0:00:02 > 0:00:05Better to be born lucky than good-looking. I had my share of luck,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08but the skill, if there is any, is taking advantage of that luck.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Barry Hearn is one of the most powerful men in world sport.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Top drawer, top drawer.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16He's come from a council estate in Dagenham
0:00:16 > 0:00:20and he's built his life up and his career up from nothing.
0:00:20 > 0:00:25He's managed some of the biggest sports stars of the last four decades.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29Pound for pound, he's delivered more excitement
0:00:29 > 0:00:32to the punter in the street than any other promoter.
0:00:33 > 0:00:39He's transformed working men's pastimes into primetime TV.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42'Barry is one of those larger-than-life characters.'
0:00:42 > 0:00:43He's a Jack-the-lad.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48If Barry was chocolate he would eat himself. He does love himself.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51The geezer on the right is better looking than the geezer on the left!
0:00:51 > 0:00:53I'm a showman. That's what I do.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57He's made millions, lost millions, and made millions again.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59What a boy, eh?
0:00:59 > 0:01:01I'm really proud of everything my dad's done.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03What you see is what you get.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07A wheeler, a dealer, a charmer and a chancer, the boy done good.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Play well!
0:01:09 > 0:01:11He's great at making you feel good in yourself.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14You-u-u cheeky chappy!
0:01:14 > 0:01:17He definitely, 100% is, the people's promoter.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19# ..all right
0:01:19 > 0:01:22# Jumpin' Jack Flash is a gas, gas, gas. #
0:01:22 > 0:01:27# Out of the tree of life I just picked me a plum. #
0:01:29 > 0:01:33There's certain times when you look in the mirror and say to yourself,
0:01:33 > 0:01:37privately, "You know what? You're pretty good."
0:01:37 > 0:01:41The shoulders go back, the chest comes out and says, "Bazza, nice one."
0:01:41 > 0:01:45# ..it's a real good bet the best is yet to come. #
0:01:45 > 0:01:47Barry is in the south of France.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52He's here to make deals and find new buyers for some of the 2,000 hours
0:01:52 > 0:01:57of televised sport his Matchroom company produce every year.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59He is the ultimate travelling salesman.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02# ..but you ain't seen it shine. #
0:02:02 > 0:02:05Doesn't get much better than this, does it?
0:02:05 > 0:02:08I mean, this is supposed to be work, you know, so, yeah, fantastic.
0:02:08 > 0:02:09Obviously a great place.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Hub of activity and, you know, this particular trade festival
0:02:13 > 0:02:15probably represents 80% of your annual business.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18A bit like Christmas but in the sports business. It's Christmas Day.
0:02:18 > 0:02:24We need to come up with probably somewhere around 300,000 US to do a major.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26A lot of people accuse me of being a bit of a barrow boy, sometimes.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30Well, this is my element. You know, I can stand up and offer, you know...
0:02:30 > 0:02:32different deals on different programmes.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37The dream is this relationship evolves into a major, televised, global event.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40'The workload that he gets through day in, day out, is not human.'
0:02:40 > 0:02:42That's really what I'm after, yeah.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44'But he's always coming out with wacky ideas,'
0:02:44 > 0:02:48and you tend to hear the idea and laugh, and then you start thinking
0:02:48 > 0:02:52about it and you think, "He might have a point there, you know."
0:02:52 > 0:02:53There are areas in...
0:02:53 > 0:02:56'We start off with the criteria - if I don't like it, we don't do it.'
0:02:56 > 0:02:58'I'm sure that'll change when my kids run the business'
0:02:58 > 0:03:00and I'm sort of somewhere else.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02But, for the moment, if Bazza don't like it, it don't happen.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04It's a bit like going to your dentist.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06You know, the secret of going to your dentist is
0:03:06 > 0:03:08you grab his testicles, look him in the eyes
0:03:08 > 0:03:11and say, "Now, neither of us are going to hurt each other, are we?"
0:03:11 > 0:03:15'Any one year we will spend a considerable amount of time'
0:03:15 > 0:03:18looking at maybe five or six new opportunities.
0:03:18 > 0:03:19And some of the crazier ones...
0:03:19 > 0:03:22We looked at the World Crazy Golf Championships.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25And everyone says, "You can see Tiger Woods playing one off the windmill."
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Things like that, and you say, "How bizarre would that be?"
0:03:28 > 0:03:30'For one reason or another it doesn't happen.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33'I mean, currently, we're looking at ping-pong.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36'I mean, 300 million people play ping pong.'
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Why can't we turn it into the next darts?
0:03:38 > 0:03:39'It's like going to a restaurant.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41'Do we eat the hors d'oeuvre before the main course,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43'or do we eat the main course first?
0:03:43 > 0:03:45'It depends how hungry you are sometimes,
0:03:45 > 0:03:49'and it depends if you have enough money for the hors d'oeuvre as well.'
0:03:49 > 0:03:51I know it sends big-headed, but I think I'm the best.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Thank you very much. Too strong for me.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56'Every day, there's a spring in my step. I'm happy to be alive.'
0:03:56 > 0:04:00And, you know, listen, can I sit here, honestly, and complain about anything?
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Right. Who's next?
0:04:02 > 0:04:06Down in the harbour, Barry has hired a boat.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10He's holding a private party for clients and customers.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15Helping him charm his guests is one of the top sports stars he manages -
0:04:15 > 0:04:18darts legend, Phil "The Power" Taylor.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20OK, can I wish everyone the best of luck,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22cos you know you've got no chance of winning it.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25You're now playing at the table with one of the world's greats.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27'He went out twice last...
0:04:27 > 0:04:29'Basically, I'm here to support Barry,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31'and to be honest, have a good time.'
0:04:31 > 0:04:34It's a nice little break for me because I don't get a chance
0:04:34 > 0:04:35to do things like this.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Where would a little council house wally be on a nice boat like this?
0:04:38 > 0:04:40It's unbelievable.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43- Oh, we've got a pot! - Three players.- Three players!
0:04:43 > 0:04:44Three players and a pot.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47'I don't think I've met a more positive person, definitely,
0:04:47 > 0:04:50- 'than my dad.' - You may need a bit of help here!
0:04:50 > 0:04:52'I haven't met someone, really, I think,'
0:04:52 > 0:04:54that is more fun to be around.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59And I think most people would say that that know him as well.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02To be honest with you, it's like a man playing with children!
0:05:02 > 0:05:06He's great at mingling, he's great at making people feel very, very special.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09When he grabbed hold of me I was nothing, really.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11And he made me feel like a world champion.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16And he's probably one of the only people that has ever done that.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19- Susan, watch out!- Oh-oh, danger!
0:05:19 > 0:05:21'I've never seen him down.
0:05:21 > 0:05:22'If I lose tournament, you know,'
0:05:22 > 0:05:26"Come on, boy! Doesn't matter, you'll win the next one." So, you're up all the time.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29You know, you're always feeling good about yourself.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32'He breathes energy in you and that's why he's been so successful.'
0:05:32 > 0:05:35# Cheerio and come back soon!
0:05:35 > 0:05:37# Cos you know how much we miss you! #
0:05:37 > 0:05:41Tonight is all about mixing business with pleasure,
0:05:41 > 0:05:42although for the host with the most
0:05:42 > 0:05:44there's no difference between the two.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47When I was young I used to lie all the time
0:05:47 > 0:05:49and I used to make a shed load of money by lying.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54Now you're old you tell the truth and you feel cleansed! You know?
0:05:54 > 0:05:57In our business we've been brown nosing people for so many years -
0:05:57 > 0:05:58it's a waste of time!
0:05:58 > 0:06:01'I still consider myself working class, you know, I'm a worker.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05'And I don't see why normal, ordinary guys don't rule the world
0:06:05 > 0:06:06'and that's our aim.'
0:06:06 > 0:06:09You know, I think our sports can take over the world
0:06:09 > 0:06:11because everybody plays them.
0:06:11 > 0:06:12The darts is only 10 years old
0:06:12 > 0:06:15but the snooker, two years ago they came to me and said,
0:06:15 > 0:06:17"Look, we're not getting anywhere," MAN LAUGHS
0:06:17 > 0:06:20so I put the deal together and I bought the whole lot.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22- What's the biggest? - It's the biggest in China.- In China?!
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- There's a 100,000 full-time players in China now.- Wow.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27There's more snooker clubs in Shanghai
0:06:27 > 0:06:29than the rest of the world added together!
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Oh, my God.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36There may well be thousands of snooker clubs in China
0:06:36 > 0:06:41but the most important one for Barry is tucked away in Romford, in Essex.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44The decision to buy this place in the mid-'70s
0:06:44 > 0:06:47would change his life for ever.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49'Fate is a very strange thing, you know.'
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Certain things just seemed destined to happen.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55You know, I don't know why, I never played snooker before.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57I'd never held a snooker cue
0:06:57 > 0:07:00but I bought the snooker halls, actually, as a property investment.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02- All right?- Morning, morning.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03'But as soon as I bought them
0:07:03 > 0:07:07'the BBC put snooker on to mainstream television
0:07:07 > 0:07:11'and suddenly there was queues of people trying to play snooker.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14'And everyone said to me, "You're a genius! How did you do it?"
0:07:14 > 0:07:16'Do you know what? It was pure luck.'
0:07:16 > 0:07:17Right place, right time,
0:07:17 > 0:07:21is so much more important than being brain of Britain.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Misspent youth? I don't think so.
0:07:27 > 0:07:32It wasn't long before he began promoting his own events.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Attracting players from all over the south-east,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38including a tongue-tied teenager from London.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42- The ball in the holes bit is where you get the points from.- OK.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46- I'll smash them up for you. - What, no respect?- Well...
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Do you know, that is a typical Davis safety shot!
0:07:49 > 0:07:53# The best things in life are free
0:07:53 > 0:07:55# But you can give them to the birds and bees... #
0:07:55 > 0:07:58'The cream on the cake was when the best player in the world walked in
0:07:58 > 0:08:01'and said, "Can I play in one of your competitions?" And...'
0:08:01 > 0:08:04at the time, I had no idea how good he was, of course.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06I didn't know anything about snooker.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08All I saw was someone who was young, very dedicated...
0:08:08 > 0:08:11you know, totally devoid of personality, charisma...
0:08:11 > 0:08:14- Here we go, here we go, here we go! - Actually, nothing's changed!
0:08:14 > 0:08:16- Here we go!- Nothing's changed! THEY SNIGGER
0:08:17 > 0:08:19This is giving me hope.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21You are proving that I am actually quite good!
0:08:21 > 0:08:23- Do you know what? I might take this game up.- No, don't take it up!
0:08:23 > 0:08:26'I was a pretty shy young lad with a snooker cue and Barry came along.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28'Obviously, he was the market salesman, brash,'
0:08:28 > 0:08:31you know, bit of a geezer and a bit like that.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34But, funnily enough, erm, you could be in awe of Barry
0:08:34 > 0:08:38'if you'd not met him but, usually, once you meet him,'
0:08:38 > 0:08:41you realise there's a genuine enthusiasm there that rubs off on you.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44'In those early days we were a sort of marriage made in heaven
0:08:44 > 0:08:47'because Steve had the ability, I had the front
0:08:47 > 0:08:50'and I never EVER, in 35 years,'
0:08:50 > 0:08:54told this man what ball he should pot next.
0:08:54 > 0:08:55Well, you can see why.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57And I don't think he's ever told me,
0:08:57 > 0:08:59you know, what the deal I should do next.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01Every day of his life he's always been enthusiastic
0:09:01 > 0:09:04and you can't help but be carried along downstream with him.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08And so, in the dressing room, in between events and matches,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11great person to have in your corner.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13You walked out, you had steam coming out your nostrils
0:09:13 > 0:09:16and you are fired up because he was fired up.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19- COMMENTATOR:- I'm sure, as the years go by, you will see him,
0:09:19 > 0:09:21as I hope to, wear the world crown.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23CHEERING
0:09:23 > 0:09:25'Steve and I would sit and discuss
0:09:25 > 0:09:29'what it's going to be like to win the world title'
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and we would plan what's the speech afterwards,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36and how is it going to be, and what's the opportunities that will exist.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38We'd have tears, literally tears,
0:09:38 > 0:09:40rolling down our cheeks, thinking of it.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42'The emotion of actually achieving your goal.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44'We were so committed to winning.'
0:09:44 > 0:09:49- COMMENTATOR:- He's breathing heavily as he comes down to this final pink.
0:09:49 > 0:09:57- CHEERING - And that's it, the world snooker champion 1981, Steve Davis.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59'He got down on the straight pink
0:09:59 > 0:10:03'and the next thing I knew was the pink was in the hole
0:10:03 > 0:10:06'and I was hitting him with almost a rugby tackle
0:10:06 > 0:10:08'that would have knocked most people over!
0:10:08 > 0:10:11I can't describe the feeling. To this day,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13I get a lump in my throat thinking about it.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16It was the best feeling.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20Amazing emotion and it was like us against the world,
0:10:20 > 0:10:22the boys had done good.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25I think I was in the back snivelling with Barry giving it everything.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28He was like that, he was just 100% all the time.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33There was a closed shop in snooker 30 years ago
0:10:33 > 0:10:36and this upstart comes in with a loudmouth manager.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38What do they know?
0:10:38 > 0:10:42Actually, we know how to win and we'll show you
0:10:42 > 0:10:47and everybody else that this is the start of a new era.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51TV VOICEOVER: 'The man who manages Steve Davis
0:10:51 > 0:10:53'and two other giants of the green baize,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56'Terry Griffiths and Tony Meo, is Barry Hearn,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59'known justifiably as snooker's Mr Big.'
0:11:00 > 0:11:02It was an evolution.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06You have to bear in mind that I had no idea what I was doing.
0:11:06 > 0:11:07Hello.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09'Everything was like Columbus.'
0:11:09 > 0:11:10Del, how are you?
0:11:10 > 0:11:14'We were finding things out about ourselves, about the industry,'
0:11:14 > 0:11:16daily, hourly sometimes.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19Well done, Terry, well done, my son.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Snooker's popularity went through the roof.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Only royal weddings, soap operas
0:11:24 > 0:11:28and the odd sitcom attracted more TV viewers.
0:11:28 > 0:11:33In 1985, over 18 million tuned in to see Dennis Taylor
0:11:33 > 0:11:36dramatically snatch the world crown.
0:11:36 > 0:11:37He's done it.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39CHEERING
0:11:39 > 0:11:40Barry, after I beat Steve Davis
0:11:40 > 0:11:44signed me up, which was quite amazing.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46At this time, he was the main man.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51He was looking after Steve Davis, Terry Griffiths, Tony Meo,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Jimmy White and with Willie Thorne.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59All the ones that featured on Snooker Loopy with Chas and Dave.
0:11:59 > 0:12:00# Snooker loopy nuts are we
0:12:00 > 0:12:03# Me and him and them and me...#
0:12:03 > 0:12:05The nation went nuts over snooker.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10It even had its own sing-along soundtrack with Barry conducting
0:12:10 > 0:12:13the unlikeliest boy band ever assembled.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15I went to the filming of it at my dad's office.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19I've got a very vivid recollection of Tony Meo with a plate of pasta.
0:12:21 > 0:12:22I think it's great.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25I love it and I love it that my dad
0:12:25 > 0:12:27got to be on Top of the Pops and everything.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29It was the superstar treatment
0:12:29 > 0:12:32that ordinary blokes can only dream about.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35In those days, all the snooker players,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38we were living the dream and we made loads of money.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42But we didn't stop laughing.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44# Celebrate, I'd buy another eight,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47# Hairbrushes for me barnet...#
0:12:47 > 0:12:51We did a variety of Matchroom products
0:12:51 > 0:12:53which I look back on now...
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Frightening, so frightening.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58I cringed at the Matchroom slippers.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01It's wild and hey, we'll do some silly things,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03let's create our own fragrance.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06The Matchroom aftershave was moving on into another level.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10For me, it was... I thought we were getting a bit poncey by that time,
0:13:10 > 0:13:12moving into that world.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Building those personalities, this was all part of a plan.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21We got everybody together and I can remember saying to Terry Griffiths,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24"You're Welsh, you just sing along."
0:13:26 > 0:13:29"Dennis, you tell jokes, you're the funny Irishman."
0:13:31 > 0:13:33# Cos he's got the rest of us signed up...#
0:13:33 > 0:13:37"Steve, you're the boring one, you just sip water."
0:13:37 > 0:13:40They all created a character and it became like a soap opera.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43It was almost Coronation Street with balls.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Meet Willie Thorne, snooker's maximum man
0:13:48 > 0:13:51with an astonishing 62 maximum breaks to his credit.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56Jimmy White, snooker's wild man
0:13:56 > 0:13:59and probably the most naturally gifted player
0:13:59 > 0:14:01in the professional snooker world.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06He managed me twice for two lots of five years at a time.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09I was a bit of a lad in them days and sometimes he couldn't find me.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11He was always saying,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14"What are you doing? "Why are you wasting your time?"
0:14:14 > 0:14:16We're pals all the time.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20People criticise the Matchroom like they criticise Everton and Liverpool.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23The thing is, it's all down to winning
0:14:23 > 0:14:26and that's what we have done all year.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29That's what we'll do next year, the year after and the year after that.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33With his stable of stars dominating the game,
0:14:33 > 0:14:38he was now the most powerful man in snooker and the most outspoken.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40Everybody in the game,
0:14:40 > 0:14:42other than the people Barry was managing and promoting
0:14:42 > 0:14:44hated him with a passion.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46He was coming out with things they didn't want to hear.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49The role I see for the Matchroom professionals,
0:14:49 > 0:14:53other than winning everything and spreading the game across the world,
0:14:53 > 0:14:54is almost to act as a watchdog
0:14:54 > 0:14:57and if we feel the governing body is making mistakes,
0:14:57 > 0:14:59just have a little discussion with them.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03Barry's style would be too brash for some people.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06He was also treading on the patch
0:15:06 > 0:15:08of our Association by putting
0:15:08 > 0:15:12events on and they started to put up barriers against him
0:15:12 > 0:15:14progressing within the game.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17This is a serious business. There's a lot of money here
0:15:17 > 0:15:20and we're talking about things like splitting up prize-money.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22This room, apart from myself, of course,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25they all grossed £2.5 million this season.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28'We had years of dominance, followed by'
0:15:28 > 0:15:31lots of problems with the governing body that didn't really want me
0:15:31 > 0:15:33to be in business. They wanted to do it themselves.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Unfortunately, they didn't have the ability to do it themselves.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43After a while, because of my personality and nature,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46I wanted to do other things as well as snooker
0:15:46 > 0:15:49and in the middle to late '80s I decided,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51you know what, I think I'll be a boxing promoter!
0:15:51 > 0:15:54COMMENTATOR: White Hart Lane claims its place
0:15:54 > 0:15:56in British boxing history by staging the richest ever fight
0:15:56 > 0:15:59held in Europe - Frank Bruno versus Joe Bugner -
0:15:59 > 0:16:02a £3 million bonanza that's about to happen.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04Having conquered snooker,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07boxing was next on Barry's hit list.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09His first venture into the fight game
0:16:09 > 0:16:14was to set up a heavyweight battle of epic proportions.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17'I decided if I was going to do it, I got to do something big.'
0:16:17 > 0:16:19My ego wouldn't let me do anything small.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23So the ultimate ticket-selling fight -
0:16:23 > 0:16:26everybody loved Frank Bruno,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29everybody hated Joe Bugner - and you know,
0:16:29 > 0:16:30it made a lot of money.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32CROWD ROARS
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Barry offered us the fight
0:16:35 > 0:16:39and I didn't believe him. I didn't think he could deliver.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41Greg Dyke was really funny, you know.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45He's the only man in my life that ever, in television, paid me
0:16:45 > 0:16:49more than I asked for, because he didn't believe I could deliver.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52He said we could have it for 200 grand,
0:16:52 > 0:16:56which I thought was... If you could get it for 200 grand,
0:16:56 > 0:16:57it was a steal.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59My worry was that he couldn't get it.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02So I offered him more. I said, "If you can get this
0:17:02 > 0:17:05"I'll give you more. I'll give you a quarter of a million."
0:17:05 > 0:17:06CROWD ROARS
0:17:06 > 0:17:08COMMENTATOR: He's going to let him box on.
0:17:08 > 0:17:09And he's pinned in Bruno's corner
0:17:09 > 0:17:11and it won't go surely now.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13I pride myself on always delivering.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16BELL RINGS
0:17:14 > 0:17:16The towel has come in from the Australian's corner.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19When I say something, wrong or right,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23I honestly believe that and when I give you my hand, you take my heart.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26With me a contract is fine,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30but if I give my word to something, I'd rather die than lose that.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35A quarter of a century on from that first fight, Barry is still
0:17:35 > 0:17:37heavily involved in the sport.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39- Dressing room's upstairs?- Yes.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41- The fighters' dressing room is upstairs?- Yes.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44He's managed more than 30 world champions
0:17:44 > 0:17:47and promoted over 500 fights
0:17:47 > 0:17:51and in that time, he's not taken too many wrong turns.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Sorry!
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Think it must be this one!
0:17:55 > 0:17:56Who's in where?
0:17:56 > 0:17:59He understands how to make something seem exciting.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01He understands
0:18:01 > 0:18:04that having an event in itself isn't enough.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06You have to build it up and you have to make it
0:18:06 > 0:18:08into a spectacular.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11- Good performance. So far, good performance. Well done.- Thanks a lot.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14You got plenty in the crowd with you, son. Box well, yeah?
0:18:14 > 0:18:16He understands what the public,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19particularly the male public, will watch.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22And that was always the genius, really.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26One of the most successful ideas
0:18:26 > 0:18:29to shake up boxing has been Prizefighter -
0:18:29 > 0:18:33an eight-man contest fought over one night of three-round bouts,
0:18:33 > 0:18:37with the last man standing picking up a big cheque.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40The punters may love it, but the purists aren't so sure.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43It's just something I've never got into, though I've had two boxers
0:18:43 > 0:18:45who have gone and one Prizefighter
0:18:45 > 0:18:46and both won £32,000 each
0:18:46 > 0:18:49and obviously I've taken my management percentage,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51so I have earned out of it,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54but to me, it's not boxing,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56it's not what a traditional boxing person likes
0:18:56 > 0:18:59and I'm a traditional boxing person.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01CROWD ROARS
0:19:01 > 0:19:03Everyone's always said,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05"I know your father. I've worked with him for years.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07"He's one of the straightest men in boxing"
0:19:07 > 0:19:09and that's actually quite nice to hear.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13And that's something he's always instilled in us. That whole time.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17"Do things properly, be upfront with people, tell them the truth.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19"Nothing can ever come back to us."
0:19:19 > 0:19:21I've always found him to be fair. If he says
0:19:21 > 0:19:23he's going to pay me a pound, he'll pay me a pound.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27If he makes £1.20, that's down to him,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30he don't tell you about the 20p. He tells you about the pound he's promised.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34But everything he always says he does deliver,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37that I'll say about him, unlike a lot of people in boxing.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40I know how to beat him, but...
0:19:40 > 0:19:43- Another three rounds, might have been the difference.- Yeah, yeah.
0:19:43 > 0:19:44Once you close that distance.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47'I always wanted to be Heavyweight Champion of the World as a youngster.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49'I unfortunately had no ability,'
0:19:49 > 0:19:51but never lost my love of the sport
0:19:51 > 0:19:55and my respect for the people who do it. It is the toughest game of all.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57I felt that!
0:19:57 > 0:19:59Put me right off me pork pie!
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Even today, we look forward to the careers
0:20:03 > 0:20:05of some of the young fighters we've got.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08When I think about it I'm buzzing.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10We'll be in Vegas.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12We're going to take the title.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14We're going to beat up everybody.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16We're going to rock the world.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18# Don't call it a comeback
0:20:18 > 0:20:19# I've been here for years
0:20:19 > 0:20:22# Rockin' my peers... #
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Back in the early '90s, Barry was the king of British boxing,
0:20:24 > 0:20:28managing the most explosive talent of the era -
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Christopher Livingstone Eubank.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33# I'm going to knock you out
0:20:33 > 0:20:35# Mama said knock you out
0:20:35 > 0:20:37# I'm going to knock you out
0:20:37 > 0:20:39# Mama said knock you out. #
0:20:39 > 0:20:42As he had done with Davis in snooker,
0:20:42 > 0:20:46he formed a very close bond with his latest sporting protege.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49It proved to be an intense relationship.
0:20:49 > 0:20:50I loved Eubank, no question.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53I think he's a very special guy.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56I mean he's infuriating, he's eccentric, slightly mad,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59but I would not have swapped a minute
0:20:59 > 0:21:01with Chris Eubank.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03I don't know if Barry really knows it, but I think
0:21:03 > 0:21:05I actually discovered Chris Eubank.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08His first couple of fights were on my shows
0:21:08 > 0:21:10and he came to see me.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14We fell out over a cup of Earl Grey tea.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19He wanted Earl Grey tea and I only had ordinary tea in the office.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22The next thing I knew he signed with Barry Hearn and him
0:21:22 > 0:21:24and Barry were a good partnership.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27You had the showman and you had the ringmaster.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30CROWD ROARS
0:21:30 > 0:21:32'Ronnie Davies was Eubank's trainer.'
0:21:32 > 0:21:35I think it's fair to say Ronnie Davies and me
0:21:35 > 0:21:37would have taken a bullet for Eubank
0:21:37 > 0:21:39on the way into the ring.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42CROWD ROARS
0:21:42 > 0:21:44That's an intensity that sounds simple,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46but I'm serious.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48We would have taken a bullet for that man.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52This man is, somehow,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55I think, his heart is good. I don't know why it's good.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57I mean, you don't find promoters with good hearts.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59They usually use fighters as meat.
0:21:59 > 0:22:00This man gives a fair deal.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05The Hearn name continues to be a powerful
0:22:05 > 0:22:07and influential one in the sport,
0:22:07 > 0:22:11but it's son Eddie who is now the more prominent promoter in boxing.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16I'm always going to be Barry Hearn's son.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19That's fine, I'm proud to be it, but what he's always instilled in me is
0:22:19 > 0:22:23a working-class attitude and that's something that will never leave me.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28So, I get up every morning, you know, I spend time with my daughter. I go to work.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33I work my cods off all day. Advice comes from him all the time.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36You know, he always says to me,
0:22:36 > 0:22:38which is something that always stands out to me in business is,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42"Always leave a bit of bread in the fish's mouth".
0:22:42 > 0:22:47Greed is a very dangerous thing, not just in business, but in life.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52It just makes you think, yeah, maybe you're right, you know. Don't just go for the kill straight off.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Like Barry, the business has come a long way.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59Yeah, we've got our very high standards and if the team we've got
0:22:59 > 0:23:02don't come up with their standards, then we'll change the team.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06Set up in an office beneath Romford's Snooker Club back in 1982,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Matchroom Sport is now based in the Essex mansion
0:23:09 > 0:23:12where his children Katie and Eddie grew up.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14And he's aiming to keep it in the family
0:23:14 > 0:23:16as he begins to hand over the reins.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19Just drop a note to Art Pellulo and say,
0:23:19 > 0:23:23"Dear Art, what are you doing with Pirog?"
0:23:23 > 0:23:27I mean, there's high standards because Dad did it from nothing.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30It's a tough one for them to come in and say,
0:23:30 > 0:23:35now you take it to the next level, but I think it's always tough
0:23:35 > 0:23:38for kids to follow in their father's footsteps, you know,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42who's done pretty good for a youngster from nowhere.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45Not quite nowhere.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Blitz-damaged Dagenham was where Barry
0:23:47 > 0:23:51came into the world on the 19th June 1948.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Dad, Morris, was a bus conductor, while mum, Barbara,
0:23:54 > 0:23:57cleaned people's houses for a living.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Younger sister Christine completed the Hearn family picture.
0:24:00 > 0:24:05In this age of austerity, money was always tight,
0:24:05 > 0:24:06despite Barry's best efforts.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10I always had aspirations. I always wanted the big house on the hill.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13I was never frightened to go to work.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16So I started at about 13 years old stripping tomato plants.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20Then I built up a car washing round, window cleaning round,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22baby-sitting round, gardening round.
0:24:22 > 0:24:28Worked with other kids and organised various ways of making money, you know?
0:24:32 > 0:24:34My mother told me, when I was 12,
0:24:34 > 0:24:38"When you grow up, you're going to be a chartered accountant".
0:24:38 > 0:24:40I said, "What do they do, Mum?"
0:24:40 > 0:24:42She said, "I haven't got a clue,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46"but the man whose house I clean says you never see a poor one".
0:24:51 > 0:24:53She was the driving force in my life, really.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56You know, she was the one that locked me in my bedroom at night when
0:24:56 > 0:24:59I was studying for my accountancy exams and wouldn't let me out.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06I grew up in that society where my father never taught me too much,
0:25:06 > 0:25:11but one phrase he did give me was, "make every day count".
0:25:11 > 0:25:16I've lived on that ever since. Every day, I work as if it's my last day.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20In 1966, Barry met Susan and four years later,
0:25:20 > 0:25:26the recently qualified accountant, married his glamorous fiancee.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Two children, Katie and Eddie, followed
0:25:28 > 0:25:31and they remain very close despite the odd fallout.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36When I was born, my mum went into labour
0:25:36 > 0:25:39and he dropped her off at the hospital and said he'd be back later
0:25:39 > 0:25:42and went to Romford Snooker club and played a guy called Chunky Warne
0:25:42 > 0:25:44for a fiver or something,
0:25:44 > 0:25:45and the hospital called the Snooker club
0:25:45 > 0:25:47to tell him that I was being born,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49but he said it was a best-of-three and it was one all -
0:25:49 > 0:25:53he couldn't go anywhere - and then turned up at the hospital
0:25:53 > 0:25:55and she was being wheeled out and he looked at her and he said,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58"Good luck, darling," and she says, "I've already had him!"
0:25:58 > 0:26:01# Consider yourself one of us. #
0:26:04 > 0:26:07I'm really proud of everything my dad's done,
0:26:07 > 0:26:09not just in terms of business,
0:26:09 > 0:26:11but I'm really proud of him as a person.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14You know, I'm a father now and I'm quite hands on as a father,
0:26:14 > 0:26:16and he always takes the Mickey out of me, you know,
0:26:16 > 0:26:20if I'm changing a nappy, or he can't understand what's going on here,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22or if I tell I'm in Tesco's buying some dinner,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26he just can't understand all that because as far as he's concerned
0:26:26 > 0:26:29that's a woman's job and the man provides the money.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Remind us we've got to talk to those lads
0:26:31 > 0:26:35that drive the van for the PGA Europe Hotel. I want them to go to Faro.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40We're all very loud people, so sitting together around a table,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42I think it's hilarious fun.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44We are all trying to talk over each other,
0:26:44 > 0:26:46everyone wants to tell
0:26:46 > 0:26:49their own story, everyone wants to be heard.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53Often, we're literally waiting for a gap in the conversation
0:26:53 > 0:26:57to get our story in quickly before Dad or Ed wants to say their story.
0:26:57 > 0:27:03In March 1995, another chapter in his remarkable sporting life began
0:27:03 > 0:27:05when he bought Leyton Orient.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08The East End football club he'd supported as a boy
0:27:08 > 0:27:11had fallen on hard times.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14I think it's really important to know where you come from.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18I come from round here, and this is my football club.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20I usually keep my heart opposite my wallet.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22On that day, they merged.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26I just thought I was there when I was 11,
0:27:26 > 0:27:28you just don't forget those things.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34When he first took Leyton Orient, he sent a letter asking me
0:27:34 > 0:27:36if I'd like to donate £50,000 to Leyton Orient
0:27:36 > 0:27:38and become one of their board of directors
0:27:38 > 0:27:40and go to all the games and I could go in the boardroom
0:27:40 > 0:27:42and have a sandwich with Barry and have a cup...
0:27:42 > 0:27:46I was thinking, "Is this guy mad?" But he's a salesman, isn't he? That's what he does.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49And I wrote back, "I'm Millwall through and through,"
0:27:49 > 0:27:51and just posted it back to him.
0:27:51 > 0:27:57Football is full of people with fur coats and no knickers, you know?
0:27:57 > 0:27:59Well that's not here. Here we live in the real world.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02You know, I've never really liked government intervention,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06but probably I could make a case that they should intervene in football because I think it's out of control.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Clubs spending money they don't have,
0:28:09 > 0:28:11players earning a disproportionate salary
0:28:11 > 0:28:15with regards to what's happening in the real world.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Football is not necessarily just about money.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21He's transformed Orient's financial fortunes
0:28:21 > 0:28:25with the help of some astute property deals,
0:28:25 > 0:28:28but now he believes there is a new threat on the horizon
0:28:28 > 0:28:30with local rivals West Ham United
0:28:30 > 0:28:34a potential occupier of the nearby Olympic Stadium.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37You know, we have a struggle going on with the Olympic Stadium,
0:28:37 > 0:28:39which has been well-publicised.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43We have the prospect of a massive club moving closer to us
0:28:43 > 0:28:45and taking away our fan base.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47And, you know, no-one seems to care really.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49And that's very worrying.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Whoever moves in next door to Orient,
0:28:54 > 0:28:57Barry will stand up for his club.
0:28:57 > 0:29:02Throughout his career, he's had his fair share of fights,
0:29:02 > 0:29:05although his biggest battle came in the early 1990s
0:29:05 > 0:29:08when Matchroom was on the brink of going bust.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14I think recessions always give businesses like mine a problem
0:29:14 > 0:29:18if you're not established, and certainly in the '90s -
0:29:18 > 0:29:231990, 1991 time - was the toughest I've known.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27There were plenty of times when I wondered, "How can we pay the wages?"
0:29:27 > 0:29:29As a child, you just think everything is rosy.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31Only now you, sort of, hear the stories and think,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34"Wow, I didn't know that. Were we really? Blimey."
0:29:34 > 0:29:37But those sort of times are important to remember
0:29:37 > 0:29:39and he's always, sort of, installed that in us,
0:29:39 > 0:29:41that things can go wrong at any time.
0:29:41 > 0:29:46I had a major sponsor went bust on me and cost me a lot of money,
0:29:46 > 0:29:49which we paid and we worked through it,
0:29:49 > 0:29:54but it was two years of making you appreciate the good times.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56For us as a family, I don't know,
0:29:56 > 0:29:59I think we're quite, kind of, tough nuts, really.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03Like, you know, you pick yourself up as a family
0:30:03 > 0:30:07and every family has things to deal with
0:30:07 > 0:30:11and you just stick close together and keep going, really.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14I've always known Barry to be...
0:30:14 > 0:30:16reasonably rich, shall we say.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19If he was going skint, you would never know. He's a typical salesman.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Always got a nice suit on, always got a nice smile,
0:30:22 > 0:30:26always a seat in the best places. So, you would never know.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29I grafted. I grafted every day.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33I knocked on more doors than a travelling salesman,
0:30:33 > 0:30:38and I refused to accept that I was going to be in trouble.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42It was a very good time for character-building
0:30:42 > 0:30:46and finding out a little bit about yourself rather than other people.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50And although it sounds big-headed, I liked what I found out.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52MUSIC: "Five Feet High And Rising" by Johnny Cash
0:30:52 > 0:30:55# How high's the water, momma Two feet high and rising... #
0:30:55 > 0:30:59It's not all work and no play for Barry,
0:30:59 > 0:31:02although he does make an art form of mixing the two.
0:31:02 > 0:31:07To relax, he loves nothing more than a spot of fishing in the grounds of his Essex home
0:31:07 > 0:31:09listening to Country and Western music
0:31:09 > 0:31:12as he sits in his favourite old rocking-chair.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16There's only carp in this lake, so...
0:31:16 > 0:31:2061 carp, all of them related to me.
0:31:20 > 0:31:26They are all my friends. It's a sad life. Every one is tagged.
0:31:27 > 0:31:32I have a scanner, here, so I can tell each fish over the years,
0:31:32 > 0:31:33how much weight they've put on.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37They are all named after friends of mine, and I can recognise them now.
0:31:38 > 0:31:43I write everything down. You know, typical accountant. Sad person.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45I write every day's fishing down,
0:31:45 > 0:31:48so I look back on the year after year how the weight's progressed.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51Oh, Barry, that is so good.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53It starts in '07 and every computer tag's there.
0:31:53 > 0:31:58The original weight, the name of the fish, the type of the fish.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00It's like creating another family.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03# How high's the water, momma... #
0:32:03 > 0:32:06People come here and fish and when they catch one they get to name a fish.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09"The Power." "Davis"
0:32:09 > 0:32:12Steve's kids, Greg and Jack.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14Even Michelle, my PA, has got one.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18# Chickens are sleeping In the willow trees... #
0:32:18 > 0:32:20I get people saying to me now, you know, "How am I doing?
0:32:20 > 0:32:24- "What do I weigh?" I say, "You're a fat- BLEEP."
0:32:24 > 0:32:29# How high's the water, momma Four feet high and rising... #
0:32:29 > 0:32:31When you're talking about relaxing,
0:32:31 > 0:32:34when you're talking about creative thinking,
0:32:34 > 0:32:37this is the place most of it's happened.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39And, in a way, I realise I owe Steve Davis
0:32:39 > 0:32:43an enormous debt for what he's added to my life
0:32:43 > 0:32:47and other great sportsmen as well, Phil Taylor and Chris Eubank.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51In a way, I perhaps owe fishing more even than I owe to them.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54Most of my good ideas come...
0:32:55 > 0:32:58..when I'm pure of thought down at the lake.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00'It's the biggest prize in angling history
0:33:00 > 0:33:03'and it's happening right here at Mallory Park
0:33:03 > 0:33:04'in the heart of England.'
0:33:04 > 0:33:07He's hooked in many with his ideas over the years,
0:33:07 > 0:33:10but few as bizarre as this one.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13When he first came to me with fishing, I didn't buy it.
0:33:13 > 0:33:19I said, "Look, Barry. I go fishing, and course fishing, especially.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21"It's a bunch of guys, mainly,
0:33:21 > 0:33:23"sitting by a bank, waiting for something to happen.
0:33:23 > 0:33:28How do you turn that into a spectator event?" He did it.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30'You know, one good fish would win it for Lou,
0:33:30 > 0:33:32'but he's got to get it in. Has he got time?'
0:33:32 > 0:33:35Fish 'O' Mania was invented at a carp lake in Ockendon
0:33:35 > 0:33:38the day after Wrestlemania.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40That's where the name came from.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42I went to see David Hill, running Sky at the time.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45I said, "David, I think fishing." He said, "I like it."
0:33:45 > 0:33:48I said, "I need six hours live." He said, "You're mad."
0:33:48 > 0:33:51- Oh dear, look at his face. - That's Dickie Carr, our leader.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55Unbelievable, tremendous tension here.
0:33:55 > 0:34:00There's thousands sit around and watch blokes going like this.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04Now how you sell that, he can sell anything to anybody, I think.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07What's this, has Dickie got one?
0:34:07 > 0:34:09- It looks as though he's had one and lost one.- Oh, no!
0:34:09 > 0:34:12Those guys, when they fish, are so good.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16They're as good as Tiger Woods when he plays golf.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20We're 60 seconds away from the hooter here at Fish 'O' Mania.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22And Turner, who has finished so strongly...
0:34:22 > 0:34:26- Is that his fourth in the last ten minutes?- It's his fourth in the last ten minutes.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30There isn't any other fishing on telly, of the sort that we do with Barry.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Fish 'O' Mania, for a whole day,
0:34:33 > 0:34:35is a fabulous watch.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38Yes, the skills are Barry, but let's not forget,
0:34:38 > 0:34:40he picked up on it on the back of huge participation.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42He knew there was a market there.
0:34:44 > 0:34:4819 years later, it's the biggest fishing competition in the world.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52For an angler, to appear even at the final,
0:34:52 > 0:34:55established bank-side credibility for life.
0:34:57 > 0:35:02Aside from fishing, he's helped revitalise a whole host of sports
0:35:02 > 0:35:04and bring them to a wider TV audience.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08His methods may sometimes be controversial
0:35:08 > 0:35:10but he understands the needs of broadcasters,
0:35:10 > 0:35:14particularly those with hours of programming to fill.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18He comes up with a million ideas and he wants us to partner him
0:35:18 > 0:35:20in taking every single one of them.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24Some you'll chew the fat and you'll decide, that's not for us.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28It won't stop him coming back saying, "Come on, we can really make this work."
0:35:28 > 0:35:29He can make a persuasive case.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33If he can see an angle and he can see a dollar sign at the end of it,
0:35:33 > 0:35:36he will create something.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39You only have to look at darts, you only have to look at snooker.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41You have to look at... Boxing that he gets involved with.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43He's got a really successful hit rate.
0:35:43 > 0:35:48In 2001, Barry brought his unique management style
0:35:48 > 0:35:49to yet another sport.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53180!
0:35:53 > 0:35:57As chairman of the Professional Darts Corporation,
0:35:57 > 0:36:00his innovations have turned it into one of the unlikeliest
0:36:00 > 0:36:02success stories of the last decade.
0:36:02 > 0:36:08I'm still a control freak. I still hate committees.
0:36:08 > 0:36:13I still believe in myself as almost a benevolent despot of sport.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15I love that quote.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18"I am the best in the world at what I do, in my opinion.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22"which is the only opinion that I actually value!"
0:36:25 > 0:36:31The sport he calls "working-class golf" now regularly
0:36:31 > 0:36:34fills 10,000-seater stadia and the ultimate working man's game
0:36:34 > 0:36:36attracts fans from all walks of life.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40The Queen's granddaughter, Zara Phillips,
0:36:40 > 0:36:45is the latest convert, turning up at the 2012 World final.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49I think you'll have a special night. If you've not been before.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51I wouldn't recommend you hold any signs up
0:36:51 > 0:36:53- because it's a real giveaway.- Yeah.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57I think, as far as his greatest achievements have to be,
0:36:57 > 0:36:59I think darts has to be right up there.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03When you go to a darts event, and you look around at the atmosphere,
0:37:03 > 0:37:06you simply cannot fathom how this possibly happened.
0:37:06 > 0:37:11You know, darts is a great game, but it's been around for years
0:37:11 > 0:37:13and no-one's really embraced it,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16but the atmosphere, and the environment
0:37:16 > 0:37:20and the entertainment factor that he's brought into the game, is amazing.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24- Listen, play well tonight, young man. - Cheers, thank you.- Play well. - Thank you.- See later, boy.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28Since he came into darts, the prize-money has rocketed
0:37:28 > 0:37:31from £500,000 to over £5 million a season.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34For players such as Adrian "Jackpot" Lewis
0:37:34 > 0:37:38and Andy "The Hammer" Hamilton, it's a path to undreamed of riches.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41Play well, all right. Whatever happens, whatever happens...
0:37:41 > 0:37:45- I'm still a winner.- Just do what you do. No, no, do what you do best.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49- Yeah.- Don't give an inch and growl a lot.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53A guy that spends six hours a day on the oche, learning his trade,
0:37:53 > 0:37:57is as much a sportsman as any gold medal winner in the Olympics.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59- Can you keep a secret?- Yeah.- I can.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02Someone's just walked into a betting shop and laid £50,000, in cash,
0:38:02 > 0:38:05- on Andy Hamilton to win. - Really?- Yeah.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08- Amazing!- Do you know who it was? - I hope it wasn't Andy!
0:38:10 > 0:38:14The actual job we've done on darts come from absolutely nowhere.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18It has been one of the most motivating things in my life.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21A lot of it is just old techniques that I've used,
0:38:21 > 0:38:25all my life. You make the players famous.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29It's...
0:38:29 > 0:38:32..Hammer time!
0:38:32 > 0:38:34Andy...Hamilton!
0:38:34 > 0:38:36CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:38:37 > 0:38:40Create an atmosphere that is conducive to people
0:38:40 > 0:38:45just to forget about all their problems and enjoy themselves.
0:38:47 > 0:38:52That's Barry Hearn's trick, really, is to take pub games
0:38:52 > 0:38:54or marginal pastimes and turn them
0:38:54 > 0:38:57into genuinely competitive sport,
0:38:57 > 0:39:00certainly events, and getting people really interested.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02He really, really has a knack for it.
0:39:02 > 0:39:03180!
0:39:03 > 0:39:07I would say the history of sport, the reinvention of darts,
0:39:07 > 0:39:09is probably one of the greatest things in sport.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11It was a sport that was seen as a bit dying.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15It was blokes with fags and beer.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18Now it's blokes with fags and beer that can't go on stage with those!
0:39:18 > 0:39:19The event is fantastic.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22100...
0:39:22 > 0:39:23- I've got an idea.- What's this?
0:39:23 > 0:39:27You should have, you know, like the baseball gloves with 180 on.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30- Baseball gloves... Have you been... - You know like the hands.
0:39:30 > 0:39:34- Barry, can we have a quick picture? - Have you been in promotions for long?
0:39:34 > 0:39:35- No.- No, OK.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38He's very outspoken, he's very honest and he'll say what he thinks
0:39:38 > 0:39:40and what he feels.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42Sometimes that's not always the general opinion.
0:39:42 > 0:39:47So sometimes he can be controversial but he's genuinely just saying
0:39:47 > 0:39:52what he believes in and most of the time that's generally for the good of the sport
0:39:52 > 0:39:54that he's involved in, trying to move that forward.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58The punters are the ones that tell you
0:39:58 > 0:40:02if you've got something worthy, something that adds to their life.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04Most people's lives are fairly mundane.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09My job, as a sports promoter, is to give them moments
0:40:09 > 0:40:12that they go to work thinking, "I had a cracking night last night."
0:40:14 > 0:40:17Well done, girls. Well done. Take the rest of the night off.
0:40:19 > 0:40:20I mean, listen, I love my job.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24If this is work, I don't know what hard work is.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27All right, boy, well done.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30Great winner, great event and 50,000 punters going home
0:40:30 > 0:40:33with a smile on their face having been royally entertained.
0:40:33 > 0:40:34That's my job.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40So it's another event over and time for a chill-out down by the lake.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47It takes a lot to knock Barry off his stride.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51A heart attack in 2001 briefly stopped him in his tracks.
0:40:51 > 0:40:57While his workload remains prolific, he always takes time now to unwind.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02When he had his heart attack many years ago,
0:41:02 > 0:41:06I think that might have put a different slant on his life.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09In the early days when things were tight here, and tough here,
0:41:09 > 0:41:11that was a very stressful period.
0:41:11 > 0:41:16Certainly, in the last 15 years, and as every day goes on,
0:41:16 > 0:41:20I see him care less about the worry and the panic
0:41:20 > 0:41:26and understanding what matters in life and what doesn't. Business matters, but family matters more.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30This is my other house, I suppose. It's a bit smaller.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33I sleep there, if I fish all night.
0:41:34 > 0:41:40I wake up in the morning and cook my breakfast. No-one disturbs me.
0:41:40 > 0:41:41Then, every now and again,
0:41:41 > 0:41:45we get some friends down and we fish for the trophy.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47It's very competitive.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50But, you know, this is an escape from the real world.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53I think he's probably mellowed a little bit,
0:41:53 > 0:41:54the last couple of years.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57He probably fishes a bit more, relaxes a little bit more
0:41:57 > 0:42:00and spending a bit more time at home.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03He's still got the same work ethic that he's always had.
0:42:03 > 0:42:08You come down here with no e-mails, no phones,
0:42:08 > 0:42:12no-one disturbing you, no-one giving you grief
0:42:12 > 0:42:15and as you get older you start appreciating your environment
0:42:15 > 0:42:17a little bit more.
0:42:17 > 0:42:21I've often thought, if we could get the kids in the streets, in the inner cities,
0:42:21 > 0:42:24to go fishing there would be a lot less trouble in the world.
0:42:24 > 0:42:29Now he seems to just have this attitude of everything
0:42:29 > 0:42:31is going to be all right, nothing is a problem.
0:42:31 > 0:42:37That puts everyone at ease and that's a real great talent to have.
0:42:37 > 0:42:42He may be more relaxed, but there's no sign of him slowing down.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44Are we going downstairs?
0:42:44 > 0:42:45As he approaches pension age,
0:42:45 > 0:42:50Barry finds himself running the sport where it all began.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54He's not really the kind of person you could tell to slow down.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56I mean, he puts so much passion into everything.
0:42:56 > 0:43:01He's quite fun to be around. I don't want him to slow down.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03That's what drives him and that's what fires him.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06He's got to pick up the trophy, it weighs a ton.
0:43:06 > 0:43:07Yeah, yeah...
0:43:07 > 0:43:10When you're laying out on that slab, don't have any regrets.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12Don't use that word "if".
0:43:12 > 0:43:15"If I'd have done this, I should have done that. Maybe."
0:43:15 > 0:43:19I hate these words. You know, I want people who are definite.
0:43:19 > 0:43:20I want people who are explosive.
0:43:20 > 0:43:25If you make a bad call, make it 100%, don't make it 50%.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29Don't start looking over your shoulder and saying, "I should have done it."
0:43:29 > 0:43:31Do it or shut up!
0:43:31 > 0:43:34- Hi, Barry.- How are you? - Not so bad, yourself? Barry?
0:43:34 > 0:43:37- Yeah.- You know this, Q Zone, can we improve it with the lighting?
0:43:37 > 0:43:40- I'm sure there's loads we can improve it.- Cheers, Barry.
0:43:40 > 0:43:42We're constantly thinking about it. Where are we going?
0:43:42 > 0:43:45From the peak of its popularity in the 1980s,
0:43:45 > 0:43:47snooker was a sport in decline.
0:43:47 > 0:43:52In 2009, the players invited Barry to run the game
0:43:52 > 0:43:56and he made it clear from the start it would be his way, or no way.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59Arms first, handshake second. You'll get the hang of that.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04The game was so moribund, so defunct of ideas,
0:44:04 > 0:44:08so lacking innovation and I thought to myself, "This is an opportunity,
0:44:08 > 0:44:14"a game fate has dealt me which would be a sin to turn away from."
0:44:15 > 0:44:18I think he truly thought that snooker was dying
0:44:18 > 0:44:22and it was dead but, all of a sudden, he spotted how much interest there was worldwide.
0:44:24 > 0:44:29My report finished with, "In my view, I should take over the game."
0:44:29 > 0:44:32Fortunately, just enough players agreed with me.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35What he's done for snooker has been amazing.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38You know, it was that bad I went into the jungle four years ago
0:44:38 > 0:44:42and now he's got it up to the top sport it should be.
0:44:42 > 0:44:47Why are the crowds up? Is it down to the marketing or is it down to Judd Trump coming along?
0:44:47 > 0:44:50It's a little bit of both but mainly it's the king has no clothes.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52Yeah, yeah.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56- If people believe things are happening the average fan will go along and have a look at it.- Yeah.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59When they go and look at it they'll say, "It's been quite a good night."
0:44:59 > 0:45:00I've enjoyed myself with the snooker.
0:45:00 > 0:45:05It's been so much fun because I've been able to blow it all up and start again.
0:45:05 > 0:45:10You know, as a sport that really wasn't going anywhere. There was a lethargy in the sport.
0:45:10 > 0:45:14We've just taken hold of it and dragged it screaming into the 21st century.
0:45:14 > 0:45:19Please welcome Shaun "The Magician" Murphy!
0:45:21 > 0:45:24Barry introduced the walk-on music, I think that's great.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27Great for the game. They have it in darts and that.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30Something a little bit different, there's nothing wrong with it.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32"The Thunder from Down Under,"
0:45:32 > 0:45:34Neil Robertson!
0:45:34 > 0:45:37CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:45:37 > 0:45:39I think there's been a buzz about the game, without a doubt.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43Obviously, we've seen many more events put on throughout the whole world.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45Obviously, new events, high-speed events
0:45:45 > 0:45:47with more crowd participation.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52So, yeah, it's what the game needed.
0:45:52 > 0:45:54The game needed a kick up the backside.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56Excellent! Nice intros.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59In recent months, there have been signs of dissent in the ranks.
0:45:59 > 0:46:03Mark Allen was fined after complaining about the changes
0:46:03 > 0:46:07being made and declared snooker, was "going to pot".
0:46:07 > 0:46:09He even called for Barry to resign.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12Mark Allen did speak out at the UK Championships
0:46:12 > 0:46:15and he did say that a lot of other players were feeling the same.
0:46:15 > 0:46:20So, Mark was the spokesman. Pretty brave of him to take Barry on.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23That's how he felt.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27We need people that make headlines.
0:46:27 > 0:46:32Now, it's got to be, obviously, with some common sense involved, as well.
0:46:32 > 0:46:37I often engage my mouth before I concentrate on my brain.
0:46:37 > 0:46:38You know, this is a failing.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43I know a few of the players have been moaning a bit
0:46:43 > 0:46:47about the PTC events, especially the first prize is £10,000.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50People like Ronnie O'Sullivan, you know, he would have to give up
0:46:50 > 0:46:55a weekend and have to win the tournament to break even.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59It's trying to reach a happy medium but they've got plenty of snooker to play, that's for sure.
0:47:02 > 0:47:03I think we got into a rut of having
0:47:03 > 0:47:06only six, seven or eight tournaments in every season
0:47:06 > 0:47:08and we got used to that.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10Now, we've gone from one extreme to the other.
0:47:10 > 0:47:14I mean, there's talk of a tournament every other week, somewhere in the world.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17Physically you can't keep doing that because you'll get burned out, eventually.
0:47:20 > 0:47:24I never have any sympathy for anyone who goes to work, you know.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26I have sympathy for those that can't go to work, or find a job.
0:47:26 > 0:47:33So, professional sportsmen saying to me, "I'm too busy," really falls on a deaf ear.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36Your champion, Neil Robertson!
0:47:36 > 0:47:38CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:47:40 > 0:47:42Sorry!
0:47:42 > 0:47:45Please tell me I don't have to go to Crondon Park tomorrow morning.
0:47:45 > 0:47:47You do!
0:47:47 > 0:47:52All the players realise he doesn't really care what our opinions are about most things.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55He's just going to do it, what he thinks is best for the game.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57We've got to be along for the ride, basically.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04The champion has to be at Crondon Park golf course tomorrow at 12 o'clock to play.
0:48:04 > 0:48:08He said, "Please tell me I don't have to be at Crondon Park tomorrow. I said, "I'm afraid you do."
0:48:08 > 0:48:12I'm never going to do everything that pleases everybody because that would be unnatural.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14I do things that please the sport.
0:48:14 > 0:48:18He gets fined if he doesn't turn up so he knows he's got to do it.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20So far, it's not ten out of ten.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22It 9.5.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24I'm getting the other half next year.
0:48:24 > 0:48:26The trouble is we didn't have that BBC logo on the bagel.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28I've told you about that.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31We'll think about that in the morning.
0:48:31 > 0:48:32Will he turn it around?
0:48:32 > 0:48:35Guaranteed he'll turn it around and the snooker players
0:48:35 > 0:48:39of the next generation will have a far higher prize pool to play for.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45If snooker has a chance of succeeding, then Barry's the right man.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49Whether snooker has a chance, I'm not utterly convinced.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52The world is possibly too quick now for snooker.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54One more beer and a glass of red wine, please.
0:48:54 > 0:48:58Snooker is a part of my life that I think I can do something for
0:48:58 > 0:49:00and it'll do something for me.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02It keeps me alive.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06If I was any better, I would fail a drugs test.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09It keeps me wanting to go to work every morning,
0:49:09 > 0:49:11earlier and work later.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15You know, that's the best way to cure a recession. Just work longer hours.
0:49:15 > 0:49:17It works!
0:49:17 > 0:49:22So, the future is looking good and there'll be a few bumps along the way.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25There'll be a few people disagreeing with me. That's OK.
0:49:25 > 0:49:26We can all disagree.
0:49:26 > 0:49:30We'll have a chat about it and then we'll do what I want!
0:49:31 > 0:49:33# It's my life
0:49:33 > 0:49:35# And it's now or never
0:49:35 > 0:49:39# Ain't gonna live forever!
0:49:39 > 0:49:43# I just wanna live while I'm alive
0:49:43 > 0:49:46# It's my life... #
0:49:50 > 0:49:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:49:56 > 0:49:58# It's my life! #