Snooker commentary

Snooker commentary is commentary during the course of a televised snooker match, provided by experts of the game, primarily former professional players. More so than with other sports commentators, snooker presenters help the viewer gain a fuller experience from the spectacle, highlighting points that may otherwise have been missed. They offer insights into a player's thinking and decision-making. Such commentary explains a player's tactics, shot choices and reasoning. Unlike pool, snooker is an incredibly tactical game and even a seasoned player may need help in understanding the intentions of the players.
Snooker presenters
The main BBC Snooker presenter is Hazel Irvine, having taken up the position in 2002 along with Ray Stubbs. She has hosted regularly since then, only missing the World Championship once in 2009 when she was pregnant and for that event she was replaced by BBC presenter Richi Persad, who is now the BBC second presenter for Snooker after the departure of Ray Stubbs to ESPN. Stubbs left after the World Snooker Championship in 2009 when he was the main presenter due to Irvine's pregnancy.
Former BBC Snooker presenters include David Vine, who hosted from the 1970s when the BBC first covered Snooker until 2000 when he retired. In 2000 and 2001 Matt Smith of ITV and Dougie Donnelly of BBC Scotland were the main BBC Snooker presenters but were replaced by Stubbs and Irvine in 2002. David Icke was the second presenter during the 1980s and early 1990s. The Sky Snooker presenter for the Premier League is Andy Goldstein and the former presenter was Dave Clark, who is best known for fronting Sky's darts coverage. ITVs snooker host is Matt Smith who presents Power Snooker. He also presented snooker on the BBC before he moved to ITV.
Snooker MC
Another BBC Face who has proven popular since his introduction in 2008 is the master of ceremonies for their tournaments Rob Walker who is famous for his catchphrase "LETS GET THE BOYS ON THE BAIZE," and who livens up the crowd before the entrances of the players. He also presented a highlights show at the World Championship the last 2 years called 'Snooker on the Red' which featured on the BBC Red Button. Walkers most famous mistake was when he was introducing Steve Davis at the Quarter Finals at the World Snooker 2010 when he mistakenly introduced him as Dennis Taylor.
Commentators
Currently the BBC has rights to snooker coverage in the UK covering the World Championship, Masters, UK Championship on BBC1, BBC2 and the BBC Red Button and also covering the Welsh Open on BBC Wales and the BBC Red Button. Sky cover the Premier League Snooker.
Snooker commentary benefits from a depth of commentating talent, mostly in the form of past and present players. Below is a list of commentators currently in the BBC team (see each commentator's main article for further information):
Current BBC team
* Steve Davis, world no. 1 for seven years, World Champion 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987-1989; 28 other ranking titles. Widely regarded as one of the greatest ever snooker players, Davis has been a stalwart of BBC snooker coverage since 2000. He was also a face on ITV snooker in the late 1990s. As well as commentating on live matches, his main contributions are in-studio analysis, striking up a good partnership with 1991 world champion John Parrott and Hazel Irvine. He also provides features such as snooker workshops throughout the course of the tournament. Often he also qualifies for the early rounds and is playing whilst still honouring his media obligations.
* Ken Doherty, 1997 world champion joined the team at the 2009 Masters in controversy when the BBC dropped Everton from their coverage, replacing him with Ken Doherty who was falling down the rankings and not qualifying for as many tournaments as previous, he did a few other tournaments for the BBC being part-time on the analysis usually whenever the likes of Parrott or Davis was playing but did not join properly until 2009. He is now part of the big 4 BBC commentators with Dennis Taylor, John Virgo and Willie Thorne.
* Clive Everton, former amateur billiards player and journalist. Everton has been regarded by many as the voice of snooker commentary since the retirement of Ted Lowe. There was controversy at the 2009 Masters when the BBC dropped Everton from their coverage, replacing him with Ken Doherty who was falling down the rankings and not qualifying for as many tournaments as previously. He has since continued to commentate on the BBC on the earlier rounds of tournaments; however, he does not commentate past the quarter final stages - instead the BBC use Doherty, Taylor, Thorne and Virgo. He also is a commentator on the Premier League Snooker snooker on Sky Sports and on the Internet-only Championship League. He commentated on the 2010 Power Snooker Masters on ITV.
* Neal Foulds, once reached world no. 3 and like Everton commentates on early rounds of tournaments, usually up to the quarter final stage before leaving the BBC with their main team of Doherty, Taylor, Thorne and Virgo.
* Terry Griffiths, 1979 World Champion. Griffiths has been a mainstay of snooker commentary for many years, and is highly respected, being famous for his knowledge of the game, coaching some of the world's top players such as Stephen Hendry and Mark Williams. Like Everton, he commentates on early rounds of tournaments, usually up to the quarter final stage before leaving the BBC with their main team of Doherty, Taylor, Thorne and Virgo.
* Stephen Hendry, seven-time world champion, joined the team at the 2011 Masters, commentating on a quarter final between Robertson and Allen and continued on the next day doing studio analysis with John Parrott while Steve Davis commentated.
* John Parrott, 1991 World Champion. Along with Steve Davis, Parrott is perhaps better known for his contributions to the studio analysis during the BBC's coverage of a tournament. He does get himself in the commentary box on occasion, but will spend more time on features in response to e-mails or player interviews.
* Dennis Taylor, 1985 World Champion and has been commentating for many years on the BBC including commentating on Ronnie O'Sullivans fastest 147 when he was still a player. After Clive Everton BBC Commitments were reduced he has now become arguably the BBC Number 1 Snooker commentator as he usually gets the main 2nd part of the final whenever the trophy is most likely to be won, before this he often commentated with Everton as the BBC top pairing. He commentated on the 2011 Power Snooker Masters on ITV as well as continuing with the BBC.
* Willie Thorne, once reached world no. 7 - a "maximum break specialist". Thorne has been commentating for many years now, and has become synonymous with BBC coverage at any major event. He is also a commentator on the Premier League Snooker on Sky Sports.
* John Virgo once reached world no. 10 - a "trick shot specialist". Virgo is perhaps most famous for his appearances on Big Break with Jim Davidson, and also famous for his trick shots and impressions of other players.
Former Snooker Commentators
* Dominic Dale, two-time ranking event winner. Nicknamed "the Spaceman", Dale is a relatively new member of the team, having commentated on some of the matches at the World Championships since 2005 and also doing analysis. He has not featured recently for the BBC, however he is still playing, he is one of the game's few remaining "characters", often sporting flamboyant attire and making jokes with the crowd and his opponent as he plays. BBC Wales still uses Dale as a commentator and analyst for their coverage of the Welsh Open.
* The legendary Ted Lowe, the voice of snooker since Pot Black was first aired in 1969, through to 1996.
* John Spencer - BBC 1978-1997
* Jack Karnehm - BBC 1978-1994
* Ray Edmonds - ITV 1988-1992 then BBC 1992-2004 - former billiards champion who worked with the BBC throughout the nineties into the early 2000s.

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