This Is Your Life: John Virgo

John VIRGO (1946-)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - John Virgo, snooker player and television personality, was surprised by Michael Aspel - with the help of comedian Jim Davidson - while recording an edition of the BBC television game show The Generation Game.

John, who was born in Salford, established himself as one of the finest young snooker players in the UK, and won both the British junior championship and the British U19 championship, while working as a wages clerk. He was the first amateur player to make an official 147 break, which earned him a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

He turned professional in 1976 and won the UK championships three years later. From 1991 he appeared regularly on BBC television's snooker game show Big Break as a trick shot specialist, and later retired from tournament snooker to concentrate on a new career of television and pantomime appearances.

"I don't know what to say! Are you sure?"

programme details...

Edition No: 938
Subject No: 914
Broadcast date: Wed 3 Jan 1996
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Tue 31 Oct 1995
Repeated: Thu 4 Jan 1996 2.35pm
Venue: Teddington Studios
Series: 36
Edition: 18
Code name: Break

on the guest list...

Brook Leah - daughter
Gary - son
William - brother
Nicky - partner
Rocky Taylor
Jess Conrad
Dave Dee
Dorothy - sister
Marjorie - sister
Ray Reardon
Willie Thorne
Jimmy White
David Taylor
Alex Higgins
Chris Ellison
Troy Dante
Bless him - dog
Stanley Unwin
Dennis Taylor
Ted Lowe
Bobby Davro
Stan Holden
Chas n Dave

production team...

Researchers: Sue Green, Clare de Vries
Writer: Norman Giller
Director: Brian Klein
Associate Producer: John Graham
Executive Producer: Peter Estall
Producer: Malcolm Morris

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

Pot Black

cueing the stars of snooker

the programme's icon

Screenshots of John Virgo This Is Your Life

John Virgo recalls his experience of This Is Your Life in his autobiography, Say Goodnight, JV - My Autobiography...

When I got a phone call that a contestant on The Generation Game was a big fan of mine and wanted to meet me, I thought nothing of it. I drove to the studios and walked onto the set as asked. Jim Davidson, my former co-host on Big Break, was the host. He was talking to the contestant about how much she liked me when all of a sudden I burst through a sheet of paper and onto the set. She was screaming and I gave her a cuddle. The next thing I know Michael Aspel is walking on set with his famous red book. I never thought it was anything to do with me. For a start, I was always of the belief that once you had been divorced twice it would not work practically to build a show around you. How on earth could they? I thought. But, sure enough, he walked up and said, 'John Virgo, this is your life!' It was such a shock.

They drove me to the studios in Teddington and I actually felt not unlike the Bob Hoskins character at the end of the gangster film The Long Good Friday. The IRA have got him in the back of the car and they are taking him away against his will. I felt much the same. All these thoughts were going through my head about who might turn up in the show, who would be sitting next to me in the studio.

Once I got to the This Is Your Life studios they handed me a glass of champagne and I felt a bit better. Finally, the time came for us to do the show. My daughter and son came out, then my siblings and other relatives and friends came in one by one. Next up some of my snooker friends joined us. Alex Higgins was one of them. When he walked on we had a big hug but as he shook my hand he whispered into my ear, 'You're still a cunt.'

Nobody else could hear him say it, thank God! But that is what he said. Outrageous. But typical Alex.

I did wonder whether I was worthy of the attention, after growing up watching war heroes on the show, men who had saved people's lives. However, some time later I was talking to Michael Aspel and it turned out that my show had the highest viewing figures for the entire series. This was partly because the moment when he first walked up to me had been shown live on The Generation Game. I was still very proud of that rating, though. It was amazing, really. Once again it illustrated the reach of snooker.

Series 36 subjects