John Virgo

John Virgo was an English professional snooker player, broadcaster, and author whose career extended from tournament competition to television entertainment. Born in Salford in 1946, he won the 1979 UK Championship and reached that year’s World Championship semifinals. He later became widely known for BBC commentary, player impersonations, trick-shot exhibitions, and his role alongside Jim Davidson on the television series Big Break.

His books reflect several parts of that career. Instructional collections explain trick shots associated with his television appearances, while Let Me Tell You About Alex recalls his friendship with Alex Higgins. The autobiography Say Goodnight, JV follows his own life in snooker, including success and difficulties with gambling. Virgo died on February 4, 2026, aged seventy-nine; World Snooker Tour had inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2023.

Virgo’s highest world ranking was number ten. After his competitive career, his understanding of players and table situations became central to his broadcasting work. Big Break, which ran from 1991 to 2002, gave him a second audience through a mixture of snooker, comedy, and demonstrations. His later activities included a web-based trick-shot series and a mobile app, extending the instructional material he had presented on television and in print.

Snooker Books

John Virgo's Book of Snooker Trick Shots: This illustrated collection explains approximately one hundred trick shots demonstrated by Virgo on Big Break. Diagrams show how to set up and attempt the shots, with arrangements designed for snooker tables of different sizes. Photographs of Virgo with guests from the television series accompany the instructional material, connecting a practical guide with the entertainment format that made the shots familiar. Published in 1994.

Let Me Tell You About Alex: Crazy Days and Nights on the Road with the Hurricane: Virgo recalls his friendship with Alex Higgins and their experiences around professional snooker. Personal anecdotes accompany an account of a talented, unpredictable player whose behavior repeatedly unsettled colleagues and friends. The book acknowledges the gambling, excesses, and difficulties associated with Higgins while examining the energy and appeal that helped make him a major figure in snooker’s television era. Published in 2011.

Amazing Snooker Trick Shots Secrets From The Best: Virgo explains a selection of exhibition shots inspired by the weekly demonstrations he performed on Big Break. The book takes tricks associated with an experienced professional’s entertainment routine and presents them for readers interested in trying the arrangements themselves. It extends the instructional side of his career, combining the appeal of an unusual shot with an explanation of its execution. Published in 2012.

Say Goodnight, JV: Virgo recounts his life from childhood in Salford through professional snooker, international travel, and broadcasting. The memoir describes his UK Championship success and the gambling problems that damaged his finances and ambitions. Memories of tournament life, television, and the people around the sport accompany an account of how his public career developed beyond competition into commentary and entertainment. Published in 2017.

The memoir connects familiar parts of Virgo’s public image with experiences that viewers did not necessarily see. His impersonations and appearances on Big Break sit alongside recollections of snooker clubs, tournament travel, and the consequences of betting. Jimmy White supplies the foreword. The book was first published in 2017; the later paperback marketed as John Virgo: Say Goodnight, JV is the same autobiography rather than a separate life story.