Rise in Popularity

1969, however, a new tournament called Pot Black was launched by the BBC as a result of the introduction of colour T.V. The programme proved to be huge success and helped put snooker back into the public's view. It was successful into the 1980s when it was discontinued but a new version has been run in recent years.
The World Championship was first televised in 1973 as snooker began to grow in popularity once again. World Rankings were introduced in 1976 and in 1977 the World Championship was staged in the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield where it has been ever since. Daily television coverage of the World Championship began the following year - 1978. More money poured into the game due to the rise in popularity and a new breed of player started to emerge, like Steve Davis, who were young, serious and dedicated. Snooker reached its peak in popularity in 1985 with a titanic match in the World Championship final between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor. Davis was favourite for the match and title due to his dominance of the decade. Everything was going to plan for him when he raced into a 7-1 lead in the first session but Taylor came storming back and it eventually went to a final frame decider which was decided on the final black ball at 00.20 in the morning with Taylor being the victor. This match received a huge U.K. T.V. rating of 18.5 million