-14 pints of lager per game. Sober, in front of a crowd, he could barely make a double figure break, apparently. Sad to have all the talent but not be able to utelise it because of nerves.

[@Muninman]

I remember in the early / mid 80s a discussion about this issue, and someone (can't recall who) saying that all pros were similarly good when at the practice table, and so what differentiated the best was the ability to cope with nerves / pressure.

[@paulriggall8370]

There really is some incredible camera work in this awesome documentary.

[@opencurtin]

The kids playing on the table with perfect rip the cloth form !

[@chrisevans4123]

When the BBC produced some really thought provoking , interesting , and informative sports documentaries,....this one on snooker is a gem,... .its a great insight into the players life's, and the attitudes and trends of Britain towards the game at the time,.....players reflecting on the game and their busy careers on the road,.. , a time when snooker struggled for television coverage and popularity during the early days,.. it was a different world back then,...., but the game really exploded globally in the 1980s...and is such a massive sport commercially and financially today.....a far cry from those days of the heavily smoke filled snooker halls with barely a sole watching....

[@damianhunt2187]

4 million players in the UK, that's incredible!

[@johnmc3862]

Amazing to think Steve Davis was already playing on the circuit that year.

[@nepiris]

In the mid 80s i won the holidaymakers billiards tournament at butlins and got to play a frame of snooker against Jim Meadowcroft, he broke, smashed the reds up, i scored a red and a blue and that was the only 2 shots i had, lol.

[@finbarrsaunders]

Fantastic! What a memory :)

[@juliansalmon6318]

At 13 mins, Jim meadowcroft leaving the set of Last of the Summer Wine !

[@charlesscottkelly]

God look how far the game has come on since 1978

[@StuartVallantine]

The Chorlton Billiard Hall, seen thirteen minutes into the clip, is now the Sedge Lynn (one of J.D. Wetherspoon's establishments).

[@radiator-gb7pk]

Where was Virgo's house?

[@CALVO36]

Played darts at swinton lesuire in the past its John Spencers brothers .pictures up of him and many more greats 👍

[@dieseann6708]

The blue ball was so much more beautiful back then!

[@wideernie]

Really enjoyed that. Almost 40 years ago!

[@glxxyz]

2:55 “David Taylor is one of the young pros…” - he was 35!

[@mickharrison9004]

😂😂😂

[@phillipmatthews2761]

Silver Fox

[@jamesgallagher1992]

Fantastic posting...thanks👍👍👍

[@opencurtin]

Look at those big ugly brick snooker tables at the crucible yikes ! Fascinating 70s Documentary!

[@MalcolmClarke25]

"Is a gift from almighty God". Wonderful documentary.

[@unclequack5445]

"In every game, to be a great player is a gift from almighty God"

[@daverhodes362]

Note the Rugby Special theme briefly heard at 22 mins. Great time-capsule!

[@richardsharpe2966]

The era when they were only three or four tournament a year and players played in exhibition matches

[@DuderinoDeux]

Snooker loopy nuts are we ( in 2021 )!

[@NoosaHeads]

We tend to forget that, even if someone is given the "snooker gift by the Almighty", there still has to be an enormous amount of practise and dedication. All those world champions have put thousands and thousands of hours of effort into snooker.

[@ericsalles3393]

great documentary ..l met a guy who had a table in the attic ..wore a groove to the pocket from the black spot . 12 hours a day practice ..yeah ..years ago ..

[@heliumtrophy]

"Look this isn't a game, lad, it's a science!" It's trigonometry in motion.

[@bottlecap57]

Great piece of snooker history this! Feel a little sorry for Virgo as he never dominated to the extent he hoped. Only one ranking tournament win of note. At that time he wouldn't have known about two great players who where about to enter the pro scene in Steve Davis and Jimmy White. I imagine when he saw them he knew his chances of success from there on would be extremely limited. Also, can't believe the cue David Taylor was practicing with! Can't have been his normal cue of choice. The rising snooker table from the floor was like something from the future. Fabulous!

[@johnjohnston8590]

Completely agree with every word there. But how hot was John Virgo's wife!!?

[@gary1961]

@@johnjohnston8590 I think he was 'punching above his weight' there, but good luck to him. She was definitely 'a looker.'

[@PhilBaird1]

There's your answer. John was a good looking lad in his youth too.@@johnjohnston8590

[@nigelprosser5692]

Thank god, for Alex Higgins, who blew some cobwebs out this old farty game.

[@dudebond4060]

He was shit

[@Pube-Dental-Floss]

@@dudebond4060 he won the world championship twice and came runner up twice so if he was shit what does that make you?

[@londonlady1966]

Thank god for Alex. ❤

[@wotsthebloodypoint]

It needed that genius of a maverick so badly.

[@roberttanner7278]

@@dudebond4060 you are a prick

[@cjns5253]

The great Higgins elevated snooker

[@opencurtin]

Good God this is of a totally different age driving the cars without safety belts , Joyce is like Margaret Tatcher ..

[@gary1961]

Seatbelts only became compulsory in 1983.

[@whizwart1]

18:45 Its like if snooker had Bond villains

[@brendanhegarty6792]

I was disappointed we didn't see more of Barry. I assume if he was working 14-18 hours a day he never practiced enough to get very good at snooker, but I love that table.

[@Eat-MyGoal]

Like most things on British TV from the 70s, LSD and cannabis should feature on the credits at the end. That opening sequence could only have been a consequence of the writer's acid trip...

[@barbaraannecortina7899]

the documentary is actually called 'Green Tables'

[@brattonbiker6482]

"There's no doubt at all that John's going to be world champion..." 👀

[@jimmymalone9139]

VIRGOS MRS☺☺☺☺

[@jahno7154]

Great to see Willie Thorne with hair.

[@PhilBaird1]

I have a theory that Willie's overnight hair loss, when so young, affected his confidence. It's only a theory mind. He should've won a hatful of trophies. RIP Willie and thanks for the memories.

[@paulofarrell6498]

@@PhilBaird1Willie is a classic case of something they discuss in this documentary - he had all the talent but none of the necessary temperament.

[@PhilBaird1]

I'm sure you're right. There's something else too, and it's true of a lot of talented people. They sacrifice so much of their young lives to be the best, and when they get there it's sometimes a disappointment or something they can't handle. Others just get bored or indifferent.@@paulofarrell6498

[@Carpetlay1]

What’s it like being married to a professional snooker player? Difficult especially if they decide to take the brown instead of the pink 😂

[@mabbrey]

love the rising table

[@13strange67]

Virgo looking scarily like Peter Sutcliffe

[@PhilBaird1]

So did a lot of guys back then.

[@ianwilliamson2980]

He is right it is a gift from God

[@thomas-fq1wi]

Dont worry john you won the UK a year later , and old fred missed an unbelievably easy pink to get to the final after he beat you at the age of 64

[@everythingbobbywolfe]

That poor bloke, sent his brother to the hospital because of that missed pot!

[@ysgol3]

@@everythingbobbywolfe And Joe never recovered - there's a lovely clip of Joe talking a few days before and saying that it was far more nerve racking watching Fred play than it had ever been when he played himself!

[@everythingbobbywolfe]

@@ysgol3 I remember reading him saying from either the ambulance or the hospital "how did he miss that pink?!"

[@christschinwon]

It certainly was a man's game. The Rileys I used to play at in Reading sometimes had stripper nights. They made great use of the balls & cues. Oh, the good old days!

[@bottlecap57]

Christ! I was playing in the wrong clubs😁

[@christschinwon]

@@bottlecap57 that I must concur!

[@gary1961]

Pinks and browns on open display, I'll bet.

[@6611haggis]

2.08. Looks like a giant pool table.

[@amarsbarr]

wow and steve davis just turned professional lol

[@jamesheyworth3566]

amarsbarr, And, oh ,how he destroyed all there hopes and dreams...... People say how great alex was but to my mind love him or hate him, which I did because I was a Jimmy fan, he was the one that got people watching this fantastic game. Alex was fantastic, flamboyant and fast , like Jimmy White later, but it was Steve that set the benchmark and said this is it.... This is how good it has to get. If you don't , get off my table. Nice to see Virgo though, not a bad player that fella...... But Steve , well .......... The rest is history.

[@BeareTube]

Those are the slowest tables I've ever seen.

[@howey935]

Big Bill Werbanik at 2:20. He used to sink 17 pints of lager in an evening session. I remember watching canada vs england at newcastle and Big bill was drinking like there was no tomorrow.

[@digeme69]

Big Bill Werbeniuk actually drank up to 40 pints. He was quite a bit slimmer in the bit you mentioned and without the tash. I don't remember ever seeing this programme and I've seen a lot of snooker over the years.

[@howey935]

@@digeme69 that doesnt suprise me he used to knock pints back like a thirsty man in the desert.

[@opencurtin]

He had to drink to steady his arm due to a condition, well that’s what he said !

[@digeme69]

@@opencurtin You're 100% correct and as I saw many of Bills matches in the 80's I can confirm that it was amazing how he could actually play so well with the tremor in his arm. You didn't notice it from a distance but on 2 occasions 85 Connaught rooms London and 86 Assembly rooms Derby I was actually less than 10 feet from the table when Bill was playing and you clearly see the shake.

[@PhilBaird1]

That 'shake' in the cue arm wasn't uncommon among club players too. Shame about Bill though. He was like the Oliver Hardy of snooker and always had a smile. There are no Bill Werbeniuk's on our screens anymore and we're all the poorer. I haven't watched it now in thirty years.@@digeme69

[@DuderinoDeux]

David Taylor looks and sounds like a journeyman comic.

[@DuderinoDeux]

Some characters there amongst the fans : Compo, Foggy and Cue!

[@patrickcleary741]

...what the hell is a "sanct?"

[@ysgol3]

Lovely, especially Willie Smith, who's dead right about billiards being a much subtler, more beautiful game.

[@Cureboy1]

"David Taylor is one of the young men who...." (Has completely white hair)

[@phillipmatthews2761]

Silver Fox

[@jl2696]

That guy at 16:04 looks like a young Earl Strickland

[@finbarrsaunders]

John "you know" Virgo

[@Kissmikerotch]

Fnarr fnarr

[@stephendines1936]

One of the guys said the best player in the world is Hurry cane Higgins.

[@heliumtrophy]

11:26 Was that Virgo's wife? Blimey he got lucky there!

[@RoyalFlush1998]

She looks like a Wallace and gromit character

[@Del-yv1qy]

Virgo's wife thought he would be world champion..........that was never going to happen.

[@steviemax147]

Virgo had a terrible technique for a pro…lots of head movement, rising up before hitting the ball etc!

[@archer8822]

Wonder what this lot would make of Ronnie

[@helenwingrave7715]

Pre Barry Hearne and the sanitisation of snooker

[@paulriggall8370]

Very astute.

[@dionlindsay2]

Wikipedia says Virgo was with his first wife from 1983 to 1991. So who's the lady at 12:45, talking about him in a very wifely way? Anyone know?

[@stephenduckham9736]

Omg 147 comments 😮 Well, free ball 148 now 😂😂

[@Roscoe.P.Coldchain]

Ronnie O’Sullivan should watch this instead of whinging how hard Snooker is, he doesn’t appreciate how lucky he is...

[@roygbv255]

Up Naaaahrth!!!

[@manephewlenny6401]

Oh and that's a bad miss!

[@paulhiggins1577]

david taylor was a useful club player

[@eskertoo]

I remember Jim Meadowcroft at Butlins ,Pwllheli, in 1977.I worked there as a waiter in the dining hall.He was a lovely player to watch.He was banging one of the female redcoats.Also there was the odious Barry Benell,who was coaching the kids at football.He wasn't banging any redcoats!

[@opencurtin]

Jim passed away in 2015 68 only RIP

[@leedsboy64]

LMAO THANKS

[@leedsboy64]

@@opencurtinWas it lung cancer

[@eskertoo]

@@leedsboy64 Like a lot of snooker players in those days Jim was a very heavy smoker.And most of the tournaments were sponsored by tobacco companies.

[@gary1961]

I hope there wasn't a 'Mrs Jim Meadowcroft' waiting at home while he was smashing the red all over the table.

[@MikeSmith-lk6zm]

King Alex goat

[@Synthematix]

18:41 1978, are you sure?

[@NewYorkActingCoach]

I may sound stupid, but the "money" the possible big pay-day for sports, acting, politics and any huge ambition, the money is not as purile as it sounds. Money can give power I suppose. It just sounds odd. J.

[@thethairishsun]

Good upload ta 👍

[@dionlindsay2]

21:30 "It isn't a game, it's a what?" Sounds like "sankt" to me - anyone worked it out?

[@bigjohny8446]

Billiards is such a dull game unfortunately...it just has no chance on television I can appreciate it but

[@edmundpower1250]

What a very strange name for a film about Snooker

[@parksyist]

12:44 ooops

[@marcusclark5330]

smoking ban has killed snooker...dunno why cos darts has done allright..but it has

[@onepalproductions]

Continually shortening attention spans killed snooker. Darts games are quick, and not much concentration is required to follow along. The "Smartphone" killed snooker, now a nation of dimwits who can't focus longer than 3 minutes.

[@edmundpower1250]

@@onepalproductions good point

[@Me-ji2pn]

24:53 happy chap

[@stephenbarton8861]

check maggie out on the baize

[@parksyist]

How can there be 1 woman professional. Who's she playing lol

[@edmundpower1250]

🤣🤣🤣🤣She's snookered there

[@gary1961]

She was probably playing with herself.

[@RB747domme]

David Taylor's wife was actually a cutie!

[@PhilBaird1]

So was Virgo's wife ! Anyone else notice how John looked like the Yorkshire Ripper back then ?

[@edmundpower1250]

Keep your cue in your pants😂😂

[@jamesgallagher1992]

@4:45 🤣🤣🤣

[@hmq9052]

Virgo's piece of crumpet may have been the problem. He never became world champion, of course. And small wonder with her in your ear 'ole

[@biff67uk]

Did he really say put his wife in a chair lol

[@madaboutsnooker147]

crude game ? he'd probably be upset by a fart.

[@Paul3-n4v]

John Virgos wife. Said he is number 1 in the world and he will be world champion,, he was never world champion and a very average player who done nothing in the game, I think only won one tournament