Pot Black - History

History

The first Pot Black was held in 1969 at the BBC Studios in Birmingham. BBC began broadcasting in colour, and were looking for programmes that could exploit this new technology. The programme first aired on 23 July 1969, on BBC2. The event continued until 1986, at which time more and more televised snooker events were held and the Pot Black format was out dated. It returned in 1990, but it was discontinued after the 1993 event.

A one-day Pot Black tournament was held on 29 October 2005, and broadcast on the BBC's Grandstand. The invitational event featured eight players, namely Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, Stephen Maguire, Matthew Stevens, Paul Hunter, John Higgins, Jimmy White and Shaun Murphy, with Stevens beating Murphy in the final. The 2006 edition of Pot Black took place at the Royal Automobile Club in London on 2 September 2006. Mark Williams beat John Higgins and achieved the highest break in the history of the tournament with a 119 clearance in the final. The 2007 edition, the final Pot Black to date, was aired on Saturday 6 October 2007 on BBC One. It was won by Ken Doherty, who beat Shaun Murphy 71–36, making him the first Irishman to win the competition.

There have only been six century breaks in the history of Pot Black. Eddie Charlton notched the first-ever century in 1973, and his 110 break stood as the event record for many years until eclipsed by Shaun Murphy's 111 against Jimmy White in 2005. The Pot Black highest break record is currently held by Mark Williams, with his 119 in 2006.