Pot Black At 50
Probably the most iconic television programme in snooker was Pot Black. The shoe ran on the BBC from 1969 until 1986 With a short format, players would play one frame in each programme and progress until the ultimate winner won the title. Pot Black was special because it was trialled to test the first use of colour on television. Commissioned by David Attenborough, then Controller of BBC television, it acted as a visual testcard for viewers, allowing them to preview snooker in a new, realistic light instead of the dull, grainy images of black and white pictures.
This was the first time that snooker fans got to see their heroes play in the green baize with the likes of Eddie Charlton, Alex Higgins, Ray Reardon, John Spencer and Ray Reardon gracing the stage and battling to make it to the next stage. With a catchy theme tune, using the ragtime music, “Black and White Rag”, presenters such as Keith Macklin, Alan Weeks and David Vine, filled in the viewers at the start and end of the programme. Sadly the show ended in 1986 after producing an adult and junior version and a brief return to the tour a few years ago, held at the Automobile Club in London.
Pot Black is missed and ask any fan a memorable snooker programme or theme tune and this will always be at the top of the memory list. It works because it has a simple format and the running time is brief. Unlike a match, viewers are treated to a snippet of snooker and can walk away when the hour has completed. This programme was definitely iconic because it literally made snooker players household names overnight and moved snooker from the smoke filled clubs to a mainstream audience. It also introduced us to the whispering tones of Ted Lowe who really was the brainchild of this format. Ted was legendary because he brought the atmosphere of the arena into your front room. As they say “words can speak volumes” and Ted proved this. His knowledge of the game was amazing, largely due to the fact that he had watched them all, back to the days of Joe Davis playing at the iconic Leicester Square Hall.
Much of Pot Black still survives on various internet sites and if you haven’t watched it before, I urge you to go and seek it out. For me, the introductory music, gets me hooked from the word go and you just know that you in for a treat of snooker. In my opinion, Pot Black really was the catalyst for creating the modern game and showed that snooker was and is a serious sport that deserves its place in the sporting calendar.
World Seniors will pay homage to Pot Black when it travels to St George’s Hall in Liverpool next January, 24/01/20. Eight players including former contenders in Pot Black will battle over a day in a single frame formula whilst recounting memories of their first experiences of playing snooker on television. A treat for all the family to look forward to and an event not to be missed.
This was the first time that snooker fans got to see their heroes play in the green baize with the likes of Eddie Charlton, Alex Higgins, Ray Reardon, John Spencer and Ray Reardon gracing the stage and battling to make it to the next stage. With a catchy theme tune, using the ragtime music, “Black and White Rag”, presenters such as Keith Macklin, Alan Weeks and David Vine, filled in the viewers at the start and end of the programme. Sadly the show ended in 1986 after producing an adult and junior version and a brief return to the tour a few years ago, held at the Automobile Club in London.
Pot Black is missed and ask any fan a memorable snooker programme or theme tune and this will always be at the top of the memory list. It works because it has a simple format and the running time is brief. Unlike a match, viewers are treated to a snippet of snooker and can walk away when the hour has completed. This programme was definitely iconic because it literally made snooker players household names overnight and moved snooker from the smoke filled clubs to a mainstream audience. It also introduced us to the whispering tones of Ted Lowe who really was the brainchild of this format. Ted was legendary because he brought the atmosphere of the arena into your front room. As they say “words can speak volumes” and Ted proved this. His knowledge of the game was amazing, largely due to the fact that he had watched them all, back to the days of Joe Davis playing at the iconic Leicester Square Hall.
Much of Pot Black still survives on various internet sites and if you haven’t watched it before, I urge you to go and seek it out. For me, the introductory music, gets me hooked from the word go and you just know that you in for a treat of snooker. In my opinion, Pot Black really was the catalyst for creating the modern game and showed that snooker was and is a serious sport that deserves its place in the sporting calendar.
World Seniors will pay homage to Pot Black when it travels to St George’s Hall in Liverpool next January, 24/01/20. Eight players including former contenders in Pot Black will battle over a day in a single frame formula whilst recounting memories of their first experiences of playing snooker on television. A treat for all the family to look forward to and an event not to be missed.
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