Big Break
Big Break is a British television game show featuring the game of snooker, mixed with traditional game show elements. It was first broadcast on BBC One between 30 April 1991 and 9 October 2002. The show was hosted by Jim Davidson with professional snooker player and commentator John Virgo. Creation and format. The show was, in part, inspired by ITV's "Bullseye". An unbroadcast pilot was filmed in May 1990. It featured Mike Reid as the host, and snooker player and commentator John Parrott as his assistant. Michael Checkland, the BBC's Director-General, felt that the structure  and scoring was too similar to "Bullseye". He also believed that Reid and Parrott did not have the right 'double-act' relationship. A second pilot, never intended for broadcast, was filmed several months later, now with Jim Davidson as host, and with both John Parrott and John Virgo acting as assistant at various points for producer John Burrowes to assess which had the better working relationship with Davidson; ultimately it was decided that Davidson and Virgo had the ideal 'double-act' that the BBC were looking for. This second pilot was never broadcast, but an out-take from it later  featured in an episode of "Auntie's Bloomers". A one-off special was filmed with the intention of being aired during the Christmas period that year to introduce the series. It was instead re-edited to become the first episode of the first series. The original taping had been for a 45-minute special and had more rounds. Now being just under 30 minutes, continuity errors made the scoring inconsistent. The intended first 30-minute episode, was broadcast after it, airing second in the initial series. Each show began with Davidson performing a brief stand-up comedy routine before introducing  the contestants. Three pairs of chairs were on the left of the studio, where the contestants and snooker players would sit in their teams. At the centre of the set was a full-size snooker table which was used in each round. A question board and desk would appear from a back wall during the second round. Contestants would not meet the snooker players until they were paired together during the taping. After some initial banter, Davidson would ask them to retrieve a coloured ball from his bag. When the colour was revealed, Virgo announced which professional snooker player would  be on that team. Contestants would focus on answering questions, while the snooker players did most of the snooker related challenges. For each challenge, the player was allowed one free shot to disperse the red balls. The timer began the next time they struck the cue ball. If any red balls are potted during the initial break, they are still counted. All contestants would go home with a Big Break trophy, snooker cue and their points converted into money. Snooker players would get their score made as a donation in their name to the charity of their choice. Some would  waive their appearance fee to have it added to the donation. The show's theme song is "The Snooker Song", from the musical "The Hunting of the Snark" composed by Mike Batt and performed by Captain Sensible. Rounds. Red Hot. In this round, the team is given 10 seconds on a timer. The contestant is then asked three questions. An additional 10 seconds is added for each correct answer. The snooker player must then use that time to pot as many red balls as possible. For this round, there are only red balls on the table. Each ball represents one  point. The team with the fewest points is eliminated. In later series, teams were given 40 seconds initially, with 5 seconds removed for each incorrect answer. Virgo's Trick Shot. This mini-game was only played by the contestant who was eliminated after Red Hot. The table would be set up in a unique fashion, often using props. Virgo will then demonstrate a trick shot. The contestant then has one attempt to recreate the shot. If they succeed, they get to take an additional prize home. If they fail, Davidson will sometimes give them an obscure LP by a little -known band. If the player narrowly missed the pocket, Davidson or Virgo would sometime push the ball into the pocket with their hands. A running joke was that Virgo sometimes missed the shot. This led to Davidson asking to try it and usually succeeding. Davidson would make a particular point to mock Virgo if the contestant succeeded after he had missed. Pocket Money. In this round, the contestant stands opposite Davidson in front of the question board which has appeared. The snooker player must attempt to pot as many balls as possible within 90 seconds. If he misses, he must  stop playing until Davidson gives him permission to continue. Each ball has a cash value and subject. Their value depends on their regulation point in snooker. Red balls are the lowest value with £10. Black balls are the highest with £70. If the player pots a ball in the same coloured pocket, the prize is doubled. If he misses, Virgo will call out the colour, indicating the player must stop. While the timer continues to lapse, Davidson will ask the contestant questions. The subject is determined by the ball colour; Pot Luck (Red), Past/Historic Events (Yellow), Music  (Green), Places/Geography (Brown), People (Blue), Sports (Pink) or Screen/Film-TV (Black). This sequence keeps going until the contestant gets one question right. If the contestant is struggling, Davidson would give clues, or just give in. As there is no reward for the questions, it is imperative that the contestant answers quickly to give the player as much time as possible. The team with the lowest score is eliminated. A common occurrence sees Virgo calling out a miss when a ball misses the intended pocket, but resuming play when the ball continues on into a different pocket. Make or  Break? In the final round, the snooker table was set up normally, but with just six red balls. The team shared 90 seconds to complete their respective tasks. The snooker player would disperse the red balls before the round began. The contestant is asked five general knowledge questions. The timer is paused once they are all answered, regardless of how many were correct. Before the snooker player takes over, he may nominate specific red balls that can be removed from the table. He gets one nomination for each correct answer the contestant gave. With the remaining time, the player must  attempt to pot the remaining balls in order. Each ball colour related to a different prize the contestant took home if the player potted it. The value of the prize increased with each ball in the sequence, with the black ball relating to the star prize. In earlier series, the player had to pot all red balls before the contestant won the first prize. Later, they only required one red ball. However, the player must ensure all red balls are potted before moving on to the next colour.