Gods of Snooker episode 1 – The Hurricane
In the golden haze of 1970s Britain, a sport once tucked away in smoky backrooms of working men’s clubs was about to take center stage. At the heart of this transformation stood a man like no other—Alex “The Hurricane” Higgins. Fast, furious, and fantastically flawed, Higgins didn’t just play snooker; he tore through it like a storm, leaving behind a trail of controversy, brilliance, and unforgettable drama.
Snooker had been quietly gaining traction thanks to the magic of colour television. The introduction of the BBC’s weekly show Pot Black—commissioned by none other than David Attenborough—had brought the vibrant green of the baize and the rich hues of the snooker balls into millions of living rooms. Yet, it wasn’t until Higgins exploded onto the scene that snooker truly captured the imagination of the public.
With every match, Higgins challenged the idea of what the game could be. On the table, he was lightning-fast, playing shots that defied logic and stunned opponents. Off the table, he was a headline writer’s dream—brash, unpredictable, and utterly unapologetic. Where others brought discipline and decorum, Higgins brought flair and fire. He wasn’t just playing snooker; he was performing a kind of working-class theatre, filled with passion, risk, and rebellion.
His rise couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. Britain in the 1970s was a country in flux, grappling with economic uncertainty, cultural shifts, and a growing appetite for gritty, real-life heroes. Higgins fit the bill perfectly. He smoked like a chimney, drank like a sailor, and spoke his mind—often to the horror of the snooker establishment. But for fans, he was a breath of fresh air. They didn’t want another polished, rule-following player; they wanted someone who felt real. And Higgins delivered.
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Naturally, his explosive personality made enemies as quickly as it made headlines. Chief among them was Ray Reardon, a former police officer and six-time world champion who embodied everything Higgins opposed. Where Higgins was all emotion and instinct, Reardon was methodical and controlled. Their rivalry would come to define an era of snooker—a clash not just of personalities, but of ideologies.
The tabloids couldn’t get enough. They followed Higgins through bar fights, dressing-room rants, and courtroom dramas. His antics, both on and off the table, made him a household name. Yet for all the chaos, there was no denying his genius. Watching Higgins play was like watching a tightrope walker with no safety net—thrilling, terrifying, and impossible to ignore.
Throughout the late 70s and into the early 80s, snooker boomed. What had once been a niche pursuit was now a national obsession. Audiences packed theatres, millions tuned in on TV, and snooker players became unlikely celebrities. At the heart of it all stood Higgins, a man simultaneously adored and admonished, lionized and loathed.
Everything came to a head in 1982. That year, Higgins and Reardon met in the final of the World Snooker Championship—the biggest stage in the sport. It was more than a match; it was a moment of reckoning. On one side stood Reardon, the symbol of tradition, discipline, and the old guard. On the other, Higgins, the self-declared “People’s Champion,” wild and unapologetic, carrying the hopes of a generation that had grown tired of playing by the rules.
Gods of Snooker episode 1 – The Hurricane
The final was electric. Every shot felt like a statement, every glance charged with years of animosity. For the fans, it wasn’t just about potting balls—it was a showdown between order and chaos, restraint and rebellion. Higgins played with his trademark flair, dancing around the table with the urgency of a man who knew how quickly glory could slip away.
When the final ball dropped, it was Higgins who emerged victorious. His win sent shockwaves through the sport, and through Britain itself. The Hurricane had conquered the storm. That night, snooker wasn’t just a game—it was theatre, spectacle, and revolution rolled into one.
The 1982 final didn’t just crown a champion. It cemented snooker as a major part of British popular culture. Higgins’ victory was symbolic—a triumph of personality over protocol, of art over arithmetic. From that moment on, snooker wasn’t just something you watched; it was something you felt.
And yet, the legacy of that era goes beyond one man or one match. Higgins opened the floodgates for a new generation of players—flawed, brilliant, bold—who saw in him not just a hero, but a path forward. He had broken down the walls, and others would follow.
As the first episode of Gods of Snooker shows, Alex Higgins wasn’t just a player. He was a phenomenon, a whirlwind of talent and trouble whose impact still echoes through the sport today. His story is one of genius and recklessness, of glory and downfall—but above all, of change.
In turning snooker into must-see television, Higgins didn’t just change the game. He changed how we saw it—and perhaps, how we saw ourselves. For better or worse, he was never boring. And in a world craving drama, that made all the difference.
The Hurricane That Transformed Snooker
The first episode of “Gods of Snooker” introduces viewers to the mercurial talent who revolutionized a once-staid sport. “The Hurricane” chronicles how Alex Higgins upended snooker’s establishment while catapulting the game into the national consciousness.
The Belfast Whirlwind
Born in working-class Belfast, young Alex Higgins honed his skills in the notorious “Jam Pot” club. Here, among grown men, he developed his lightning-fast style. Consequently, losing often meant more than forfeiting pocket money—it could result in “a cue over the head.”
By age 18, Higgins had claimed the Northern Ireland amateur title. However, snooker remained a niche pursuit with limited professional opportunities. Therefore, his path to stardom required not just skill but timing.
Fortune favored Higgins when BBC launched “Pot Black” in 1969. Originally commissioned to promote color television sales, the show unexpectedly captured viewers’ imagination. Moreover, despite competing with the moon landing for attention on its debut, the program found an audience.
“Three things made the game popular,” notes one commentator, “Pot Black, colour television, and Alex Higgins.”
A New Kind of Champion
In 1972, the 22-year-old Higgins faced John Spencer for the World Championship. Despite the low-key setting—a British Legion hall with tiered seating on beer crates—Higgins prevailed after six days of competition.
Suddenly, the youngest-ever world champion emerged as snooker’s first genuine star. Furthermore, his brash persona electrified audiences who had never connected with the sport’s traditionally reserved image.
“Alexander the Great was a person in history,” Higgins declared. “And I want to be sort of remembered. Because there’s no doubt about it, I’m the greatest at present.”
His flamboyant style clashed with snooker’s establishment. For instance, officials fined him £2,000 for wearing a green suit instead of traditional attire. Additionally, his volatile temperament led to fistfights with fellow professionals and confrontations with spectators.
The Establishment’s Champion
While Higgins captivated fans, Ray Reardon dominated the sport throughout the 1970s. The former policeman represented everything Higgins wasn’t—disciplined, methodical, and establishment-friendly.
“You can’t just have someone like Higgins destroying all the rules if you don’t have somebody else sticking to the rules,” explains one observer. “Otherwise, you’ve got chaos.”
Their contrasting styles created a compelling rivalry. Reardon, nicknamed “Dracula” or “Prince of Darkness,” intimidated opponents with psychological tactics. Meanwhile, Higgins thrilled crowds with his unpredictable brilliance.
In their 1976 World Championship final, Reardon exploited Higgins’ weaknesses. Although initially competitive, Higgins reportedly drank until 7 AM before the final session. Subsequently, his game collapsed.
Finding Stability
By the late 1970s, Higgins found personal stability with Lynn Avison. They married in a media circus, with Higgins later admitting, “It’s taken a bit of time to get used to the very fact that I had a wife.”
The couple welcomed daughter Lauren, providing Higgins with emotional grounding. Nevertheless, his professional challenges continued as snooker entered a new era.
In 1977, the World Championship found its permanent home at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre. The intimate venue, described as “snooker’s Wembley,” transformed the tournament into sporting theater.
The Hurricane Returns
The 1982 World Championship represented Higgins’ best chance at redemption. After years of struggle and personal demons, he brought Lynn and one-year-old Lauren for support.
His semifinal against protégé Jimmy White produced one of sport’s most memorable moments. Facing elimination and trailing by 59 points, Higgins completed an “impossible” 69-point clearance. Each precision shot brought the crowd to the edge of their seats.
“When he was on fire, there was nobody like him,” recalls Jimmy White. “The hairs on the back of your neck stand up.”
In the final, Higgins faced his old nemesis Ray Reardon. After a grueling battle, Higgins prevailed 18-15. His emotional celebration, calling for baby Lauren while tears streamed down his face, became an iconic sporting moment.
“Men don’t cry, or they didn’t, back then,” notes a commentator. “To see a man crying tears of joy is just quite something.”
Changing the Game Forever
Higgins’ impact extended far beyond his playing achievements. His maverick personality dragged snooker from smoky backrooms into the mainstream. Furthermore, he attracted viewers who had never shown interest in the sport before.
“Before people really liked snooker, they liked Alex Higgins,” explains one observer. “He was a gateway drug for so many people to get into it.”
Through tobacco sponsorship and BBC coverage, prize money increased dramatically. Additionally, a new generation of colorful characters emerged, including Kirk Stevens, Cliff Thorburn, and Steve Davis.
Each brought distinctive personalities to the green baize. However, none matched Higgins’ raw charisma. His appeal transcended sport, particularly during the restrictive 1970s.
“I think he represented this, ‘I’m not going to conform to what you guys want, I’m going to do it my way,'” notes a commentator. “That’s my kind of guy.”
The documentary hints at Higgins’ tragic trajectory after his 1982 triumph. While celebrating his greatest achievement, the seeds of his downfall were already present. His demons eventually overwhelmed his genius.
“Gods of Snooker” skillfully captures this pivotal era when an unlikely sport became a national obsession. Through archival footage and intimate interviews, it reveals how a troubled genius from Belfast forever changed the game.
FAQ Gods of Snooker episode 1 – The Hurricane
Q: Who was Alex Hurricane Higgins and why was he important to snooker?
A: Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins was a mercurial snooker player from Belfast who revolutionized the sport in the 1970s and 1980s. His lightning-fast play, flamboyant style, and volatile personality transformed snooker from a niche pastime into a mainstream phenomenon. Moreover, his working-class background and anti-establishment attitude attracted new audiences to the game. Despite his personal demons, Higgins won the World Championship twice (1972 and 1982) and became snooker’s first genuine superstar. In essence, he served as a “gateway drug” for millions of viewers who had never before shown interest in the sport.
Q: What was Pot Black and how did it contribute to snooker’s popularity?
A: Pot Black was a BBC television series launched in 1969 specifically to promote color television sales. The program featured professional snooker players competing in one-frame matches at Birmingham’s Pebble Mill Studios. Despite initially competing with the moon landing for viewers, Pot Black unexpectedly captured the public’s imagination. Furthermore, the show’s format perfectly showcased the visual appeal of snooker’s colored balls on the new television technology. As a result, Pot Black remained a fixture in British television schedules for over two decades, introducing millions of households to the game and creating the foundation for snooker’s subsequent boom.
Q: How did Alex Higgins earn his nickname ‘The Hurricane’?
A: Alex Higgins earned his nickname ‘The Hurricane’ due to his extraordinarily fast playing style. Remarkably, he could complete a century break (scoring 100+ points) in under four minutes, less than half the time taken by snooker legend Joe Davis. His whirlwind approach around the table, combined with his aggressive shot selection and flair for the dramatic, perfectly embodied the hurricane metaphor. Additionally, Higgins’ unpredictable temperament and tendency to create chaos both on and off the table further cemented the nickname. The Hurricane moniker quickly became synonymous with his maverick persona and helped distinguish him from the more methodical players of his era.
Q: What was the significance of the Crucible Theatre to snooker’s development?
A: The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield became snooker’s permanent home for the World Championship in 1977, transforming the tournament into genuine sporting theater. This intimate venue, with its unique ‘in the round’ design, created unparalleled atmosphere and tension for both players and spectators. Consequently, the BBC expanded its coverage of the event, bringing the drama to millions of television viewers. The Crucible quickly established itself as “snooker’s Wembley” – the sport’s spiritual home. Hence, the venue’s architecture and ambiance perfectly complemented snooker’s psychological intensity, creating iconic sporting moments that transcended the game itself.
Q: What was the nature of the rivalry between Alex Higgins and Ray Reardon?
A: The rivalry between Alex Higgins and Ray Reardon embodied snooker’s fascinating clash of styles and personalities in the 1970s. Reardon, a former policeman nicknamed “Dracula” or “Prince of Darkness,” represented the establishment with his methodical play, immaculate appearance, and psychological tactics. In contrast, Higgins epitomized rebellion with his flair, unpredictability, and disregard for convention. Their 1976 World Championship final highlighted these differences when Reardon exploited Higgins’ weaknesses, including his notorious partying. Fundamentally, fans had to choose sides – you were either “a Reardon man or a Higgins man.” This compelling contrast drove snooker’s narrative and helped establish its mainstream appeal.
Q: What made Alex Higgins’ 69 clearance against Jimmy White in 1982 so legendary?
A: Alex Higgins’ 69-point clearance against Jimmy White in the 1982 World Championship semifinal ranks among sport’s greatest moments. Facing elimination and trailing by 59 points, Higgins produced what many considered an “impossible” sequence of shots. One particularly remarkable shot required him to screw the cue ball past the middle pocket with extraordinary spin and precision. Jimmy White later described watching his hero produce “Ballesteros-type shots one after another.” Meanwhile, commentators declared that “only Alex Higgins could have made that clearance.” This supernatural display of skill under maximum pressure perfectly encapsulated Higgins’ genius and created a defining moment in snooker history.
Q: How did Alex Higgins’ personal struggles affect his snooker career?
A: Alex Higgins’ personal demons constantly threatened to derail his snooker career. His well-documented battle with alcohol frequently undermined his performances, including the 1976 World Championship final where he reportedly drank until 7 AM before the decisive session. Furthermore, his volatile temperament led to fines, suspensions, and physical altercations with officials and fellow players. Nevertheless, Higgins found brief stability through his marriage to Lynn Avison and the birth of their daughter Lauren. Yet despite these challenges, his remarkable natural talent allowed him to produce moments of brilliance that other players simply couldn’t match. Tragically, his 1982 World Championship triumph marked both his greatest achievement and the beginning of his decline.
Q: What changes did Alex Higgins bring to snooker’s image and audience?
A: Alex Higgins fundamentally transformed snooker’s image from a stuffy pastime played by “old men in bowties” into an exciting mainstream sport. His working-class background, maverick attitude, and electrifying play attracted entirely new demographics to the game. Consequently, women, young people, and viewers with no previous interest in snooker became fans. Moreover, Higgins’ anti-establishment persona particularly resonated during the restrictive 1970s, with one commentator noting: “He represented this, ‘I’m not going to conform to what you guys want.'” His appeal transcended sport, similar to other troubled geniuses like George Best and Paul Gascoigne. Therefore, Higgins’ cultural impact extended far beyond his playing achievements.
Q: Why was Alex Higgins’ 1982 World Championship victory so emotionally powerful?
A: Alex Higgins’ 1982 World Championship victory created one of sport’s most emotionally charged moments. After defeating Ray Reardon 18-15, Higgins called for his baby daughter Lauren while tears streamed down his face. This raw display of emotion was revolutionary in an era when “men don’t cry.” Additionally, the victory represented personal redemption after years of struggle with his demons and conflicts with the snooker establishment. His family’s presence provided the stability he needed to overcome his greatest rival. Consequently, this poignant celebration became an iconic sporting image that transcended snooker, showing a vulnerable side to the sport’s most volatile character.
Q: How did the BBC documentary ‘Gods of Snooker’ portray Alex Higgins’ legacy?
A: The BBC documentary ‘Gods of Snooker’ portrays Alex Higgins as a flawed genius whose impact on snooker was revolutionary. Through archival footage and intimate interviews, it captures how his mercurial talent and volatile personality transformed a niche game into a national obsession. The documentary parallels his rise with snooker’s growing television appeal through Pot Black and the establishment of the Crucible Theatre. Moreover, it contrasts Higgins with establishment figures like Ray Reardon to illustrate the sport’s competing narratives. However, the documentary also foreshadows his tragic decline, suggesting his 1982 triumph contained “the seeds of his destruction.” Ultimately, it presents Higgins as a troubled visionary who forever changed his sport despite never fully conquering his personal demons.