1985 world champion, broadcaster, and the man behind the most-watched frame in snooker history
SnookerJust after midnight on 29 April 1985, 18.5 million people in the United Kingdom stayed up to watch a Northern Irishman in upside-down glasses pot a black ball to win the World Snooker Championship. It remains the most-watched television broadcast in BBC Two's history. Dennis Taylor has been dining out on it ever since, and everyone is glad that he is.
Taylor turned professional in 1972 and built a steady career through the 1970s before hitting his peak in the mid-1980s. The 1985 World Championship final against Steve Davis, which he won 18 to 17 on the final black of the final frame, is widely considered the greatest final in the sport's history. Taylor also won the Masters, the Grand Prix, and a string of other ranking tournaments, and was a fixture of the Irish national team that lifted the World Cup three times.
The trademark oversized spectacles, worn upside down so he could see the cue ball properly over the top of the frame, became almost as famous as the man wearing them. Off the table he was always one of the sport's great entertainers, the snooker player most likely to have the audience laughing between shots.
After retiring from the top level he moved into broadcasting, joining the BBC's snooker commentary team and becoming one of the most affectionate voices in the sport. Today he is a perennial on the after-dinner circuit, still one of snooker's most generous and funny storytellers.
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