Some may remember, but I reckon there’s a significant portion of viewers who are only vaguely aware of Pot Black and the important role it played in getting snooker on the map in the late 60s/early 70s. Let’s roll back the years and learn a little more about the phenomenon that catapulted the sport of snooker to great heights and paved the way for the game as we know it today.
In 1967, BBC began colour-broadcasts and were still looking for programming that would benefit from this new use of colour. Fast forward to 1969 and the first iteration of Pot Black (commissioned by Sir David Attenborough), snooker had gone from a minor sport to an experience that resonated with many fans and viewers. And what would better benefit from the use of colour technology than a sport where commentary formerly involved describing to listeners how each ball was a differing shade of grey.
Speaking of commentary, Pot Black was cast by the one and only Ted Lowe. BBC producer Phil Lewis contacted Lowe and asked him to gather players and arrange the series for broadcast. Lewis was certain at the time of the name ‘Pot Black’ which Lowe was hesitant about due to the lack of ‘snooker’, but continued with the necessary preparations so he can finally get the game on television.
Along with its conception was the approach to snooker decorum where players wore the traditional, smart clothing that we are used to seeing today; emulating that of Joe Davis, who was a long-time hero of Lowes.
Prior to the light bulb moment that was Pot Black, snooker was just a niche activity that didn’t really have a place yet. It was mainly an activity indulged by gentries/nobles or those in run-down billiard halls. Lowe stated that the programme helped bring the game into the homes of millions of viewers in between those two classes. And that’s exactly what it did. Snooker was put on the map.
The format of the tournament generally followed a one-frame shootout style, including the final. Depending on the year, between 6 and 16 players were involved and the show was broadcast on a weekly half-an-hour basis, broadcasting one match per episode. It was much like an episode of your favourite drama or late night chat show that you would tune into every week; along with the drama and comedy that came with the players involved in Pot Black. The whole tournament was often filmed in the course of a day.
It was risky for the players involved in the tournament as Pot Black was the main form of snooker that was shown on television. Ray Reardon, who happened to win the first Pot Black, shared some of these concerns as reputations were determined by a one-frame shootout; stating those who lost often struggled to even find exhibition work afterwards.
Despite its tremendous success, Pot Black only ran until 1986 (with a few revivals in the 90s and 00s) where mainstream professional snooker took its place in TV coverage. Without Pot Black, the whole landscape of snooker may be completely different. Who knows if many of the success stories we’ve seen in snooker would have still happened if it weren’t for Pot Black? It may be a time that most will have very few memories of (or none at all), but it’s certainly something that will never be forgotten in snooker as time goes on.
Fun fact: Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Hendry have never won Pot Black (not including Junior Pot Black). Steve Davis has won four times (82, 83, 91, and 93).
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