STEVE DAVIS and Dennis Taylor are set to recreate the “greatest snooker match of all time”.
Dubbed the “Black Ball Final”, the 1985 Sheffield showdown saw 19 million people watch Taylor beat Davis on BBC Two to become world champion.
PA:Press AssociationSteve Davis and Dennis Taylor have reunited to recreate the greatest snooker match of all time[/caption]
PADubbed the Black Ball Final, Taylor came from seven frames down to win 18-17 on the final black ball[/caption]
GettyTaylor, known for his upside-down glasses, held his cue aloft after the stunning final in most of snooker’s most iconic photos[/caption]
PAThe final still holds the record for UK viewership for any post-midnight broadcast[/caption]
Davis, who was already a three-time world champion at the time of the match, took a seven-frame lead just as the bookies had expected.
However, Taylor, famed for his upside-down glasses, mounted an incredible comeback before potting the final black to win the match 18-17.
To this day it is a UK viewership record for any post-midnight broadcast.
And Taylor, 75, and Davis, 67, are now set to return to Victoria Hill to recreate the iconic final for a special show alongside host John Virgo that will also see them chat with audience members.
On the reunion, Taylor told the BBC: “John usually gets a couple of people out to do a few trick shots, then Steve and me play a couple of frames, then of course we re-enact that black ball final with the last few colours.
“Steve’s very amusing about it as well, and the amazing thing about it is we re-enact that black ball final and I get to win every night…
“He was very, very serious when he was playing, he was very focussed – but he’s so much fun. I love working with him.
“The three of us interact with the audience and have a lot of fun.”
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Taylor revealed that each do their “own little bit” during the second half of the show, before adding that Davis is “very funny”.
The Menace said people still come up to him to talk about that fabled night almost 40 years ago and often turn their cameras upside down when asking for a picture.
He added: “It’s something that they all remember, they remember where they were when Steve and me were battling it out.
“To keep nearly 19 million people up past midnight, watching a fella with ginger hair playing another fella with a big pair of upside down glasses, it’s amazing how it captured everybody’s imagination.
“Steve says he’ll remember that final more than the six that he won…
“If we’d ever thought there was that many people watching I don’t think we’d have been able to hold the cue.
“The audience kept building, and the BBC were cancelling programmes to stay with it, and it just built and built.
“The pressure on both of us was unbelievable, but we weren’t thinking, we were just concentrating on the game.”
Hendry went on to win six world titles, while 1985 would be Taylor’s one and only triumph.
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.
The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.
The first World Championships ran from 1927 – with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.
Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.
Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan share the record for the most titles in the modern era, with seven each.
1969 – John Spencer
1970 – Ray Reardon
1971 – John Spencer
1972 – Alex Higgins
1973 – Ray Reardon (2)
1974 – Ray Reardon (3)
1975 – Ray Reardon (4)
1976 – Ray Reardon (5)
1977 – John Spencer (2)
1978 – Ray Reardon (6)
1979 – Terry Griffiths
1980 – Cliff Thorburn
1981 – Steve Davis
1982 – Alex Higgins (2)
1983 – Steve Davis (2)
1984 – Steve Davis (3)
1985 – Dennis Taylor
1986 – Joe Johnson
1987 – Steve Davis (4)
1988 – Steve Davis (5)
1989 – Steve Davis (6)
1990 – Stephen Hendry
1991 – John Parrott
1992 – Stephen Hendry (2)
1993 – Stephen Hendry (3)
1994 – Stephen Hendry (4)
1995 – Stephen Hendry (5)
1996 – Stephen Hendry (6)
1997 – Ken Doherty
1998 – John Higgins
1999 – Stephen Hendry (7)
2000 – Mark Williams
2001 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
2002 – Peter Ebdon
2003 – Mark Williams (2)
2004 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
2005 – Shaun Murphy
2006 – Graeme Dott
2007 – John Higgins (2)
2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (3)
2009 – John Higgins (3)
2010 – Neil Robertson
2011 – John Higgins (4)
2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (4)
2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)
2014 – Mark Selby
2015 – Stuart Bingham
2016 – Mark Selby (2)
2017 – Mark Selby (3)
2018 – Mark Williams (3)
2019 – Judd Trump
2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (6)
2021 – Mark Selby (4)
2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (7)
2023 – Luca Brecel
2024 – Kyren Wilson
Most World Titles (modern era)
7 – Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan
6 – Ray Reardon, Steve Davis
4 – John Higgins, Mark Selby
3 – John Spencer, Mark Williams
2 – Alex Higgins
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