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John Virgo (born 4 March 1946) is an English former professional
snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...
player who has since developed a career as a snooker commentator and TV personality.


Snooker career


Early professional career (1973–1978)

Virgo's first notable appearance in a major tournament was during the 1973 American Pool Tournament for
The Indoor League ''The Indoor League'' was a pub games competition series that was produced by Yorkshire Television and aired from 1973 until 1977. The programme was hosted by former England cricketer Fred Trueman (1931–2006). Background The first series of ...
where he lost in the semi-final. He turned professional in 1976, at a time when players such as
Ray Reardon Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gr ...
, John Spencer and
Eddie Charlton Edward Francis Charlton, (31 October 1929 – 8 November 2004) was an Australian professional snooker and English billiards player. He remains the only player to have been world championship runner-up in both snooker and billiards without winn ...
were at the forefront of the sport. Although he had just turned 30 upon turning pro, Virgo was still among the youngest players on the circuit at the time. In 1977, he reached the semi-finals of the 1977 UK Championship losing to eventual winner
Patsy Fagan Patsy Fagan (born 15 January 1951) is an Irish former professional snooker player. Having been runner-up in the 1974 English Amateur Championship, he turned professional in October 1976. He experienced early success with victories at the 1977 ...
by a single frame 8–9.


UK Champion and Top 10 player (1979–1990)

Virgo's snooker-playing fortunes peaked in 1979 when he reached the semi-final of the
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, and went on to win the 1979 UK Championship (though this was not a ranking event at the time). En route to the final, he beat
Tony Meo Anthony Christian Meo (born 4 October 1959) is a retired English snooker player. He won the 1989 British Open by defeating Dean Reynolds 13–6 in the final, and was runner-up to Steve Davis at the 1984 Classic. He won four World Doubles Cham ...
,
Steve Davis Steve Davis (born 22 August 1957) is an English retired professional snooker player who is currently a Sports commentator, commentator, musician, DJ, and author. He is best known for dominating professional snooker during the 1980s, when he rea ...
and
Dennis Taylor Dennis Taylor (born 19 January 1949) is a Northern Irish retired professional snooker player and current commentator. He is best known for winning the 1985 World Snooker Championship, where he defeated the defending champion Steve Davis in a ...
. He overcame the reigning world champion
Terry Griffiths Terence Martin Griffiths (born 16 October 1947) is a Welsh retired professional snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. In his second professional tournament, he became world champion when he won the 1979 World Snooker Champion ...
in the final, despite being controversially docked two frames because of a miscommunication regarding the start time of the next session of play. He reached his highest ranking, world number 10, during the 1979–80 season. In 1986, Virgo reached the semi-finals of the
British Open The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
, losing 4–9 to
Willie Thorne William Joseph Thorne (4 March 195417 June 2020) was an English professional snooker player. He won one ranking title, the 1985 Classic. He also reached the final of the 1985 UK Championship, losing 16–14 to Steve Davis after leading 13–8 ...
. He ended the 1989–90 season as world number 14, but dropped out of the elite top 16 the following season.


Later career and retirement (1991–1995)

In 1993, he entered the qualifying stages of the
Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...
and the
UK Championship The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is one of snooker's prestigious Triple Crown events, along with the World Championship and the Masters. It is usually held at the Barbican Centre, York. Ronnie O'Sullivan h ...
but failed to qualify for the main events, losing both times in round seven. Virgo retired from professional play in 1994.


Post professional career

As part of his exhibition performances, Virgo performed
trick shot A trick shot (also trickshot or trick-shot) is a shot played on a billiards table (most often a pool table, though snooker tables are also used), which seems unlikely or impossible or requires significant skill. Trick shots frequently involve ...
s and comedic impressions of other snooker players. During the 1981 World Championship, he performed some of his impressions, including Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins,
Steve Davis Steve Davis (born 22 August 1957) is an English retired professional snooker player who is currently a Sports commentator, commentator, musician, DJ, and author. He is best known for dominating professional snooker during the 1980s, when he rea ...
and
Ray Reardon Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gr ...
. He repeated this act in further World Championships, usually after semi-finals that had ended earlier than expected. He is now a TV snooker commentator, working primarily during the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's coverage of ranking events. From 1991 to 2002, Virgo was co-presenter of the snooker-based TV game show ''
Big Break ''Big Break'' is a British television game show, created by Roger Medcalf, Mike Kemp and Terry Mardell, presented by comedian Jim Davidson and snooker commentator John Virgo, and broadcast on BBC One between 1991 and 2002. Inspired by ITV's '' ...
'' with
Jim Davidson James Cameron Davidson (born 13 December 1953) is an English stand-up comedian, actor, singer and TV presenter. He hosted the television shows '' Big Break'' and ''The Generation Game''. He also developed two adult pantomime shows such as ''B ...
. During each show, Virgo participated in the "
trick shot A trick shot (also trickshot or trick-shot) is a shot played on a billiards table (most often a pool table, though snooker tables are also used), which seems unlikely or impossible or requires significant skill. Trick shots frequently involve ...
s" segment, where a competitor who had been ousted from the main quiz would try to copy a complicated snooker shot performed by Virgo in order to win a prize. He coined the catchphrase "Pot as many balls as you can.", in reply to Davidson, when asked to explain the rules to the snooker players on the show each week. Virgo is well known for shouting "Where's the going?" during his commentaries, whenever a shot is played in such a way that the cueball is in danger of going into one of the pockets. Virgo will also make the same familiar exclamation about one of the colours if it is , or approaches very close to the pocket. On 27 April 2022, Virgo announced that he and his co-commentator
Dennis Taylor Dennis Taylor (born 19 January 1949) is a Northern Irish retired professional snooker player and current commentator. He is best known for winning the 1985 World Snooker Championship, where he defeated the defending champion Steve Davis in a ...
had been axed by the BBC because they were a little bit too old for the current game play style, and that with some relief from production staff the
2022–23 snooker season The 2022–23 snooker season is a professional snooker season with tournaments played between June 2022 and May 2023. Players The World Snooker Tour in the 2022–23 season initially consisted of a field of 131 professional players, but later ...
would be their last as commentators for the broadcaster.


Other activities

Virgo's tribute book to
Alex Higgins Alexander Gordon Higgins (18 March 1949 – 24 July 2010) was a Northern Irish professional snooker player who is remembered as one of the most iconic figures in the game. Nicknamed "Hurricane Higgins" because of his fast play, he was Wor ...
, ''Let Me Tell You About Alex'', was published in February 2011 and described as "explosive". In April 2012, his book ''Amazing Snooker Trick Shots'' was published. John Virgo was instrumental in the launch of Classic FM in 1992, doing some promotional work for the public. In 2012, Virgo featured in
Nicholas Gleaves Nicholas Gleaves (born 2 January 1969) is an English actor and playwright. Career Gleaves's first theatre part was as an extra in '' Don Carlos'' at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. He did several plays there including the lead in '' ...
' debut radio play ''Sunk'' who guides a young man in his dream of becoming a snooker champion while battling to avoid a life of crime. This was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Virgo worked with a pool and snooker table company called
Liberty Games Liberty Games is a UK-based retailer, distributor, and designer of games room equipment located in Epsom, England. The company was first founded in 1989 as "Liberty Leisure", renting out equipment to various establishments in England. In 2001, ...
to create a web-based series of trick shot videos known as the Trick Shot Academy. In 2014, Virgo released a trick shot app, ''John Virgo's Snooker Trick Shots'', available on Apple and Android devices. It has Virgo performing 45 trick shots and contains diagrams and video clips for each. It also has Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins performing three trick shots including 'Higgins Goes Bananas'.


Personal life

Virgo lives in
Cobham, Surrey Cobham () is a large village in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, centred south-west of London and northeast of Guildford on the River Mole. It has a commercial/services High Street, a significant number of primary and private s ...
. He has two children, a son, Gary, from his first marriage, and a daughter, Brook Leah, from his second marriage. He separated from his first wife, Avril, in 1991, after eight years together. In 2009, he married Rosie Ries, then deputy managing director at John Blake Publishing. Virgo was once gunged on ''
Noel's House Party ''Noel's House Party'' is a BBC light entertainment series that was hosted by Noel Edmonds. Set in a large house in the fictional village of Crinkley Bottom, leading to much innuendo, it ran from 23 November 1991 to 26 March 2000 on BBC One, a ...
''. He is a fan of the football club
Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd), or simply United, is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The club competes in the Premier League, ...
In 1996, he appeared as a celebrity contestant on the short-lived Saturday night BBC light entertainment show '' Full Swing'', alongside John Lodge from
The Moody Blues The Moody Blues were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge and bassist Clint Warwick. The group came to ...
and former
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
goalkeeper
Pat Jennings Patrick Anthony Jennings (born 12 June 1945) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played 119 international matches for Northern Ireland in an international career which lasted for over 22 years. D ...
; he did not make the final.


Performance and rankings timeline


Career finals


Non-ranking finals: 6 (4 titles)


Pro-am finals: 1


References


External links


Official Site with Links to JV's FREE App, Twitter & Facebook
* http://www.worldsnooker.com/players/john-virgo/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Virgo, John 1946 births Living people BBC sports presenters and reporters English game show hosts English snooker players English television presenters Sportspeople from Salford People from Cobham, Surrey Snooker writers and broadcasters Trick shot artists UK champions (snooker)