Pot Black was a UK televised snooker tournament that played a large part in the popularisation of the modern game.
In the late 1960s the BBC started broadcasting in colour, and were looking for programmes that could exploit this new technology. The game of snooker, with its rainbow of differently coloured balls, was suggested. The format of a knockout tournament, with weekly single-frame matches, was devised by BBC Birmingham producer Philip Lewi...
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Pot Black was a UK televised snooker tournament that played a large part in the popularisation of the modern game.
In the late 1960s the BBC started broadcasting in colour, and were looking for programmes that could exploit this new technology. The game of snooker, with its rainbow of differently coloured balls, was suggested. The format of a knockout tournament, with weekly single-frame matches, was devised by BBC Birmingham producer Philip Lewis, and the programme first aired on 23 July 1969, on BBC2, presented by Alan Weeks, with referee Sydney Lee and match commentary by "Whispering" Ted Lowe and filmed at the BBC TV studios in Birmingham. The first tournament was won by Ray Reardon. Mark Williams holds the highest break record of 119.
The success of Pot Black was immediate and phenomenal, and it became the second most popular programme on BBC2. The tournament featured a round-robin tournament where the total number of points scored could often become crucial. Therefore matches...
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