Opinions On The Current BBC Commentators

What are your views on the current BBC commentary team? I'll start with mine:

Taylor: Find some of his stories interesting but often talks about other things too often instead of snooker like golf and celebrities.

Virgo and Thorne: The pair of them really annoy because of how over critical they can be of players who are much better then they ever were, and Virgo always has to repeat himself which also get's on my nerves at time.

Griffiths: Good Commentator IMO, don't know why he's not used more often.

Doherty: Decent enough but at times seems to repeat what the other guy says for some reason.

Hendry: The best Commentator IMO, doesn't speak more than necessary, and also acknowledges and laughs at himself when wrong which is good IMO.

PS wish Neal Foulds and Everton were still there.

Agree on Foulds and Everton

Taylor is the best commentator by far he is so insightful and leaves the others looking like amateurs.

They should all strive to reach the god like status of Dennis

They should get John McEnroe and Jim Courier in.

sas6789 wrote:What are your views on the current BBC commentary team? I'll start with mine:

Taylor: Find some of his stories interesting but often talks about other things too often instead of snooker like golf and celebrities.

Virgo and Thorne: The pair of them really annoy because of how over critical they can be of players who are much better then they ever were, and Virgo always has to repeat himself which also get's on my nerves at time.

Griffiths: Good Commentator IMO, don't know why he's not used more often.

Doherty: Decent enough but at times seems to repeat what the other guy says for some reason.

Hendry: The best Commentator IMO, doesn't speak more than necessary, and also acknowledges and laughs at himself when wrong which is good IMO.

PS wish Neal Foulds and Everton were still there.

Terry Griffiths never commentates on the World FInal. Usually Virgo, Taylor, Hendry and Doherty.

Neal Foulds is pundit and commentator for the itv4 tournaments (The World Grand Prix and Champion Of Champions) He also commentates on British Eurosport inc some european regional broadcasts.

Clive everton also commentates on the itv4 events and was removed from the BBC team a while back now. It has been said, this was partly due to his views on snookers governing body and his old fashioned style, in comparison with other BBC commentators - in their personality etc ...

For me, John Virgo is a legend! #wheresthecueballgoing

I have a number of potential opinions on the BBC snooker commentators: "clueless", "ignorant", "no grasp of English", "stupid", "boring", "old", "annoying", "maddening", "ugly", "no enjoyable tonal quality to their voice" and "cliche obsessed".

...and people wonder why snooker isn't as popular in Britain as it was in the 80's when they had good commentators like the great voice of Ted Lowe and the knowledgeable Clive Everton, who also had quite a nice tonal quality to his voice.

Sample Ted Lowe line (you have to say it in a slow, whispering, dramatic Ted Lowe way): "19, 45, the war then had almost ended, this one's just beginning.". You don't get lines like that anymore!

BBC need to employ a standard. Namely 'if a commentator doesn't know the rules of the game, their contract should be immediately terminated, even if they won the World Title in the mid 1980s'.

Yes quite , Vodkadiet .
I could not agree more.


Everton back andneal foulds.

Hendry, Griffiths.

I cant stick the rest of them

Virgo is by far the best. Him and Everton were a great combo

Clive and Dennis were the best pairing.

Ayrshirebhoy wrote:Clive and Dennis were the best pairing.

Sorry but dennis isn't fit to be named in the same sentence as clive

Alex0paul wrote:Virgo is by far the best. Him and Everton were a great combo

True Those 2 complimented each other perfectly

I love Hendry and Virgo but the rest are shocking tbh Thorn just talks non stop and most of what comes out of his mouth is stating the obvious tbh. Taylor is a complete parody and should stick to golf. Davis is great in the studio but on commentary he just doesn't know what he is doing. Ken again is great in the studio but awful in the box. Parrot is crap

The Cueist wrote:Yes quite , Vodkadiet .
I could not agree more.


Everton back andneal foulds.

Hendry, Griffiths.

I cant stick the rest of them

There should be a referendum on who the BBC have commentating. I am sure if there was, Taylor would be the first to go.

Ayrshirebhoy wrote:Clive and Dennis were the best pairing.

Like having Bob Bryan playing doubles with Sam Querrey...

If I was in charge at the BBC, I would have a clear out.

My new, improved commentary team would be:

Vodkadiet
Cloud Strife
Andre147
Wildey
Snooker Fan
Roland
Holden Chinaski
Paddpotter

GreenRiver wrote:If I was in charge at the BBC, I would have a clear out.

My new, improved commentary team would be:

Vodkadiet
Cloud Strife
Andre147
Wildey
Snooker Fan
Roland
Holden Chinaski
Paddpotter

And GreenRiver as the main presenter, along with Muppet, and the MC can be Clara!

Wild won't be allowed to before the watershed. More money to Bluebell Wood from him than from tons.

Where the heck am I

oh hazel is sacked and im hosting

GJ wrote:Where the heck am I

oh hazel is sacked and im hosting

GJ, you can show how the shots should have been played, in the practice room!

vodkadiet wrote:

GJ wrote:Where the heck am I

oh hazel is sacked and im hosting

GJ, you can show how the shots should have been played, in the practice room!

Cheerio kennet and steve theres an aussie in town

Skullman wrote:Wild won't be allowed to before the watershed. More money to Bluebell Wood from him than from tons.

GreenRiver wrote:If I was in charge at the BBC, I would have a clear out.

My new, improved commentary team would be:

Vodkadiet
Cloud Strife
Andre147
Wildey
Snooker Fan
Roland
Holden Chinaski
Paddpotter

I have a good tonal quality to my voice, I could be in the team. I wouldn't show that Stockholm syndrome either like Phil Yates and all those other non former pros who insist on taking an inferior status and who feel like they "aren't qualified" to say a particular shot selection is wrong. Non pros who watch a lot of snooker are just as qualified to say what is and isn't the right shot, in fact, more so in many instances!

John Virgo. Mellowed on him slightly, the past few years. His 'Where's The Cue Ball Thing?' doesn't bother me. But he does think a catchphrase is all you need and generally talks rubbish whilst sucking up to Ronnie and Trump. Pretty crap.

Dennis Taylor. Nice guy, but should be nowhere near the commentary box. How somebody who has been involved in snooker for so long knows so little about it is baffling.

Steve Davis: Okay.

Ken Doherty Strong accent, but other than that okay. Slightly went off him after Chalkgate, for his twitter comments saying Ronnie wasn't to blame, but Bingham was.

Willie Thorne: Thinks everybody in the world is an inferior snooker player to him, and commentates as such. Mentions his old club in Leicester almost as much as Davis and Taylor mention 1985. A bit of a tit.

Terry Griffiths: Quite good. His dry sense of humour is pretty spot on. So unlike Dennis or Virgo, is actually funny when he tries to be. Pretty knowledgeable.

John Parrott: Pretty useless. A Ronnie fanboy. If he left, I doubt he'd be missed.

Stephen Hendry: The best the BBC have got. When he first started commentating, he only had relevant comments to make, as he was on the main tour so actually knew some stuff about all the current players. Feel he's beginning to become a bit BBC, so will phone the odd match in and make bad jokes rather than talk sense. But still better than anything else the BBC have to offer.

Andy Spark wrote:I have a number of potential opinions on the BBC snooker commentators: "clueless", "ignorant", "no grasp of English", "stupid", "boring", "old", "annoying", "maddening", "ugly", "no enjoyable tonal quality to their voice" and "cliche obsessed".

...and people wonder why snooker isn't as popular in Britain as it was in the 80's when they had good commentators like the great voice of Ted Lowe and the knowledgeable Clive Everton, who also had quite a nice tonal quality to his voice.

Sample Ted Lowe line (you have to say it in a slow, whispering, dramatic Ted Lowe way): "19, 45, the war then had almost ended, this one's just beginning.". You don't get lines like that anymore!

Ugly seems an odd complaint.

When listening to somebody commentate on a match, how important is the physical attractiveness of the person speaking?

All this bitching about the BBC commentators, I would like to see a thread on the dreadful Eurotrash commentary, despite the BBC being full of has-beens (and some hasn't-beens) it's still a lot more insightful than Hallett going "why didn't he do this and why didn't he do that" bullocks.

I like Eurosport's coverage, I guess because of its minimalist nature. No studio waffle, just the matches. And I like Joe Johnson, though I'm not sure why. He sounds like an easygoing old bloke moments from a heart attack.

And Stephen Hendry needs to speak up.

Just noticed I missed Steve Davis and John Parrott out in the original post.

Davis: is good In the studio but doesn't cut it in the commentary box for me

Parrott: is ok but his head's a bit far up O'Sullivan's bottom for me.

davisfan wrote:I like Eurosport's coverage, I guess because of its minimalist nature. No studio waffle, just the matches. And I like Joe Johnson, though I'm not sure why. He sounds like an easygoing old bloke moments from a heart attack.

And Stephen Hendry needs to speak up.

Eurosport I don't mind that much.

Knowledge-wise, they can get stuff wrong almost as much as the BBC. But they seem to, at least, have less of an agenda. They're more even handed. They compliment a player when need be, and don't whinge that a player who isn't their favourite is doing well.

sas6789 wrote:Davis: is good In the studio but doesn't cut it in the commentary box for me

as a commentator he is pretty clueless hes outdated in a lot of ways because he thinks like he used to play which was pretty conservative and the game has moved on from the way he was taught back in the day.

hes trying to be modern but it comes across as my mam trying to understand the internet but she hasent a clue.

SnookerFan wrote:Ugly seems an odd complaint.

When listening to somebody commentate on a match, how important is the physical attractiveness of the person speaking?

If they spent time in the gym working out then that would probably improve their concentration levels and then they would make fewer mistakes. Playing golf doesn't count, I want something that's going to get Taylor and Virgo's bottom into shape!