How vintage John Virgo preserved the golden magic of Ted Lowe for millions of snooker fans with Judd Trump's timely tribute - ‘Something special'
Published 04/02/2026 at 11:52 GMT
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Former UK champion John Virgo has died at the age of 79 with the game of snooker in mourning after the passing of one its most recognisable faces and voices. World No. 1 Judd Trump was among the giants of the modern game to recognise Virgo's contribution to the sport in the televised era. "He gets everything across - his voice, it’s amazing. He has something special," said Trump.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
As a sport seemingly built for the small screen in the late 1960s via the formidable BBC programme Pot Black, and certainly well before its colossal colour explosion in the 1980s on terrestrial TVs up and down the land, the balls have always done the talking on the green baize better than any individual clutching a microphone.
In snooker, the sound of silence remains golden in providing joyous slices of refuge for viewers marooned between tiffin and teatime drinks - momentary solace from what can feel like a triumphantly reverberating era of empty vessels making the most noise.
Snooker offers a level of intimate and inimitable escapism like no other, a bulwark against banality, but the wonderful sound of letting a match breathe without words remains blissfully rare in any sporting sphere.
When James ‘The Thai-phoon’ Wattana reached 80 in a rapid 147 against Tony Drago in February 1992 at the British Open in Derby, on his way to compiling the 11th maximum of over 239 and counting in modern times, Dennis Taylor, the engrossed 1985 world champion, told viewers: "I’m not going to say any more and just let him get on with it."
"Yes, I’m with you Dennis," concurred the late John Pulman, the eight-time world champion between 1957 and 1967, just before a potting period in time when snooker players became as famous as the country’s leading footballers.
"It’s what we call the kiss of death from the commentary box. As soon as we start talking about these things, a player misses an easy shot. We’ll shut up and let you watch."
Wattana proceeded to clear the rest of the table without any further interjection from the commentators. It wasn't necessary.
It was clear what was happening without the need for irrelevant soundbites. Pulman and Taylor knew what worked best.
The very finest commentators are as proficient at analysing the mood music of the living room as much as a player’s temperament.
It is why old Ted Lowe will forever be revered in folklore as much as a companion than as a commentator.
'Whispering Ted' seemed to be sitting in your living room during the 1980s boom, fixated on the action without interfering with your own reflective pause, a solid cup of Yorkshire and the value of a pristine Steve Davis percentage shot on ‘The Nugget’s’ decade-long sojourn to six world gongs.
Snooker fans like to formulate their own thoughts when studying the narrative of a match without suffering an assault on the senses.
Frame of mind matters as much to the viewer as a player’s frame.
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John Virgo
Image credit: Getty Images
Stats are fine, but do not matter in the moment. Lowe was light on words, but heavy on significance.
When he spoke, his comments carried more weight on the undulating development of a contest. On a few occasions, lancing the air with uproarious humour.
"For those of you (watching) in black and white, it's the green over the bottom pocket he is looking at," said Ted, as if he was scrutinising the very meaning of life.
While Lowe is irreplaceable for the magic he brought to the commentary box, his legacy was carried superbly by his colleague John Virgo, the 1979 UK champion, who lifted the trophy with a 14-13 win over Terry Griffiths at the Guild Hall in Preston.
The sad news of Virgo's passing at the age of 79 is a significant loss for the sport.
Much like his friend Joe Johnson, the 1986 world champion, who provides authentic and informative analysis on TNT Sports, Virgo's working-class roots, harmonious gravelly tones and magnificent sense of theatre stood the test of time in a bygone era.
He moved with the times to make watching snooker a majestic experience in days when attention spans are rapidly dwindling.
It is no coincidence that Virgo, who found as much fame beyond playing in the 1990s quiz show Big Break, cited Ted as his mentor and inspiration in continuing to play the generation game.
He described Lowe as an incomparable character who showered the ancient game with "class" from the commentary box, but his own outstanding contribution to the sport was similarly bewitching.
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John Virgo
Image credit: Getty Images
Amid fears he might be prematurely retired after the 47th World Championship, the news that Virgo would remain as part of the national broadcaster’s snooker coverage beyond the Crucible this year was reassuring for fans of the sport across the UK and beyond.
Like the absence of Ted’s delightful musings, the Crucible without ‘JV’ will not be the same. Continuity is cherished as much as familiarity at such junctures.
"How I felt about it when I first heard that it could be our last year?" Virgo said. "It’s like a sabbatical for us. We go there Thursday mornings, no play, we play golf; myself, Dennis, Steve, Stephen Hendry, Alan McManus, John Parrott, Ken Doherty.
"I’d have missed that terribly, you know? Just going there. So for the foreseeable future, now whether that’s this year, next year and that’ll be it? So that was great.
"That’s what was said to me at the UK Championship in York, and I was absolutely delighted to hear it, and however long it goes on for I don’t mind, but it was good news.
"It was music to my ears."
Born in Salford in 1946, fans warmed to Virgo because he is believable, likeable and brought originality to coverage.
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"Where's the cue ball going?" has become a standard refrain which is part of the taut toing and froing, especially amid the mental maelstrom of surviving the Crucible, with ‘JV’ bellowing "Ton Up!" when the latest century is pocketed by one of its regal cue artists.
When Ronnie O’Sullivan equalled Stephen Hendry’s 775th century at the 2015 Masters at the Alexandra Palace in London, on the same day as the Scot’s 46th birthday, Virgo’s reaction was masterful in its delivery.
"There are six pockets on a table. There are six, you know," Virgo shouts before O'Sullivan flukes the final yellow to maintain the break.
"Happy birthday, Stephen!" Virgo then blurts out as the century-clinching blue disappears with Hendry perched alongside him in the commentary box. It was appropriate, memorable and highly entertaining.
When Virgo was forced to apologise after being caught going rogue on a live mic during the epic World Championship semi-final between Mark Selby and Marco Fu in 2016, finally won 17-15 by Selby, he also spoke for millions of snooker onlookers beyond the bubble after a frame ran for a gruelling 76 minutes - the longest in Crucible history.
"I wanted to watch a bit of racing this afternoon. At this rate, I’ll be lucky to watch Match of the Day," he said, with a tad more colourful language.
World No. 1 Judd Trump realised that 'JV' brought an unrivalled presence to potting that transcended his vocation.
Commentators do not reinvent the wheel, but there is a genuine talent to such timing.
"He gets everything across, his voice, it’s amazing, it can’t be taught, you’ve either got it or you haven’t, and he has something special," he commented in Snooker Scene magazine in 2023.
Such is Virgo’s ongoing popularity with the potting public, the very notion of him being banished long before his time would have been a Bill Werbeniuk-sized body blow to enchanted followers of the ancient game.
"Every sport needs a voice," Virgo said after the sad death of Ted on the day of the 2011 world final between Trump and John Higgins.
"Cricket had its John Arlott, Wimbledon had its Dan Maskell and we had Ted Lowe. It just gives you such a presence."
Snooker cannot afford to lose such figures, but 'JV' also went out at the top having covered last month's Masters in London with his timeless trademark take on the game's greatest potters.
For such a unique approach to his calling in life beyond life with a cue, Virgo's engaging style of delivery was without compare.
In terms of celebrated sports commentary, he was the very best of British.
Part of this article was published by World Snooker Tour in 2023.
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