0:00:27 > 0:00:31Pot the reds, then screw back for the yellow, green, brown,
0:00:31 > 0:00:35blue, pink and black.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37- CHEERING - 'He's done it!'- It sounds so simple.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40And the top players in full flow, sinking ball after ball,
0:00:40 > 0:00:43have always made snooker look deceptively easy.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46But in truth, it's one of the most tantalising
0:00:46 > 0:00:47and testing games there is,
0:00:47 > 0:00:52Demanding skill, strategic thinking and immense concentration.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56And over the years, the masters of the game,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59with their different temperaments and styles of play,
0:00:59 > 0:01:01have frequently had millions of fans like me
0:01:01 > 0:01:04glued to our seats into the wee small hours.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Here, we focus on the careers of three of the most dynamic
0:01:09 > 0:01:12and naturally gifted players ever to pick up a snooker cue.
0:01:12 > 0:01:13Alex Higgins,
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Jimmy White
0:01:15 > 0:01:17and Ronnie O'Sullivan.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19The Hurricane, the Whirlwind, and the Rocket.
0:01:19 > 0:01:24All names synonymous with speed, flair and unpredictability.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27And all spoken of as the people's champion.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34Snooker's first and, some say, greatest genius was Alex Higgins.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38And when the Belfast born Hurricane first appeared on the scene
0:01:38 > 0:01:41in the early 1970s, cocky and confident,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45snooker had never seen anything like it.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48His swagger instantly attracted a younger audience
0:01:48 > 0:01:50and a huge amount of media attention.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Especially after he made the finals of the World Championships
0:01:53 > 0:01:55at his first attempt, in 1972.
0:02:00 > 0:02:01They call him Hurricane.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Hurricane Higgins.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05A quiet man, a confident man.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11You'd never notice him in a crowd but in his own twilight world,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Hurricane Higgins is almost a god.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16From Accrington, Alex Higgins.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Hurricane Higgins is only 22 years old, but already
0:02:25 > 0:02:29he has all the ingredients of a top-class competitor.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33He is cold and dedicated, he has got judgment, nerve and flair,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36but most important of all, he has ambition.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40For Hurricane Higgins wants to be the man.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42The champ, the king.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44And he knows his time is coming soon.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49The time when he may become the finest snooker player in the world.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Hurricane was born in Belfast but he lives in Accrington, Lancashire.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Every day, he practices hard in the smoky atmosphere
0:02:57 > 0:02:58of a club near his home.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01His timing and precision are practically faultless.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04He always seems to defy the laws of nature, giving the balls
0:03:04 > 0:03:08a life of their own, as if each single one is obeying his command.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13If you were to compare yourself with a sportsman
0:03:13 > 0:03:16in a more popular sport, who would you choose?
0:03:16 > 0:03:18No doubt, Muhammad Ali.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20- See yourself as a Cassius Clay, do you?- Yes.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Or a Georgie Best, one of the two.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25You know you have been consistently beating men who are many years
0:03:25 > 0:03:30your senior and who should have had far more experience than you had.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33What do you think you have got that makes it special?
0:03:33 > 0:03:38I think God gave me a gift and I dedicated myself to that gift
0:03:38 > 0:03:41that he has given me and practised every day.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44When you play well, when you feel well in yourself,
0:03:44 > 0:03:46you can do anything.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48Well, I find I can. You know.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51I can play a shot five or six different ways,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53it all depends how I feel.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02How would you sum up your position in the snooker world today?
0:04:02 > 0:04:07I would say at this time I'm in the top two.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12And, after next week in Birmingham, I think I will be the top one.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18A week after that report, Alex had achieved his goal,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20beating John Spencer to become
0:04:20 > 0:04:24the sport's youngest ever world champion, aged just 22.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28Well, actually at this moment, I think I'm in a bit of a daze.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30I think I'm just starting to come out of it, you know,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33and realise that I'm the world champion.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36But those comparisons with George Best would turn out to be
0:04:36 > 0:04:38more prophetic than imagined.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Higgins was box office, but with the fame and the plaudits
0:04:41 > 0:04:44came all the distractions that made him so erratic.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48And he was soon making headlines on the back AND the front pages.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52And though he may have been a snooker genius,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55he was far from invincible,
0:04:55 > 0:04:59losing in the World Championship finals to Ray Reardon in 1976.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04And Cliff Thorburn in 1980.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09In 1982, Higgins was having the worst year
0:05:09 > 0:05:11of his professional career.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Then, somehow, he reached the semifinal of the World Championship
0:05:14 > 0:05:18to play Jimmy White in a match that has gone down in snooker folklore.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23It was the best of 31 frames - first to 16.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27White was leading 15-14 and up 59-0.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Looking certain to win, he missed a red.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33Higgins stepped up to the table, adjusted his fringe
0:05:33 > 0:05:35and went on to produce what many believe
0:05:35 > 0:05:38is the greatest clearance of all time.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44- Well, what would you do here, John? - Well, I think he's got to have a go
0:05:44 > 0:05:47at the blue or the green and plenty of points on the table.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51With the scoreboard stacked against him,
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Alex Higgins couldn't afford to make a single mistake.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01APPLAUSE
0:06:01 > 0:06:04That's a tremendous shot under pressure.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Lot of courage, Alex has got.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13It was a frame that had players and experts marvelling.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Even years later, not least a certain Steve Davis,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21talking here to snooker writer Phil Yates.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25The guy is a genius.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29I don't know of another snooker player in that situation,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32with so much depending on it, could have played those shots.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37CHEERING
0:06:39 > 0:06:40It wasn't the greatest break in the world,
0:06:40 > 0:06:42because he was out of position all the time.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44But each of those shots, individually,
0:06:44 > 0:06:46there was so much pressure on each one of them,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48it was the greatest clearance
0:06:48 > 0:06:50we are ever likely to see on a snooker table.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53He will always remain my number-one favourite player.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00That win took Higgins to the 1982 final,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02where he delivered another of snooker's most unforgettable
0:07:02 > 0:07:05moments, beating the reigning champion, Ray Reardon,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08and becoming world champion himself for the second time.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12Fantastic! APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:07:16 > 0:07:20And the Embassy World Snooker Champion for 1982
0:07:20 > 0:07:24is Alex Hurricane Higgins!
0:07:24 > 0:07:27It was never going to be an understated celebration.
0:07:27 > 0:07:28This was something else.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30The Hurricane bringing on his wife, Lynn,
0:07:30 > 0:07:34so he could hug both the trophy and his baby daughter.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37This was raw emotion and human drama,
0:07:37 > 0:07:41the like of which snooker fans had never experienced before.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Ladies and gentlemen, the new world champion, Alex Higgins!
0:07:46 > 0:07:49CHEERING
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Sadly, the happy family scenes didn't last long.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Higgins could still be a wizard with the cue,
0:08:02 > 0:08:07but off the table, he was unravelling and drinking too much.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09A Jekyll-and-Hyde figure, courting trouble
0:08:09 > 0:08:12and blaming everyone but himself when it found him.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Police officers interviewed the snooker player
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Alex "Hurricane" Higgins today about an allegation that
0:08:20 > 0:08:22he head-butted a competition official.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Tonight, in bizarre head gear,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28Higgins emerged from his house to talk about the day's events.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32I've been to see the police today about allegations
0:08:32 > 0:08:35that were made against me.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37They are pending.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39The ideal thing is that I turned round
0:08:39 > 0:08:42- and have to wait for the outcome... - PHONE RINGS
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Oh, my phone. Golly gosh.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46LAUGHTER
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Can you look this way, Alex?
0:08:48 > 0:08:50This is very important. It could be my solicitor.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Alex, turn around this way a little bit.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Hello.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56Is this going well? Send more money.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59There's one thing I'd like to say.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03I hope my public comes and supports me. I've no doubt they will.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Could you face life without snooker, Alex?
0:09:05 > 0:09:09- No more questions. - Could snooker face life without me?
0:09:11 > 0:09:14The game's authorities came down on him hard.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16Ever the showman, Higgins,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18with his manager Howard Kruger, visited the Wogan Show...
0:09:18 > 0:09:21MCGOWAN AS WOGAN: ..to reveal his punishment live to telly
0:09:21 > 0:09:22and to the nation.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29I know, cos I met you beforehand and you'd just heard the result
0:09:29 > 0:09:32of the tribunal, and I know you're a little disappointed,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36to say the least, at the result. We'll ask you, Howard, because you
0:09:36 > 0:09:40obviously know the details. What's going to happen of this tribunal?
0:09:40 > 0:09:43The bad boy of snooker gets dragged up in front of his peers,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45what have they done to him?
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Well, they've fined him £12,000
0:09:47 > 0:09:50and suspended him from the next five tournaments.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54- It's quite a...- Does that include the World Championship?
0:09:54 > 0:09:56No, we can play in the World Championships,
0:09:56 > 0:09:58but the ban starts immediately afterwards.
0:09:58 > 0:09:59Now, is that what you expected?
0:09:59 > 0:10:02No, it wasn't. It's quite severe.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05- The thing is, if I can chip in... - Of course.
0:10:05 > 0:10:06LAUGHTER
0:10:06 > 0:10:12With this type of tribunal and with the rules that the PBSA carry,
0:10:12 > 0:10:14there is no right to appeal,
0:10:14 > 0:10:19so the truth of the matter is that I've decided to accept the
0:10:19 > 0:10:22punishment and come back fighting,
0:10:22 > 0:10:26because it's the only action one can take.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28It can be a blessing in disguise, I would think,
0:10:28 > 0:10:33in the respect that it will give me six months to sort of, like,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37enjoy three rounds of golf a week, instead of none,
0:10:37 > 0:10:42which I have had, and also to give me a chance to reassign
0:10:42 > 0:10:45myself to getting back to where I belong.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48You're not called the Hurricane for nothing.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53- Are you a man who can respond to six months...- In the wilderness?
0:10:53 > 0:10:54..doing nothing, yeah?
0:10:54 > 0:10:58No, well, the ideal thing is that we're going to go and do a tour.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Framework are going to organise a tour.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04I can go back to the grassroots and meet the people again,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08because snooker and I, there are so many tournaments that they
0:11:08 > 0:11:11hardly see any of the top professionals on the road.
0:11:11 > 0:11:16Equally, that's where it arose from, the very fact that you used
0:11:16 > 0:11:19to go out and do the exhibitions in the heartlands.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22- You get back to the people. - Go back to the people, yes.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24- Are you sorry?- I'm sorry, yes.
0:11:24 > 0:11:30Of course I'm sorry, because, like, I don't think that the incident
0:11:30 > 0:11:35was diffused when it could have been diffused at that particular time.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Ideally... I mean, it's not very nice to head-butt anyone.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42LAUGHTER
0:11:44 > 0:11:47Predictably, perhaps, the ban didn't improve things.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51In 1990, Alex generated more headlines with another attack
0:11:51 > 0:11:54on an official and another ban, which prompted this.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01So I would like to announce my retirement
0:12:01 > 0:12:03from professional snooker.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06But I'm not playing snooker any more,
0:12:06 > 0:12:10because this game is the most corrupt game in the world.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18His lifelong love-hate affair with snooker was over.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21The cost of a lifetime's heavy smoking in snooker halls
0:12:21 > 0:12:24was discovered in 1998.
0:12:24 > 0:12:25Throat cancer.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30And in Higgins' eyes, the game and its sponsors were partly to blame.
0:12:31 > 0:12:37They knew, because they hid so much evidence.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41They haven't told the public enough
0:12:41 > 0:12:43about the dangers.
0:12:45 > 0:12:46Oh, lovely shot.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52What's your feeling about cigarettes and the companies that make them?
0:12:52 > 0:12:53Disgust.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Nothing but disgust.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00In Northern Ireland, I received
0:13:00 > 0:13:0444 radiotherapy treatments.
0:13:04 > 0:13:12I had, if you can see here, I've had something removed.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17A gland or something,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20removed from in here.
0:13:20 > 0:13:21This is like a rock.
0:13:23 > 0:13:28The tobacco companies and snooker, they're as thick as thieves.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35What do you think the tobacco companies have got out of snooker?
0:13:35 > 0:13:40Well, obviously I think that they've got their advertising
0:13:40 > 0:13:46for a song for 25 years.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52Cigarettes everywhere in sight. Freebies everywhere.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57Most venues, most snooker players were given free cigarettes.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03They were everywhere but strewn on the floor.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Alex Higgins now faces a hard battle against his illness.
0:14:11 > 0:14:17It destroys your stamina, your energy,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20all the things that you want in latter life.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Are you going to survive this?
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Course I am.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Yes, cos I've got a heart like a lion.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39The cancer was an opponent Higgins would fight for years.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43After a decade of radiotherapy, he'd get the all-clear,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46but this was to be no comeback triumph.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48He'd been left barely able to eat, and when he did make
0:14:48 > 0:14:50one of his increasingly rare public appearances,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53fans were shocked by his fragility.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59- FAINTLY:- My name is Alex Higgins, world champion,
0:14:59 > 0:15:051972, 1982 in the game of snooker.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10I hope to do well and raise money for the premature baby unit
0:15:10 > 0:15:13at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Thank you.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18The funeral has taken place of the snooker player
0:15:18 > 0:15:20Alex "Hurricane" Higgins, who died last month
0:15:20 > 0:15:22after a long battle with throat cancer.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24His funeral procession made its way through the streets
0:15:24 > 0:15:27of his hometown of Belfast a short time ago.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32On the Belfast street where Alex Higgins grew up,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36they said goodbye to their local hero.
0:15:36 > 0:15:37Let's hear it for the Hurricane!
0:15:37 > 0:15:39CHEERING
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Snooker players from across the UK were there,
0:15:44 > 0:15:48including Higgins' closest friend, Jimmy White.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54Ultimately, Higgins couldn't cope with the fame his talent brought.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57He became addicted to gambling and to alcohol.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00But, throughout it all, he remained popular.
0:16:00 > 0:16:01We had fantastic fun on the road,
0:16:01 > 0:16:05you know, we had brilliant, great times.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08He'll be sadly missed. I will miss him till the day I die.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12Jimmy White was one of the first players
0:16:12 > 0:16:15who had been directly inspired by Alex Higgins.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19Emerging in the late 1970s from the snooker halls of South London,
0:16:19 > 0:16:23White adopted Higgins' quickfire style of play, and made it his own.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Snooker had found its next big thing.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29And, with the game's huge popularity making it more of
0:16:29 > 0:16:32a business than ever, image was becoming increasingly important.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36But I think hair, we'll go for a traditional look,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39because after all, we're going to dress him right.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41He'll have a classical look.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43We'll see what Bernard at the salon can do.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45What I'm thinking of doing, actually,
0:16:45 > 0:16:50is to perm the hair to give the body here on the top.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53That should set the face off nicely.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57- Shall we wash him and see what we can do with him?- Fantastic.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59MUSIC: Gonna Make You A Star by David Essex
0:17:04 > 0:17:09# Oh, is he more, too much more, than a pretty face?
0:17:09 > 0:17:11# I don't think so
0:17:11 > 0:17:15# It's so strange the way he talking
0:17:15 > 0:17:18# It's a disgrace... #
0:17:18 > 0:17:20I'm creating a visual image.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Just the appearance is going to be looked after,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27for the sex point of view - the sex image for the women viewers.
0:17:27 > 0:17:28That's being dealt with.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32He's going to look better, hopefully people will like him to look better.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Since leaving school officially, Jimmy White's successes have
0:17:36 > 0:17:39too often been marred by his problems away from the table.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42He has, for instance, been banned from tournaments for being drunk,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45including an event organised by Pontin's.
0:17:47 > 0:17:48STATEMENT READ OUT
0:17:54 > 0:17:55VOICES OVERLAP
0:17:57 > 0:18:00..to remonstrate with him...
0:18:07 > 0:18:12The one thing I've got to put over to you is that the bad side of
0:18:12 > 0:18:13the image, all the problems,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15all the things that I wasn't associated with,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17which I like to call the past,
0:18:17 > 0:18:22problems in barrooms and anywhere, police or anything,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26as soon as you get involved in that, you're in trouble.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31The press pounce on it. You've got to stop, for your own sake.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34So you think you're going to really be very careful at all times
0:18:34 > 0:18:36not to mix with the wrong people.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40Yeah, well, I've not, since the last time...
0:18:40 > 0:18:42I was quite upset with all the publicity.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45I've not done anything wrong since.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49Higgins has had a string of things, I think, over his career.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51I'm quite expecting it from Jimmy.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54As and when it arrives, I'm going to make the most of it,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56but I'm certainly not going to encourage it.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58I'll be very happy if nothing happens,
0:18:58 > 0:19:00other than him winning at the table.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02MUSIC: Starstruck by The Kinks
0:19:02 > 0:19:04# Taken in by the light
0:19:04 > 0:19:09# You think you'll never look back
0:19:09 > 0:19:11# Starstruck for me
0:19:11 > 0:19:13# Don't you know that you are?
0:19:13 > 0:19:15# Starstruck for me
0:19:15 > 0:19:16# And you always will
0:19:16 > 0:19:18# Starstruck for me
0:19:18 > 0:19:20# Ooh, yeah
0:19:20 > 0:19:23# Starstruck for me
0:19:23 > 0:19:26# Starstruck for me. #
0:19:29 > 0:19:32Every penny I used to get, I used to do in, you know,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36- all the money I earned, I used to knock it out.- What about gambling?
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Was that ever a problem for you?
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Well, I used to gamble, yeah.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42I don't have time. I'm on a wage now, see,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44so I can't do all my money in.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47- Did you lose much when you were a kid?- Yeah.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51- What sort of money would you lose? - I don't know, really. I could...
0:19:53 > 0:19:55I've done, you know, quite a lot of money.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02What about the image that people are now trying to create for you?
0:20:02 > 0:20:03What do you think of that?
0:20:03 > 0:20:08I think it's very good, because, as I said, I was a bit of a tearaway.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Now, like, I'm changing my image.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13But it's being changed for you, in a way.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16Wouldn't you rather present Jimmy White, the real Jimmy White,
0:20:16 > 0:20:18- to the public?- Not really...
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Well, yeah, well, it is me, really, when I'm on the table.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23I just want to pot balls, you know?
0:20:23 > 0:20:26But what about away from the table, the suave Jimmy White?
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Well, I've got to behave myself now, I'll get slung out, I think.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33# How long you waited to get where you are... #
0:20:33 > 0:20:38Well, I see him in five years' time, if all goes according to plan,
0:20:38 > 0:20:42as the best in his profession.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45The Kevin Keegan of snooker.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Or maybe the John McEnroe.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Either way, a huge success and the number one in the world.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53What a character, and what a player.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57When David Icke calls you a character,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59you know you're on to something.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01From the 1980s onwards,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Jimmy White has been one of snooker's most popular
0:21:03 > 0:21:06personalities, one of the ultimate flair players,
0:21:06 > 0:21:10favouring risky crowd-pleasing shots over safe, tactical play.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13It's earned him the love of the fans.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16A fantastic performance. Wait for the applause.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:21:22 > 0:21:24But it has also cost him many a match.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Not least six World Championship finals.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Whirlwind White was unfortunate to be playing at the same time
0:21:35 > 0:21:37as Stephen Hendry, his nemesis,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40who beat him in four of those world finals.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42He was unlucky OFF the table, too.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45Just listen to the list in this introduction.
0:21:47 > 0:21:48Good evening.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Our first guest has lost six World Championship finals,
0:21:50 > 0:21:55squandered £3 million on gambling and drinking, survived cancer,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57and been unwittingly involved in the biggest betting scandal in
0:21:57 > 0:22:00the sport's history, but he is, without doubt, one of the greatest
0:22:00 > 0:22:05talents his sport has ever seen, and everybody loves him - Jimmy White.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08CHEERING
0:22:27 > 0:22:30That, of course, is not to mention all the other bits and bobs
0:22:30 > 0:22:32that the tabloids have loved.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34So who's been writing the script of your life? EastEnders?
0:22:34 > 0:22:39Yeah, absolutely. Um, some of it's true, some of it's exaggerated.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41That's enough on that one.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43If we talk about the snooker first of all, though,
0:22:43 > 0:22:44six world title defeats.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47You know, if you hung up your cue tomorrow,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50is that going to be something that's going to haunt you to the grave?
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Yeah, if I didn't think I could win the World Championships,
0:22:52 > 0:22:54I wouldn't play. I don't play just for the money.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57I still think I'm good enough.
0:22:57 > 0:22:58A couple of times I was in winning positions.
0:22:58 > 0:23:03I missed a black against Hendry, I was 14 up against Hendry and lost.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06I lost 18-16 to Steve Davis, but, you know,
0:23:06 > 0:23:07that's all part of the game.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09You know, like, I've lost six finals,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12so if I can get to another one, I can win one.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15You've squandered £3 million on drinking and gambling.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17How do you do that?
0:23:17 > 0:23:20LAUGHTER
0:23:20 > 0:23:24Um, I lost most of it gambling - horses, dogs, cards.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27I was very bad at all three of them.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30- What was the biggest single bet you ever had?- Oh, I don't know.
0:23:30 > 0:23:35I think... I had £15,000, I think, on one, but that was many years ago.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37- Was that a loser?- I think it won, actually.- Did it really?
0:23:37 > 0:23:40- Yeah.- You're always seen as the great rebel with a cause,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43as the inheritor to Alex Higgins' title.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45When you look at the sort of state that he's in now,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48a rather forlorn figure, in a way, does that sadden you?
0:23:48 > 0:23:51I feel very sorry for Alex. You know, I'm a good friend of his.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53He's his own worst enemy.
0:23:53 > 0:23:58He has a few drinks, he gets a bit aggressive, but, you know,
0:23:58 > 0:24:02- he's been treated bad, he's been made an example of...- By who?- By...
0:24:02 > 0:24:04You know, when he's got in trouble for certain...
0:24:04 > 0:24:06You know, he causes 90% of them.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10I still think that he's got enough talent that if he practised,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13stayed off the booze, I still think he could be in the top 32.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15Do you think he's had a hard time from the sport's governing body?
0:24:15 > 0:24:18- He has and he hasn't. That's, like 50-50 situation.- Hmm.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21So you say he's made a rod for his own back, in a sense,
0:24:21 > 0:24:25but don't you, as top sportsmen, have to set examples?
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Yes, you know, you don't... I try and...
0:24:28 > 0:24:30If you win and lose... If you lose, you know,
0:24:30 > 0:24:31you've still got to get on it.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33When you come out, you've got to sign the autographs,
0:24:33 > 0:24:35you've still got to be friendly
0:24:35 > 0:24:37to the people who support you, you know?
0:24:37 > 0:24:40I intend to do that. I think most of us do.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Yeah. You got a great reception when you came down here.
0:24:42 > 0:24:43You have this sort of enduring appeal,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46even for people who aren't great snooker fans.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Have you ever sat back and analysed that?
0:24:49 > 0:24:53Well, I think it's my game I play. I take a lot of chances.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55If I win, I win it the hard way.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59I think people appreciate that, that I put my game on the line.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03- Have you consciously nurtured that reputation?- Not at all, not at all.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06I'm just a guy from the street, from the billiard hall.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08I just try and do the best I can.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14But while he may have tried his best, years later,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Jimmy revealed that his demons did get in the way of success,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21and were much more serious than people realised at the time.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27I was always a big drinker.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30I sort of had dabbled in a bit of cocaine to carry on drinking.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34I sort of hid this for about 15 years
0:25:34 > 0:25:37from my close friends, my family.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40I'm a bit ashamed that I done that.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45I apologise to my supporters for doing that, you know,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48because I would have won, probably, ten World Championships.
0:25:48 > 0:25:49Ten, do you think so?
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Well, I was that good. Not being flash, you know, I was that good.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57Especially early days. But I took that path. I'm not proud of it.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00If anyone is about to ever take cocaine, just don't,
0:26:00 > 0:26:02because it can ruin your life.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05That must have, I mean, not just had an effect on your career,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07but it's got to have an effect on your marriage,
0:26:07 > 0:26:09on your family life, on your kids.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Well, I hid it very well.
0:26:11 > 0:26:16Coming from a snooker hall, you tend to be a bit tricky, you know,
0:26:16 > 0:26:17I hid it very well.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20I didn't do it at home, so as soon as I was out on the road,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22doing exhibitions, you know, gambling,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24that was when I used to take it.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Was there not drug testing, though, within snooker?
0:26:27 > 0:26:30Well, there was drug testing.
0:26:30 > 0:26:35But, with cocaine, I think it's like seven days and it's out your system.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Snooker was always my first love,
0:26:38 > 0:26:40even though I had this terrible addiction.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45I used to make sure that I had two weeks clean before I would play.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49It's so interesting hearing you say, "I apologise to my fans",
0:26:49 > 0:26:51because it matters to you, that relationship.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53They would all say, and I would certainly say,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56it's not our life you ruined, it's yours.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58It's you that could have won those things.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01It kind of makes me think that winning wasn't about winning
0:27:01 > 0:27:05for you, it was about winning for the fans, actually.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08You know, I had great support, I've still got great support,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11but I did still give 100%.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13I would spend, like,
0:27:13 > 0:27:1850 hours a week on the practice table and I would get myself ready.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22I did win ten ranking tournaments and 46 invitation tournaments.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Sounding a bit flash now.
0:27:24 > 0:27:25So, you know, I done my bit.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33A competition Jimmy did win was the final episode, in 1986,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36of the BBC snooker series Pot Black.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39The show was revived for a time in 1991,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42alongside a one-off tournament, Junior Pot Black,
0:27:42 > 0:27:44which is where most fans first encountered
0:27:44 > 0:27:46a young Ronnie O'Sullivan.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54So what's going through your mind here, Ronnie?
0:27:54 > 0:27:56You know, you're not getting any consistency here.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Well, he's covered the corner pocket with the pink, so I know if I
0:27:59 > 0:28:03pot this red, I score, because no red goes into that corner.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05If I miss it, I'm not leaving him anything,
0:28:05 > 0:28:07so that's a shot to nothing, really.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10He's moved the pink here, and it opens the pocket up for the
0:28:10 > 0:28:12three reds around there by the pink spot.
0:28:12 > 0:28:17As soon as I pot this, I had to really score a few points here.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19This is the thing that so many people underestimate
0:28:19 > 0:28:22about the game - it's thinking ahead, isn't it?
0:28:22 > 0:28:24It's just like a game of chess.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28There we go.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30That works out fine.
0:28:31 > 0:28:32How long have you been playing?
0:28:32 > 0:28:36I've been playing six years, ever since I was nine.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Well, it must seem a long time for you, then, in comparison to
0:28:39 > 0:28:41a lot of the other juniors who are taking part in the tournament.
0:28:41 > 0:28:46When can someone like yourself actually turn professional?
0:28:46 > 0:28:48You can turn professional when you're 16,
0:28:48 > 0:28:51as long as your birthday is before September.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53But that's where I'm a bit unlucky, really,
0:28:53 > 0:28:57cos I was born in December and I'm 16 three months after September,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00so it means I have to wait another year around
0:29:00 > 0:29:01until I'm 17½.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07Ronnie was unquestionably the most exciting new player
0:29:07 > 0:29:10since the Hurricane and the Whirlwind.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12A nickname was inevitable.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14And when in that first year Ronnie set a speed record for the
0:29:14 > 0:29:19fastest "best of nine frames" match, he became the Rocket.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21He then became the youngest player to qualify
0:29:21 > 0:29:23for the World Championship,
0:29:23 > 0:29:27and, in 1993, beat Stephen Hendry in the final of the UK Championship.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36And we're seeing snooker history being made here.
0:29:40 > 0:29:41Stephen Hendry...
0:29:43 > 0:29:46..18 years and 9 months,
0:29:46 > 0:29:50was the youngest winner ever at a ranking tournament.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53The Grand Prix.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55This young man is not 18 yet.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01Like all great players, John, he's finishing in style.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03I'm sure we're going to see so much of this young man
0:30:03 > 0:30:05in the next few years.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07Yes, that goes without saying.
0:30:07 > 0:30:12I'll just say to the manor born, he's relished it.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14Yes, Stephen Hendry will shake his hand.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17I know he admires Ronnie's play, we all do.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21A wonderful, wonderful exhibition by this young man.
0:30:21 > 0:30:22His first ever major tournament,
0:30:22 > 0:30:25The Royal Liver Assurance UK Championship,
0:30:25 > 0:30:27and he's done it in so much style.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29Ten frames to six.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34The 17-year-old Ronnie O'Sullivan.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36CHEERING
0:30:46 > 0:30:49The Rocket seemed unstoppable,
0:30:49 > 0:30:53and then in 1997, this happened.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57The snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan has made the fastest ever
0:30:57 > 0:31:00maximum break in the history of the game.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03He cleared the table in just five minutes 20 seconds at the
0:31:03 > 0:31:05Embassy World Championships
0:31:05 > 0:31:08and earned himself £147,000.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12"The money is not important to me", he said, "I just want to be happy".
0:31:38 > 0:31:43What a fantastic maximum break!
0:31:43 > 0:31:45Unbelievable feeling to make a 147.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47I mean, I haven't had one for ages, even in practice,
0:31:47 > 0:31:51- so just to have it in a match, and especially...- And at the Crucible.
0:31:51 > 0:31:52I mean, that's exactly what I mean.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54You can have maximums in other tournaments...
0:31:54 > 0:31:57I mean, I've never had a maximum in another tournament, you know,
0:31:57 > 0:31:59there's only one venue as far as snooker's concerned,
0:31:59 > 0:32:00and that's Sheffield.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06That incredible feat had the snooker world in awe,
0:32:06 > 0:32:08but like Higgins and White,
0:32:08 > 0:32:12O'Sullivan had problems with addiction and depression.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14Was there a chance that you felt that you might almost
0:32:14 > 0:32:17- self-destruct a few seasons ago? - Yeah, I was.
0:32:17 > 0:32:18I was gone at one stage.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23You know, I just couldn't control anything I was doing.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25I was just like a time bomb.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28You know, just waiting to go. I went. I paid the price for it.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30But I suppose something like that had to happen
0:32:30 > 0:32:34for me to realise that I was going down the wrong road.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36As soon as that World Championships was over,
0:32:36 > 0:32:39there were ups and downs in that tournament,
0:32:39 > 0:32:41I realised after then that I had to sort myself out,
0:32:41 > 0:32:43because I was never like that as a youngster.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45Did you get advice from senior pros?
0:32:45 > 0:32:48Did you talk to people like Jimmy and say, "What do you reckon"?
0:32:48 > 0:32:49Well, Jimmy's always been top man for me,
0:32:49 > 0:32:51ever since I turned professional.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54I remember going to a tournament at the World Masters,
0:32:54 > 0:32:56and every other snooker player there...
0:32:56 > 0:32:57I'm not saying they were above themselves,
0:32:57 > 0:32:59but he was the only person to come over to me
0:32:59 > 0:33:01and shake my hand and says, "Hello, I'm Jimmy White".
0:33:01 > 0:33:04I said, "Well, I know who you are", you know what I mean?
0:33:04 > 0:33:06"I'm Ronnie O'Sullivan".
0:33:06 > 0:33:09I just buzz off that. That meant so much to me.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12He's a bit like a fath... Not a father figure, he's like a mate.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14LAUGHTER
0:33:14 > 0:33:17I mean, did you see a lot of yourself in him?
0:33:17 > 0:33:19Absolutely.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21I mean, I've been tagged as the most natural player in the world.
0:33:21 > 0:33:22You just watch Ronnie's game,
0:33:22 > 0:33:25he's just like exactly how I used to play ten years ago.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29I still play fast, but, you know, I think about a few shots now,
0:33:29 > 0:33:30I see the value in them.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32Ronnie just gets down, does the business.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34That's what the game needs and loves.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39And all Ronnie's achievements seemed even more impressive
0:33:39 > 0:33:42when, at the same time, his father was serving
0:33:42 > 0:33:44an 18-year jail sentence for murder.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48What was it like growing up in your family?
0:33:48 > 0:33:52Amazing. I mean, I was just given every opportunity,
0:33:52 > 0:33:58everything I needed - love, care, support, confidence,
0:33:58 > 0:34:03- the greatest mentor that I could ever have.- That was your dad?- Yeah.
0:34:03 > 0:34:04So I was...
0:34:04 > 0:34:06I probably underachieved,
0:34:06 > 0:34:08considering all that I was given as a kid.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12- You think you've underachieved in life?- Considering what I was...
0:34:12 > 0:34:13Yeah, I do,
0:34:13 > 0:34:17on the basis of what I've won.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21If you look at the hard facts of what I've won as a competitor,
0:34:21 > 0:34:23I believe I've definitely underachieved.
0:34:23 > 0:34:28You're 15 years old, your dad is going to spend 18 years in jail.
0:34:28 > 0:34:29- Obviously he's your hero.- Mm.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32You could have completely gone off the rails at that point.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35Yeah, but then I could have completely... Well, I did.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37I did for a certain amount of time.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39But not completely, at that point.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41You still carried on with your snooker, didn't you?
0:34:41 > 0:34:45Yeah, cos it's otherwise that thing of if I didn't, then I was
0:34:45 > 0:34:46going to be...
0:34:46 > 0:34:49I felt the responsibility in a way that if I failed,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52then my dad would have felt the responsibility...
0:34:52 > 0:34:55That the reason that I failed was what happened to him.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57I couldn't allow that to happen.
0:34:57 > 0:34:58I can't wait to get in there.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00It's been about six weeks since I last seen him.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03- How do you think he's going to react?- I don't know.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06I think we'll both be a little bit emotional, but as I say,
0:35:06 > 0:35:10he's always said to me, "Be strong", and that's how I'm a man.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13I'm just going to try and behave like a man.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16Let's go back to when you started playing snooker.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18At what point, as a kid, did you think,
0:35:18 > 0:35:22"I'm a little bit special at this. I've got a talent"?
0:35:22 > 0:35:24I thought that I was good when I was about ten.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27- That's when you got your first century.- I got my first century.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29I thought, you know, there's obviously some talent there,
0:35:29 > 0:35:31but I just love playing.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34I just absolutely love playing.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38That's when I started to realise that I could possibly be
0:35:38 > 0:35:41a professional or I had dreams.
0:35:41 > 0:35:42Dreams then turned into,
0:35:42 > 0:35:45"Oh, hold on, you know, I could actually make it" when I was about
0:35:45 > 0:35:5013, 14, because I was pretty much the dominant amateur player
0:35:50 > 0:35:52at 13 or 14.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56I'd turn up, there'd be 130 players in the room, and I'd walk in
0:35:56 > 0:35:59the room and you could just see them go, "He's here again". I never...
0:35:59 > 0:36:02I'd never see that, but I felt it.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05Peter Ebdon at the top of their game, they were like 21,
0:36:05 > 0:36:07I was only 13. They didn't want to play me.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09You thought that was your pinnacle around then.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11Yeah, I kind of thought, "This is it",
0:36:11 > 0:36:13I can't get any better than I was then, because I didn't feel
0:36:13 > 0:36:16like I could miss and I didn't feel like I could get beat.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19If I did get beat, I was so disappointed that I'd come
0:36:19 > 0:36:20back the next week and I'd just have to win.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22Did you love winning at this point?
0:36:22 > 0:36:25Because you've said since that winning doesn't give you
0:36:25 > 0:36:27- what you think it should. - Yeah, I used to love it.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31I used to get disappointed if I never got given a trophy.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33They'd give me money and I'd be like, "Where's my trophy?"
0:36:33 > 0:36:35It was all about the trophy.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39He's had numerous run-ins with the snooker authorities.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42I would like to apologise most sincerely.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45Hitting an official, lewd comments at a press conference in China,
0:36:45 > 0:36:49walking out of a match, allegedly breaking his cue tip to get
0:36:49 > 0:36:51a 15-minute break to name but a few.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53At the '96 World Championships,
0:36:53 > 0:36:56he was accused of disrespecting his opponent.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58..all that left-handed practice.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00When you make your break, do you see..
0:37:00 > 0:37:05Is it visual, is it your hands, what jumps into operation first?
0:37:05 > 0:37:07I just see big pockets.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11I see balls that are light.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14I can see that I can make them do whatever I want them to do.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17I see cushions and I see them cushions as a way of
0:37:17 > 0:37:19me getting around this area.
0:37:19 > 0:37:24I just see every part of the table as a help, even the knuckles.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26- I can use that knuckle...- Always? Is this how you always see...?
0:37:26 > 0:37:30- Not always, sometimes. - Do the pockets shrink?- Yes.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32That's when you're in trouble!
0:37:32 > 0:37:35That's when the game becomes difficult and hard.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37But that's probably the easiest way of explaining what it feels
0:37:37 > 0:37:39like when you're at one with the game.
0:37:39 > 0:37:40You see the table and you think,
0:37:40 > 0:37:42"Right, OK, I know what I'm going to do here."
0:37:42 > 0:37:44Sometimes you know that you can pot it, but you just think,
0:37:44 > 0:37:47"No, I'm just going to play safe a bit. I'm going to make them suffer.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50"I'm going to slowly do him today."
0:37:50 > 0:37:53- So you kind of play with it, you know?- Is that as satisfying?
0:37:53 > 0:37:56Oh, it's amazing. It's the greatest feeling.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00Have you ever wished that your genius, your brilliance,
0:38:00 > 0:38:02had been in another sport?
0:38:02 > 0:38:06Yeah. Oh, I'd have loved to have been Federer or Tiger. Cor!
0:38:06 > 0:38:08Yeah, but what do you love about them, because they've just
0:38:08 > 0:38:11dominated a sport...which you could?
0:38:11 > 0:38:14Yeah, but it's the sport, isn't it?
0:38:14 > 0:38:17Tennis is, like, a one-off.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20I think snooker is a very hard game where you're sitting there,
0:38:20 > 0:38:23you have to sit in your chair and be with yourself and be with
0:38:23 > 0:38:25your mind, whereas tennis, it's a reaction sport.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27You're in control of what you do,
0:38:27 > 0:38:29but snooker is not that type of game.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31You've got to sit there and you've got to be a gentleman,
0:38:31 > 0:38:33you've got to be, "Oh, yeah, yeah.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36"A miss and he'll play another ten attempts."
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Do people really want to watch it? I mean, come on!
0:38:40 > 0:38:43He's the biggest star snooker currently has,
0:38:43 > 0:38:45possibly the best player of all time.
0:38:45 > 0:38:50And, as this clip underlines, also a great entertainer.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52OK, right, now, you see,
0:38:52 > 0:38:55the thing is what we've got here is a snooker table,
0:38:55 > 0:38:57or as Richard Hammond said when he arrived here this morning,
0:38:57 > 0:39:01- "Crikey, a football pitch." - LAUGHTER
0:39:01 > 0:39:05As you can see, we've got four red balls there.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08What we were wondering is can you sink everything on this table,
0:39:08 > 0:39:09that's how many balls?
0:39:09 > 0:39:17- 14.- 14 balls faster than the Stig can get round the lap?
0:39:17 > 0:39:20OK? Now normally at the Crucible,
0:39:20 > 0:39:24if somebody's mobile phone goes off, big distraction, what happens?
0:39:24 > 0:39:27- They get thrown out.- They get thrown out because that's a distraction.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31We've got a slightly...bigger distraction than that for you.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35Would you like to have a look at what car the Stig is going to
0:39:35 > 0:39:37be driving while you do this?
0:39:37 > 0:39:40Turn around, on that telly, can we show it? What is that?
0:39:43 > 0:39:46It's his...
0:39:46 > 0:39:48LAUGHTER
0:39:48 > 0:39:50..Mercedes SL.
0:39:56 > 0:40:01They actually did the same thing to me once, just nicked the car.
0:40:01 > 0:40:02All right, so here we go.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04- We reckon that car, because it is only a 500...- Hmm.
0:40:04 > 0:40:10..it's not going to be that fast. We reckon about 1:35, 1:40.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13- 14 balls in 1 minute 40 seconds, do you reckon?- No, I don't know.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
0:40:16 > 0:40:17Go on, Ronnie!
0:40:17 > 0:40:19Let's give it a whirl.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22You're allowed to take the break and be satisfied with the position
0:40:22 > 0:40:24of the reds before we start the clock, OK?
0:40:24 > 0:40:26Here we go.
0:40:26 > 0:40:31- You've missed. Oh, no, wait.- Yeah, I'll take that.- You'll take that.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33OK, so, right, here we go.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
0:40:35 > 0:40:36Ronnie, hold on. I'll start you.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Three, two, one, go!
0:40:40 > 0:40:42He's got one in.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46Oh, there's a lot of tyre smoke there, Ronnie, and it's your tyres.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50Try not to be put off. He's coming up to the first corner now.
0:40:50 > 0:40:51- TYRES SQUEAL - Oh, my word!
0:40:51 > 0:40:53He's got a bit of backspin there.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58He's off, he's off the track. He's off the track. Here we go.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02Now, where's he got to? He's coming up to Chicago now.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04Let's have a look at what he's doing.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06He's not got much power to play with.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09No, no.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12Backspin nearly off again. How's he going here? One more...
0:41:12 > 0:41:13No, he's on the pink.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17One more red to go, as the Stig is now heading toward the Hammerhead.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22Go on, get out the way! The world's worst referee brought in.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26Here we go, right, that's all the reds gone. The Stig is now...
0:41:26 > 0:41:28He really is, he's got understeer.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34Don't look at the screen, man, it's going to slow you down.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36He's fighting, he's wrestling.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38OK, he's coming up now to the Follow-through.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42This is where you had the problem. Green's gone. Here comes the brown.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45He's coming up now. He's really moving.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51He's nearly off the track there. Go on, Stig.
0:41:51 > 0:41:52Go on, Stiggy!
0:41:54 > 0:41:57He's going through.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59He's going to miss. It's in.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02The Stig is going... Second to the last corner.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04He's on the second-to-last corner.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07You missed! He's coming up to the last corner... Yes!
0:42:11 > 0:42:13Whoa, boy!
0:42:13 > 0:42:15Oh, look at that.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19Now he can cross the line.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22Ladies and gentlemen, Ronnie O'Sullivan!
0:42:25 > 0:42:28Fantastic!
0:42:28 > 0:42:31Your fan base comes from the way you've played the game,
0:42:31 > 0:42:36how you attack the game, you know, the flair, that's my style of play.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40That's Ronnie's style of play. There was Higgins had that as well.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44Here we go, black in the top left-hand pocket.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47Is snooker lacking more of those characters coming through?
0:42:47 > 0:42:49If Ronnie O'Sullivan was to walk away from snooker,
0:42:49 > 0:42:52what would that do to the sport?
0:42:52 > 0:42:56Great question. I think snooker would be in serious trouble.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58Snooker is played by a lot of people who,
0:42:58 > 0:43:01you know, find the sport very difficult, but are intrigued by it.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03When they see the likes of O'Sullivan, it just,
0:43:03 > 0:43:05you know, gives them that extra buzz.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07He's just magical to watch.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13The Hurricane blew himself out.
0:43:13 > 0:43:14The Whirlwind died down,
0:43:14 > 0:43:17and someday the Rocket will stop firing too,
0:43:17 > 0:43:22but these giants of the green baize, three kindred spirits,
0:43:22 > 0:43:25will never be forgotten by lovers of the game worldwide.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29Their combined careers have provided over 40 years of wizardry on
0:43:29 > 0:43:32the table, and drama off it.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35And for those snooker fans who love excitement over everything else,
0:43:35 > 0:43:40Alex Higgins, Jimmy White and Ronnie O'Sullivan
0:43:40 > 0:43:43will always be snooker's unholy trinity,
0:43:43 > 0:43:45and the people's champions.