Louis Theroux working on snooker series!

Looking forward to that!

Not on camera apparently, but working behind the scenes. Either way, should be good!

Wow this is brilliant!

Slightly related - Adam Buxton’s latest podcast is with Louis and it’s well worth a listen

Good stuff, although I wish it wasn’t the “golden age” of snooker. We have so many documentaries about that already.

Why can’t they do a documentary on the Hearn era?

On a related note it’d be cool if Theroux interviewed a snooker player if there’s another series of Grounded.

Iranu wrote:Good stuff, although I wish it wasn’t the “golden age” of snooker. We have so many documentaries about that already.

Why can’t they do a documentary on the Hearn era?

On a related note it’d be cool if Theroux interviewed a snooker player if there’s another series of Grounded.

Yes I agree. Why is it that snooker always looks backwards?

Is it just going to be about the 1980s?

Seems to be re-treading an already much-stomped path. But will probably give it a watache.

I don't like the term Golden Age. I think it unfairly pigeon holes a specific era as somehow always and forever 'better' than any other era.

It's a problem that afflicts loads of different hobbies and sports whereby fans of one specific era seem determined to encapsulate 'their' era as 'the bestest ever', usually with implications that other eras aren't as good and often, in reality, refers to a short period of over-expansion and zeitgeist rather than any particular pinnacle of quality or achievement.

A period in time when it was simply 'selling the most to widest market', which, in reality, is often more a sign of an approaching bust rather than a reason to celebrate a boom. A period of uncontrollable cashing-in and casualisation that offers nothing to long-term stability and expectation management.

"The Golden Age of movies was the black and white era" - no. It was the time when most of the people went to the cinema, nothing more.

"The Golden Age of comics was the 1940s and early 1950s" - no. it was the time when most of the kids bought a comic every week/month.

I don't mind pigeon holing an era, but this obsession with precious metal hierarchy and it's supposed implication to quality I find unbearable.

Just something like "the television era" or "the rebirth era" or "the snooker renaissance era" would be so much more apt and so much less image-forcing.

I love the term golden age.

It was the time when snooker was at it's most popular (at least in the UK), and it was this era that inspired your Hendrys, Ronnies, and Higginses.

I'll be amazed if I learn anything new from this, probably more appealling to a casual fan than anaraks like us. Still, will be worth a watache.

McManusFan wrote:It was the time when snooker was at it's most popular (at least in the UK), and it was this era that inspired your Hendrys, Ronnies, and Higginses.

Yeah I do get this.

But there have been so many documentaries about it already. Not to mention Dennis reminds us of all the big events that transpired every time a BBC tournament rolls around.

The only thing that gives me confidence that this will be in any way informative for actual snooker fans is that it’s a Louis Theroux production and so he might delve deeper than you’d ordinarily see.

But surely it would be so much more beneficial to do a doc on the Hearn era and the massive progress the game has made, and that globally it’s far bigger than it ever was including the 80s?

This documentary will just feed into the narrative of “it’s not like it used to be” and the perception that “that’s when there were characters in the game.”

Imagine a documentary with the likes of MJW, Gilbert, Ronnie (not that he’d probably take part), Allen, Carter etc interviewed They could still have the likes of Davis, White involved and it could dispel the myth for some at least.

The golden era was the time when clubs were full and on every corner, many of them sponsoring a long list of young hopefuls. But yes for me the golden era is now with the game expanding around the world.
It would certainly be interesting to see some of the other names involved to get abetter background to the reality of being a pro.

Big Louis Theroux fan,if it's a one off be disappointed, hopefully it gets good responses and more topics included, like people have said must be a hearn episode if Barry would allow a nosey journalist probing. There could also be the rise in far east,China in particular. Could be into a winner with possible viewing figures from China.

Running side wrote:Big Louis Theroux fan,if it's a one off be disappointed, hopefully it gets good responses and more topics included, like people have said must be a hearn episode if Barry would allow a nosey journalist probing. There could also be the rise in far east,China in particular. Could be into a winner with possible viewing figures from China.

The only journalism that Hearn is interested in, is the journalists writing puff pieces about how good he is.

I don't there's been anything as in dept about that era before. It's usually just a nostalgia fest. I don't mind it and find it less tedious than the "in ten years time half the top 16 will be Chinese" talk that you would get in any documentary about modern Snooker.

KrazeeEyezKilla wrote:I don't there's been anything as in dept about that era before. It's usually just a nostalgia fest. I don't mind it and find it less tedious than the "in ten years time half the top 16 will be Chinese" talk that you would get in any documentary about modern Snooker.

Didn't they say it would be half Chinese in five years in 2008?

SnookerFan wrote:

KrazeeEyezKilla wrote:I don't there's been anything as in dept about that era before. It's usually just a nostalgia fest. I don't mind it and find it less tedious than the "in ten years time half the top 16 will be Chinese" talk that you would get in any documentary about modern Snooker.

Didn't they say it would be half Chinese in five years in 2008?

There were a few different predictions. The one I remember was around when Ding started winning titles.

I think Sullo predicted that. Can’t remember when he said it would be tho.

The 80’s golden era has been subject of many documentaries. They should do one on the black and white era. Loads of interesting things happened in those days. In 1934 the World Championship Final was split between Nottingham and Kettering. There was a train strike which meant Joe (Davis) couldn’t get to Kettering to complete the match. He went to a local car dealer and brought a car, despite never having driven in his life and somehow made it to Kettering!

badtemperedcyril wrote:The 80’s golden era has been subject of many documentaries. They should do one on the black and white era. Loads of interesting things happened in those days. In 1934 the World Championship Final was split between Nottingham and Kettering. There was a train strike which meant Joe (Davis) couldn’t get to Kettering to complete the match. He went to a local car dealer and brought a car, despite never having driven in his life and somehow made it to Kettering!

badtemperedcyril wrote:The 80’s golden era has been subject of many documentaries. They should do one on the black and white era. Loads of interesting things happened in those days. In 1934 the World Championship Final was split between Nottingham and Kettering. There was a train strike which meant Joe (Davis) couldn’t get to Kettering to complete the match. He went to a local car dealer and brought a car, despite never having driven in his life and somehow made it to Kettering!

Great story that; I think (please correct me if wrong) driving tests were not compulsory until the 60s. Because there were so few cars on the road (and probably they couldn't get much speed up) it wasn't seen as necessary. I remember listening to an interview with the late great Nicholas Parsons a year or two back when he said he got his first driving licence in the 50s by writing to the DVLA (or its predecessor) and simply requesting one!