Big Break
Encyclopedia
Big Break is a British
game show
based around the game of snooker
, mixed with traditional game show elements. It was broadcast on BBC1 between 30 April 1991 and 9 October 2002. It influenced a later game show for the network called Full Swing
, but based around golf
, and itself was in part influenced by ITV
's long-running darts quiz Bullseye
.
and former snooker player, later commentator, John Virgo
, who was known for being the butt of many of Davidson's jokes. The show's theme song is The Snooker Song, from the musical The Hunting of the Snark
composed by Mike Batt
and performed by Captain Sensible
.
The show was renowned for its light-hearted and comedic tone for many reasons. One of which was the chemistry between Davidson and Virgo, in which Davidson would frequently mock Virgo for his dress-sense or his truely terrible personality. This made many viewers sympathetic for Virgo. However, Virgo would occasionally come back with wisecracks and insults, one example involved Davidson telling Virgo he would talk very slow because Virgo was a northerner, before Virgo said "Well, Jim, I know you're a southerner, so I'm not going to listen.". Other comic aspects were the occasional contestant who failed to understand many of the questions they were asked, and the light-hearted personality of snooker players, most notably Dennis Taylor
.
The show's set consisted of a snooker table and three pairs of chairs at the side of the studio, with Virgo standing on the opposite side of the snooker table and the question board which would be revealed in the second round. The show began with Davidson giving a short monologue and then introducing Virgo who would enter the set with a bag of snooker balls which would be used in the first round.
All contestants would go home with at least a snooker cue and Big Break trophy, regardless of which round they reached.
After introducing the players, the first round, Red Hot, would be played. It would begin with a player having ten seconds added to a clock, and being asked three questions to gain ten seconds for each question answered correctly. The questions were usually riddles or trick questions, with the second question often asking the contestant which two words sound the same by answering clues. (For example, a number (four), and the opposite of against (for).)
In later series, each player started Red Hot with 40 seconds, and lost five seconds for each of the three questions that they answered incorrectly, meaning that there was a possibility of some games only lasting 25 seconds.
After the questions were answered, the snooker players had the rewarded amount of time to pot ten red snooker balls, which Davidson and Virgo described as being very complicated rules. Virgo's deadpan delivery of the line "Pot as many balls as you can" became a series highlight.
The contestant whose player potted the fewest balls would be out of the game and play the next round for a consolation prize.
for the losing contestant. After demonstrating the shot, Virgo would set the shot up again for the player to attempt, whilst Davidson would show what prize the player could win. Prizes included binoculars, clock radios and champagne.
If they completed the shot successfully, they won the prize. If the contestant came close to winning but failed, Davidson or Virgo would often knock the snooker ball into the pocket. However, if the player lost, which was very rare, Davidson would offer an old record
by an unpopular artist who the contestant wouldn't recognise.
In the first episode of Big Break, Virgo performed the trick shot dressed as Willie Thorne
. He would also occasionally mock various other players, including Jimmy White
.
Out-takes of Virgo's failed attempts at some trick shows were frequently seen on Auntie's Bloomers
.
If the player missed, the contestant would have to answer a question on a specific subject, depending on what ball was missed. Categories included Pot Luck (Red), Past (Yellow), Music (Green), Places (Brown), People (Blue), Sports (Pink) and Screen (Black). If answered correctly, Davidson would shout "Play!" so the snooker player would continue. If the contestant answered incorrectly, Davidson would have to ask another question. If the contestant continually answered wrongly, Davidson would either give the contestant clues, over-articulate the right answer or, if he got lost with the questions, give up and shout "Play!" anyway.
Each contestant won the amount of money the snooker player gained, and the contestant with the most money went on to play the final round.
.
The snooker player would play by traditional rules to clear the table, with the support of having red balls removed. The player had the remaining time, left from when the contestant answered his or her questions, to pot all the balls. The first red potted won the player the first prize. However, the contestant could not win any more prizes until the player cleared all the reds from the table, and began potting the yellow ball up to the black ball.
At the end of the programme, there is usually another familiar catchphrase - Davidson says "Say good night, JV.", to which Virgo replies, "Good night, JV."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
based around the game of snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
, mixed with traditional game show elements. It was broadcast on BBC1 between 30 April 1991 and 9 October 2002. It influenced a later game show for the network called Full Swing
Full Swing (game show)
Full Swing was a game show that combined general knowledge questions and the game of Golf which aired on BBC1 for one series from 25 May to 27 July 1996. The programme was hosted by Jimmy Tarbuck. The show was inspired by the BBC's popular Big Break, which was based around snooker...
, but based around golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, and itself was in part influenced by ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's long-running darts quiz Bullseye
Bullseye (UK game show)
Bullseye was a popular British television programme. It was first made for the ITV network by ATV in 1981 and Central from 1982 until 1995, and hosted by Jim Bowen. The show originally aired on Monday nights from 1981, it was then moved to Sunday nights from 1982 to 1993 where it was watched by...
.
Format of the show
The show was presented by comedian Jim DavidsonJim Davidson (comedian)
Jim Davidson OBE is a British comedian, actor and television presenter. He has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to entertainment, particularly of British service personnel in conflict zones.- Biography :The son of a Glaswegian father, Davidson was born in...
and former snooker player, later commentator, John Virgo
John Virgo
John Virgo is an English former professional snooker player and more recently a snooker commentator and TV personality.- Career :...
, who was known for being the butt of many of Davidson's jokes. The show's theme song is The Snooker Song, from the musical The Hunting of the Snark
The Hunting of the Snark (musical)
The Hunting of the Snark is a musical based on Lewis Carroll's poem "The Hunting of the Snark", written by composer Mike Batt.-History:The musical began life in 1984 as a costumed concert with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican, conducted by Mike Batt and starring Paul Jones as the Baker...
composed by Mike Batt
Mike Batt
Michael Philip "Mike" Batt is a British songwriter, musician, producer and Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry...
and performed by Captain Sensible
Captain Sensible
Captain Sensible is a singer, songwriter, guitarist who grew up in Croydon, England, and co-founded the punk rock band The Damned in 1976. After leaving the band, he reinvented himself as an alternative pop singer with a rebellious, self-conscious image...
.
The show was renowned for its light-hearted and comedic tone for many reasons. One of which was the chemistry between Davidson and Virgo, in which Davidson would frequently mock Virgo for his dress-sense or his truely terrible personality. This made many viewers sympathetic for Virgo. However, Virgo would occasionally come back with wisecracks and insults, one example involved Davidson telling Virgo he would talk very slow because Virgo was a northerner, before Virgo said "Well, Jim, I know you're a southerner, so I'm not going to listen.". Other comic aspects were the occasional contestant who failed to understand many of the questions they were asked, and the light-hearted personality of snooker players, most notably Dennis Taylor
Dennis Taylor
Dennis Taylor is a retired snooker player, and current BBC snooker commentator. Winner of two ranking events, he is best known for winning the 1985 World Championship, beating World number one Steve Davis on the final black in one of the sport's most memorable finals...
.
The show's set consisted of a snooker table and three pairs of chairs at the side of the studio, with Virgo standing on the opposite side of the snooker table and the question board which would be revealed in the second round. The show began with Davidson giving a short monologue and then introducing Virgo who would enter the set with a bag of snooker balls which would be used in the first round.
All contestants would go home with at least a snooker cue and Big Break trophy, regardless of which round they reached.
Red Hot
After introducing and chatting to each contestant, they would randomly select a ball from a bag Davidson was holding. The bag contained a red ball, a yellow ball and a blue ball, which Davidson once described as "the thing you get on a colour TV" even though the colours on a TV screen are red, blue and *green* not yellow. Each coloured ball represented a professional snooker player who Virgo would introduce. (Virgo could have randomly chosen a player himself as players had no indication what colour they were. However, he could occasionally be seen holding a card which could possibly have noted which colours the players represented.)After introducing the players, the first round, Red Hot, would be played. It would begin with a player having ten seconds added to a clock, and being asked three questions to gain ten seconds for each question answered correctly. The questions were usually riddles or trick questions, with the second question often asking the contestant which two words sound the same by answering clues. (For example, a number (four), and the opposite of against (for).)
In later series, each player started Red Hot with 40 seconds, and lost five seconds for each of the three questions that they answered incorrectly, meaning that there was a possibility of some games only lasting 25 seconds.
After the questions were answered, the snooker players had the rewarded amount of time to pot ten red snooker balls, which Davidson and Virgo described as being very complicated rules. Virgo's deadpan delivery of the line "Pot as many balls as you can" became a series highlight.
The contestant whose player potted the fewest balls would be out of the game and play the next round for a consolation prize.
Virgo's trick shot
This mini-game consisted of Virgo setting up a trick shotTrick shot
A trick shot is a shot played on a billiards table , which seems unlikely, impossible, or requires significant skill...
for the losing contestant. After demonstrating the shot, Virgo would set the shot up again for the player to attempt, whilst Davidson would show what prize the player could win. Prizes included binoculars, clock radios and champagne.
If they completed the shot successfully, they won the prize. If the contestant came close to winning but failed, Davidson or Virgo would often knock the snooker ball into the pocket. However, if the player lost, which was very rare, Davidson would offer an old record
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
by an unpopular artist who the contestant wouldn't recognise.
In the first episode of Big Break, Virgo performed the trick shot dressed as Willie Thorne
Willie Thorne
William Joseph "Willie" Thorne , is a former English professional snooker player and now a sports commentator.Thorne became national under-16 champion at both snooker and English billiards in 1970...
. He would also occasionally mock various other players, including Jimmy White
Jimmy White
James Warren "Jimmy" White MBE is an English professional snooker player. Nicknamed the "Whirlwind" and popularly referred to as the "People's Champion", White is a multiple World Championship finalist renowned for losing each of the six finals he contested.White's extensive list of achievements,...
.
Out-takes of Virgo's failed attempts at some trick shows were frequently seen on Auntie's Bloomers
Auntie's Bloomers
Auntie's Bloomers was a blooper show hosted by Terry Wogan that ran from 29 December 1991 to 29 December 2001 and aired on BBC1. Most bloopers consisted of homegrown BBC programmes including soaps, sitcoms, dramas and news. Although the show was made by the BBC it was also made by independent...
.
Pocket Money
In the next round, contestants would have the chance of winning money. Each snooker player had to play by traditional snooker rules for ninety seconds with the snooker balls being worth amounts of money. Each red ball was worth £10 when potted, with each coloured ball being worth £10 times the regulation point value of that ball, up to £70 for the black ball. In addition, each pocket had a designated colour; If the player potted a coloured ball in the same colour pocket, the amount would be doubled for that pot.If the player missed, the contestant would have to answer a question on a specific subject, depending on what ball was missed. Categories included Pot Luck (Red), Past (Yellow), Music (Green), Places (Brown), People (Blue), Sports (Pink) and Screen (Black). If answered correctly, Davidson would shout "Play!" so the snooker player would continue. If the contestant answered incorrectly, Davidson would have to ask another question. If the contestant continually answered wrongly, Davidson would either give the contestant clues, over-articulate the right answer or, if he got lost with the questions, give up and shout "Play!" anyway.
Each contestant won the amount of money the snooker player gained, and the contestant with the most money went on to play the final round.
Make or Break?
In Make or Break?, contestants could win a variety of prizes. Contestants would be given ninety seconds to answer five general knowledge questions asked by Davidson. Each correct answer allowed the snooker player to remove one red ball from the table. After the questions were answered, the remaining time was given to the snooker player to clear the snooker table with six reds minus one for each question answered correctly on the table. One red ball and each coloured ball represented a prize, ranging from champagne, short breaks, televisions, computers and games consoles. The black ball represented the Mystery Star Prize, often a holiday, though on occasion a booby prizeBooby prize
A booby prize is a joke prize usually given in recognition of a terrible performance or last-place finish. A person who finishes last, for example, may get a booby prize such as a worthless coin. Booby prizes are sometimes humorously and jokingly coveted as an object of pride.Booby prizes, however,...
.
The snooker player would play by traditional rules to clear the table, with the support of having red balls removed. The player had the remaining time, left from when the contestant answered his or her questions, to pot all the balls. The first red potted won the player the first prize. However, the contestant could not win any more prizes until the player cleared all the reds from the table, and began potting the yellow ball up to the black ball.
At the end of the programme, there is usually another familiar catchphrase - Davidson says "Say good night, JV.", to which Virgo replies, "Good night, JV."
Series
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 April 1991 | 16 July 1991 | 12 |
| 2 | 11 January 1992 | 4 April 1992 | 13 |
| 3 | 12 September 1992 | 19 December 1992 | 15 |
| 4 | 4 September 1993 | 26 March 1994 | 27 |
| 5 | 9 September 1994 | 28 October 1994 | 8 |
| 6 | 7 January 1995 | 20 May 1995 | 19 |
| 7 | 2 September 1995 | 14 October 1995 | 7 |
| 8 | 2 March 1996 | 19 July 1996 | 20 |
| 9 | 3 January 1997 | 14 July 1997 | 20 |
| 10 | 9 January 1998 | 18 July 1998 | 19 |
| 11 | 13 February 1999 | 24 July 1999 | 19 |
| 12 | 4 December 1999 | 31 March 2000 | 23 |
| 13 | 28 April 2001 | 18 August 2001 | 12 |
| 14 | 22 June 2002 | 9 October 2002 | 8 |
Specials
| Date | Entitle |
|---|---|
| 24 December 1991 | Christmas Special |
| 26 December 1992 | Christmas Special |
| 27 December 1993 | Christmas Special |
| 27 December 1994 | Christmas Special |
| 22 August 1995 | Trick Shot Special |
| 29 August 1995 | Trick Shot Special |
| 19 October 1995 | Trick Shot Special |
| 28 December 1995 | Christmas Special |
| 3 August 1996 | Trick Shot Special |
| 29 August 1996 | Trick Shot Special |
| 27 December 1996 | Christmas Special |
| 27 June 1997 | Trick Shot Special |
| 4 July 1997 | Trick Shot Special |
| 26 December 1997 | Christmas Special |
| 28 December 1998 | Christmas Special |
| 23 December 1999 | Trick Shot Special |
| 3 January 2000 | Snooker Scrapbook |