tried to watch the recent snooker, but ruined again by endless commentator yapping

[Fedupwiththeyap]

i posted about this before but the thread has been removed

cant someone tell the bbc, that if you're in a club watching a match and 2 idiots are behind you talking endlessly it's very bad manners

so why would i want that from commentators? cant they just SHUTUP THE F*** UP !!?

i dont want all my sports to become americanised endless and pointless pundit babbling.

just shutup and let people watch a gentlemans game. In a club these morons would be asked to leave.

can't this site start a petition? or can't the bbc offer a digital red-button: 'verbal diarrhea commentry free' option mode?

anyone else agree? Come on snookerforum - start a petition!!

i mean what next? endless & pintless rabbitting commentry all thru 'Last Night Of The Proms'?

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[KeithinFrance]

I don't want to be rude, but why don't you contact the BBC directly yourself if you're so incensed by the verbal diarrhea of the commentators? That's what I'd do ...

P.S. Living in France, I can only get Eurosport on TV, and the French commentator is worse than useless, so I'd quite like to have someone who knows what they're talking about, like Terry Griffiths who I've heard on on-line streaming. However, if I had to put up with it all the time ... who knows?

[xander]

Just turn off the sound lol

[Lux]

Terry Griffiths and Dennis Taylor are superb commentators who respect subtle, minimalist commentary and are very insightful of what's being played.

John Virgo's commentary is fun to listen to.

Clive Everton is redundant as a commentator.

Willie Thorne is too talkative.

There's a young bloke, a snooker pundit, presumably, who does some commentary, but he keeps talking like an annoying stepmother.

[ore]

Do you understand Russian?

[sneaky_russian]

Do you understand Russian?

I love our Russian commentator Vladimir Sinitsin!!!!
He's AWESOME!!! He tells a lot of interesting stories.

[April madness]

I love our Russian commentator Vladimir Sinitsin!!!!
He's AWESOME!!! He tells a lot of interesting stories.

omg!!! *faints* this weeks interesting stories were too much, lol

[Fedupwiththeyap]

Just turn off the sound lol

lol, tried that, it's not the same without the sound of cue and ball etc.

it's a damned shame cos i was snooker mad as a youngster, we'd never miss a televised tournament back when you could actualy watch the damned game without some ***** talking all the time.

imo it's just part of a wider general malaise unfortunately, where idiot media yuppies in London seem to think everything has to be hyped and yappied-up

the bottom line is this - if i was in the crowd and talked all the time i'd be thrown out, so why are home viewers treated to a different set of manners/ettiquette? Why is it any LESS annoying and rude for the game to be disturbed when watching at home?

[andy carson]

so what about partially sighted who want an explanation of shots on offer etc??? are they not to be given the right to be able to know whats going on????

i think you will find you are in a very very small minority as 99.99% of the people i know actually enjoy the insight you get from the commentators (Willie thorne included!!!)

[sneaky_russian]

One more thing...
If it wasn't for the commentaters I wouldn't have learned the rules!

[ore]

lol, tried that, it's not the same without the sound of cue and ball etc.

it's a damned shame cos i was snooker mad as a youngster, we'd never miss a televised tournament back when you could actualy watch the damned game without some ***** talking all the time.

imo it's just part of a wider general malaise unfortunately, where idiot media yuppies in London seem to think everything has to be hyped and yappied-up

the bottom line is this - if i was in the crowd and talked all the time i'd be thrown out, so why are home viewers treated to a different set of manners/ettiquette? Why is it any LESS annoying and rude for the game to be disturbed when watching at home?

Try Eurosport commentary or Eurosport player - that one is exactly what you want - silence with just the sound of balls and referee counting the points.

Also you could learn Russian (or some other language), and try non-English commentary - just to see how much worse it can get :)

[mick 142]

you can always turn the sound off.

[Fedupwiththeyap]

so what about partially sighted who want an explanation of shots on offer etc??? are they not to be given the right to be able to know whats going on????

i think you will find you are in a very very small minority as 99.99% of the people i know actually enjoy the insight you get from the commentators (Willie thorne included!!!)

You dont talk out loud when you read do you by any chance?

[TobyMc]

ever heard of a mute button? I like the commentating, they give good knowledge on the sport and help people who dont understand snooker, know a little bit more by talking through things.

[RGCirencester]

I like the commentary... I know many other people who like the commentary... Given the fact that the red button is now limited to a single channel on freeview why should they replace that with a commentary free option just for you???

how exactly do you expect ANYONE to get into the game (which for a sport currently struggling for sponsors and audiencess important...) when all they do is watch the balls fly round the table and listen to them go "clack" every so often?

If you are new to snooker and you switch it on, you don't know the rules, you don't know what they are doing, the commentary is the only thing that will keep you interested.

Last point... I actually like hearing the commentarys opinions during the match...

[cally]

Last point... I actually like hearing the commentarys opinions during the match...


Yip, i enjoy the commentary, i like shouting back at willie thorne for being such a........well ya know.:D.

They do speak some tosh sometimes but i wouldnt be without it, they can be quite amusing at times too. if ya dont like it turn the volume down....simples...:rolleyes:...

[Lux]

One other thing: commentary is useful when I'm occupied in the kitchen or cleaning around the house. I'd still like to listen to what's being played.

[andy carson]

You dont talk out loud when you read do you by any chance?

yeah thats good bring out the insults when you have no other reply....


its pretty simple you know, you either put yup with it if you dont like it OR you turn the sound down on the telly it aint rocket science is it????

[RocketRoy1983]

Guess its just horses for courses as I love the commentary. If im really into the match I wont even listen as ill be so engrossed into predicting the positional play that the players will play for the next and 2/3 shots ahead.

[Giggity1984]

ANY sport without the commentary would be "purer". What you're asking for, is a bit like communism, it only works in theory.

You need the commentary for all the reason sighted in the posts above. All of them are very good reasons for keeping commentary too.

Perhaps a commentary mute button would be a nice to have for people like you who want to watch it on TV as if they are there and have the "purer" experience.

I personally like all of the commentators and pundits on the snooker, they inspire everyone into having an opinion, and love em or hate em they do know what they are talking about through experience.

It could be miles worse. We could have Sid Wadell doing it! Hopefully Barry Hearn won't migrate him over to the Snooker commentary box as part of his raft of changes!!

[spike]

ANY sport without the commentary would be "purer". What you're asking for, is a bit like communism, it only works in theory.

You need the commentary for all the reason sighted in the posts above. All of them are very good reasons for keeping commentary too.

Perhaps a commentary mute button would be a nice to have for people like you who want to watch it on TV as if they are there and have the "purer" experience.

I personally like all of the commentators and pundits on the snooker, they inspire everyone into having an opinion, and love em or hate em they do know what they are talking about through experience.

It could be miles worse. We could have Sid Wadell doing it! Hopefully Barry Hearn won't migrate him over to the Snooker commentary box as part of his raft of changes!!

Sid Wadell was once interviewed by Steve Davis and was asked if he would ever consider the role as Snooker commentator if given the chance, Wadell basically said in so many words that with his (unique style of commentary) would not fit all that well with Snooker.

That's an understatement Sid.

Great commentator all the same!

[RGCirencester]

Just thought of something else... All the people listening to the commentary at the match on the bbc headsets... You say your not allowed to talk through the snooker so you would't get it if you were there... well all of the people with headsets on do...

[TobyMc]

I just remembered something, I was looking through the channels during a long frame and ended up on eurosports and there wasnt any commentary on the same match on that channel.... next time, check eurosports.

[King T]

I think commentary is essential!

Many many sports I would sometimes get put off due to the commentators (example, football, especially Arab commentators they tend to scream much), however, I never ever got bothered by english snooker commentators, it's the complete opposite! I don't enjoy watching a match without the commentary!

Whether it's Dennis, Virgo, Willie or whoever, I must say all english commentators are on a high standard. From bringing old memories, facts and analyzing the game, I mean hearing them saying that John Higgins just fix a new tip and Sullivan should've invested the opportunity and made him have 2nd thoughts about that, that is a very interesting fact to know and the best time to hear it is during the match.

Many times I open snooker vid matches on youtube, open 10 frames at a time and wait for so long till they complete loading. Believe it or not, many times I stop watching the game after a frame or so just because the commentary is not english and I can't get what they're saying.

[missneworleans]

I like British commentators more...
The best ones for me are Clive, Dennis, Ken , Neal and Terry

[missneworleans]

Many times I open snooker vid matches on youtube, open 10 frames at a time and wait for so long till they complete loading. Believe it or not, many times I stop watching the game after a frame or so just because the commentary is not english and I can't get what they're saying.
yep!
It's quite boring to watch sports without commentary
Chinese commentators are very funny shame I can't understand what they are saying
Chinese comments+english subtitles=LOL:D

[King T]

yep!
It's quite boring to watch sports without commentary
Chinese commentators are very funny shame I can't understand what they are saying
Chinese comments+english subtitles=LOL:D

Hahaha yeah! Sometimes they upload videos captured from Eurosports but the commentator is french\german I am not sure really, the only thing I can understand is when he screams sullivaaana! :D

[Fedupwiththeyap]

yes commentary is essential - but not talking inappropriately & all thru the game. The recent bbc2 snooker i tuned into, and the first game i saw had normal 'old skool' levels of commentary, and i thought "ah yes! they arent over-talking, i can watch the game" and it was bloody great!!

Then I tuned in the next night - different commentators were rabbitting like madmen, and i switched off after about 3 minutes.

Look people, hardcore fans giving each other props & mutual agreement is utterly meaningless as a measure - cos hardcore fans will support the sport whatever - but i'm just a casual punter of the type that used to swell the viewing figures of snooker. real fans i supose arent going to be put off if the sport modernises towards vulgar, but i am bothered by the lack of adherence to the rules of snooker ettiquette on TV, and surely snooker needs casual punters as well as hardcore fans to get good viewing numbers doesnt it?

it doesnt bother me if snooker dissapears from regular tv, cos in it's current state i cant watch it anyway, but i can see the 'quality' corporate sponsorship for myself..... "Pukka Pies"... yes, very hi-end branding!

Pukka Pies? come on guys, get real for a moment!, snooker used to be a hi-end game, approved by hi-end corporate sponsors, i dont think such sponsors are attracted to a darts-style image of the game. So who will the sponsor be next year? White Lightning Cider? What next? RUSTLERS BURGERS?... (Nought to tasty in 60 seconds!). it's just tatty & low end chav nonsense. If the sport wants to attract hi-end blue-chip sponsors like banks etc then they need to drag snooker back to being a gentlemans game.



It's about ettiquette see (imo), so lets just look at that ettiqutte a moment shall we?


Some people might be modernisers and want snooker players to eventualy end up playing in trainers and dayglo tracksuits slathered in sponsorship logo's and perhaps they'd be fine with a 'darts' tournament style crowd interaction? Perhaps gangs of cheering, singing, opposing fans, waving comedy foam rubber snooker cues while guzzling lager is more your idea of a good way to go for snooker? I say NO!


Guys, there's a reason why they play in dinner suits, and there's a reason why you are ejected from the hall for talking or disturbing the game in anyway. it's even the same reason why you must have a foot on the floor to take a shot - gentlemens manners and ettiquette.

well some of you obviously dont understand it, or you are trying to pretend these rules of ettiquette strictly enforced in venues & at live tournaments can simply be chucked out of the window if the game is televised?

why would that be? do you think the governing body of the sport just made these stupid ettiquette rules up? No! they are manners required by both players and observers, (both to play AND watch the game) and they are there for a damned good reason!

so imo that ettiquette goes hand in hand with the image of the game - and part of that ettiquette is the style of the commentary - Commentary takes away the tension of the game when it is overdone, end of story, and it's the tension and concentration; the silence followed by release, that makes snooker so nail-biting! Talk all over it and you dont have any tension at all & you just dumb it down. SNOOKER COMMENTARY IS AN ART-FORM, you cant just blabber in the gaps, that's not how it works, it is a serious skill few have anymore, the commentary has to support the tension and that 'cut the air with a knife' atmosphere. Yap all over it and all that magical tension is gone.

I worry that they are (in desperation) pushing snooker towards a common, chav-y appeal, which eventualy will drag it down to such a low level it'll lose it's high-end image forever.

It doesnt always work tho does it this modernisation. tv advertising has collapsed as a consequence of it.

at the end of the day andy, you are right - i do turn off. shame tho innit if casual punters turn off. I asked if you talk out loud when you read because obviously (hopefuly) you dont, who would? and it's the same here. it's not what is required.


final question is this - which of you would attend a tournament and put up with 2 blokes talking all thru it in the next seats? i cant see why with modern digital tv, that those of us without sky cant just watch and have an option to remove the commentary if it is too intrusive.

and dont pretend there's no problem with the sport guys.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/285551-the-sport-of-snooker-another-one-bites-the-dust

If they change snooker into chav style yapping rubbish in a desperate attempt to try and drag in some extra viewers, then your hi-end corporate people switch-off cos they see snooker has become common and tatty.

the image/class/status of the game is at risk if you dumb it down to daytime tv style yappy rubbish.

discuss

[andy carson]

you go on and on about the ettiquite but you forgot one essential part...

the commentators are sat in a sandproofed box so thier voices are not heard at the tables by the players...

as you said you are a casual fan, so why not sit and actually listen to the commentators and what they are saying about shots, it might help you understand it more than you think....

[tomah]

Listen to Irish football pundits on RTE and you'll think even the chattiest English snooker commentator is almost silent in comparison!!

[Acrowot]

Most of the commentators are ok, but Willie Thorne is a complete pain and talks too much drivel! Turning sound off does not really make it any better either, as that means cannot hear the balls connecting or what the other commentator is saying.

[spike]

Most of the commentators are ok, but Willie Thorne is a complete pain and talks too much drivel! Turning sound off does not really make it any better either, as that means cannot hear the balls connecting or what the other commentator is saying.

Why not try switching over to Eurosport instead..

[foulandamister]

I find most of the commentary fun. I prefer some over others, but all in all I'd rather have them than not. They range from the technical (Davis) to the surreal(Virgo). For comparison, the best golf commentator is still Peter Allis, since he can wander off and talk about something irrelevant he sees on camera, but will focus back when something interesting is happening.
Same in snooker, just have to get the balance right.

[andy carson]

I find most of the commentary fun. I prefer some over others, but all in all I'd rather have them than not. They range from the technical (Davis) to the surreal(Virgo). For comparison, the best golf commentator is still Peter Allis, since he can wander off and talk about something irrelevant he sees on camera, but will focus back when something interesting is happening.
Same in snooker, just have to get the balance right.

liked the comment from davis yesterday, "dont believe everything you rad in the text books" with ryan days' grip

[jonplayer]

so what about partially sighted who want an explanation of shots on offer etc??? are they not to be given the right to be able to know whats going on????

i think you will find you are in a very very small minority as 99.99% of the people i know actually enjoy the insight you get from the commentators (Willie thorne included!!!)

Your right about being a minority, but it's not a 0.01% minority. I think that they talk to much too, commentary can be interesting and informative but these guys (mainly Willie) talk constantly!

For me it spoils the match a bit.

I'd like the BBC to have a red button option to just hear the sounds of the game, i.e turning off the commentary.

[cally]

I'd like the BBC to have a red button option to just hear the sounds of the game, i.e turning off the commentary.


I was thinking about the different options the beeb could offer on the red button last week.

Why cant they do it like they have done football/cricket etc in the past...

Remember when watching footy you could select different camera views, you could select different commentary or just select the crowd noise.

I'd like to see similar things on the red button with snooker.

A few cam options on the red button would be great, like top view of the table, pocketcam, and Playercam would be cool,...:D

And a choice of commentary/crowd noise....:cool:.

[Freddie Ng]

Its true that some commentators spoils the mood.
But there are many others can be informative and interesting.

Other than turning of the commentary, maybe we can try view in other channel with different language. At least we can still get the ball sound rather than nothing.

"Watch it LIVE" is the best..

Cheers :)

[ThePhantomPotter]

I actually enjoy most of the commentators and the differing approaches. Dennis Taylor is the best of the BBC crew by a country mile.

BUT I can't stand Willie Thorne. He thinks everyone loves him when a lot of us can't stand him. Too much of his commentary is about him, not about the match he is supposedly watching. Is he that self-centered in real life?

if anyone wants to start up a fund to kidnap the not-so-great WT and have a surgeon perform some kind of vocal chord removal operation on him, put me down for £20:D

[Acrowot]

You have a good sense of humour ThePhantomPotter - lol
Here is another 20
:snooker:

[goku]

i think the commentary is brilliant apart from when they start to pin point celebrities in the crowed.... so what!!!!!
commentary in snooker has come along way with the help of hawk eye, still images for balls being re-positioned and lines being put on the screen to indicate how to get out of a snooker safely. me personally have also found commentary to be educational when it comes to, say,landing high or low on the black to go into the pack or running the cue ball into another ball to hold position and so forth...... suppose abit of banter within the commentary box isn't such a bad thing either.

[hotpot]

What do you guys think of Morgan and Griffiths , I think theyr great together Morgan is very knowledgeable and is more or less spot on with players shot selection , and griffiths is so whitty . Great to hear Griffiths complimenting some of the past and present welsh amateurs that club players like myself know and have played against , like Terry Parsons Geoff Thomas , Alwyn Lloyd etc , he certainly has,nt forgotten his grass roots . I would like to see more of these two in other tournaments .

[ThePhantomPotter]

I thought Darren Morgan was excellent at the Welsh. Informative, knowledgable and not wittering on about nothing at all. It would be good if the beeb could use him in other events but they seem to have their sights set on ken doherty at the moment who strikes me as an excellent studio guest but not sure about him commentating.

[hotpot]

I thought Darren Morgan was excellent at the Welsh. Informative, knowledgable and not wittering on about nothing at all. It would be good if the beeb could use him in other events but they seem to have their sights set on ken doherty at the moment who strikes me as an excellent studio guest but not sure about him commentating.

Yea apart from his knowledge theres something about his voice that just makes you want to listen and you always capture what he,s said , like you said some just waffle on and in the end you dont listen to everything their saying , but he seems to pick the exact moment when and when not to say something . Morgan deffo my fav , a breath of fresh air to to game . We need moe of him .

[extractingTHEmichael]

For me, the commentators all have good knowledge and can help to explain aspects of the game that the average Joe might not realise. I do agree that they can go off on a tangent sometimes or simply speak obnoxiously frequently.

When I watch Stephen Hendry play, all the commentators seem to talk about is how he's not the player he used to be and get all high and mighty when he misses a pot or goes out of position - like you don't see any other top professional make a mistake.

The current commentary on BBC seems to have an imbalance of useful explanation and general waffle.

Where I feel commentary does work is when you have 1 former top professional player and 1 more media/journalism based commentator together to strike this balance. Just think of the Eurosport commentary with Dave Hendon and Joe Johnson/Mike Hallett. Or when Clive Everton used to commentate for the BBC.

[hotpot]

For me, the commentators all have good knowledge and can help to explain aspects of the game that the average Joe might not realise. I do agree that they can go off on a tangent sometimes or simply speak obnoxiously frequently.

When I watch Stephen Hendry play, all the commentators seem to talk about is how he's not the player he used to be and get all high and mighty when he misses a pot or goes out of position - like you don't see any other top professional make a mistake.

The current commentary on BBC seems to have an imbalance of useful explanation and general waffle.

Where I feel commentary does work is when you have 1 former top professional player and 1 more media/journalism based commentator together to strike this balance. Just think of the Eurosport commentary with Dave Hendon and Joe Johnson/Mike Hallett. Or when Clive Everton used to commentate for the BBC.

I feel sorry for Dave Hendon on times obviously he no clue about snooker what so ever and i think his co commentators are embarrased for him , quite like his voice though .

[timseal]

I am getting pretty annoyed with the commentary.
They repeat themselves an awful lot. I can predict what they are going to say sometimes - someone (no, it wasn't Maguire) knocked the cushion after missing an easy ball.. I knew that Michael Holt was going to be mentioned shortly afterwards. They talked about him like it was the first time they'd ever had that conversation.
Virgo is the worst, he makes a lot of mistakes. (I find myself grumbling "No John, the black WILL pot, it is quite obvious..")
Griffiths and Taylor are probably the best.
Do you think the BBC are trying to make it more of a Test Match Special kind of thing? I love TMS but that stuff won't work for snooker. It's not that kind of game.

Oh, and Eurosport (the British commentary anyway) is far worse in my opinion. It sounds like they are under a mandate to keep talking as much as possible, whether they have anything decent to say or not.

[magicman]

Commentating is a goldilocks scenario where it needs to be 'just right.' Willie is knowledgable but talks incessantly, Virgo makes too many mistakes, and generally whoever is talking less is more imo. What irritates me is when the camera angle alters to see the object ball dropping into the pocket when the huge amount of side or controlled path of the white is the 'interesting' part of the shot. So many times we see a cut away when I want to see the cueball Sometimes a pocket camera is fine if the white is just stunning off for position, but twenty times a frame we miss the level of control shown by the players on the cueball because the director doesn't know snooker!

[timseal]

What irritates me is when the camera angle alters to see the object ball dropping into the pocket when the huge amount of side or controlled path of the white is the 'interesting' part of the shot. So many times we see a cut away when I want to see the cueball Sometimes a pocket camera is fine if the white is just stunning off for position, but twenty times a frame we miss the level of control shown by the players on the cueball because the director doesn't know snooker!

YES. I couldn't agree more.
The worst example is the closeup shot of a ball as it rolls across the cloth, from the side angle! It's surely very difficult camera work, but absolutely pointless as the viewer sees no context at all. The whole crowd can see what is happening, but on TV we don't have a clue until the last tenth of a second when the pocket leaps into view.

It happens on cricket too, someone hits a ball towards the boundary but the TV keeps us in suspense by not revealing a fielder's presence until the last possible moment.

Surely TV is supposed to be able to give us a better view, not creating false suspense to trick us into finding it exciting?

They have a great overhead camera that gets about one minute of air time per tournament. I suggest that viewers would benefit from a lot more use of this kind of perspective.

And, as we all know, don't move on the shot until the ball goes in the pocket!

(disclaimer: I've been fuming about this for a while, but not had an appropriate chance to vent.)

[the montrealer]

hi i like the comments made by Dennis Taylor he certainly knows which shot the player is about to play and very funny at times.

[magicman]

I'll qualify what I'm about to say by commenting that I like the humour shown by presenters/commentators, BUT there are situations occurring now when the crowd laugh when a player is at the table. This must be disconcerting for the pro and I've seen players actually on the shot, feathering the cueball, when the audience spontaneously erupt into laughter because of some commentators quip. Well out or order imo. Keep the humour by all means, but be aware of when it's appropriate to share your wit with the world!

[Nigel1982]

I've watched snooker on both BBC and Eurosport (UK version) and the commentary on BBC is better by a country mile. It's embarrassing listening to the commentary on Eurosport as time and time again they keep calling the next shot wrong.

In a sport like Darts, it's okay to have someone like Sid Waddell (even though i'm not a huge fan of him myself) because the sport is fast paced and it doesn't require too much thinking behind it. In snooker, it's so much more tactical and the average snooker fan might not be able to identify certain situations in the match, what the next shot maybe or where the player is trying to position the cue ball etc. That is why it's so important to have someone who knows what they are talking about to explain it to the casual viewer. I agree with most on here that Dennis Taylor is a fantastic commentator and so is some of the others such as Terry Griffiths, John Virgo, Steve Davis and even Ken Doherty. For me, I want the commentator to explain why a particular shot is good or bad, why a player played one shot rather than another. It's good to have a professional/ex-pro's point of view for me to gain an insight as to what a pro might be thinking in a certain situation.

Willie Thorne on the other hand, is a terrible commentator. I really don't need to hear from him in every tournament about how good a player he was on the practice table. It's not about you Willie.

[Harv]

Willie 'full ball contact' Thorne is a legend. Every time we go to the masters we end up chatting to him in the bookies lol

Also when he commentates nearly every shot is 'wrong' then when it works and the player has perfect position he's like 'oh well this time it turned out ok'

LMAO legend.

[Sayaka]

I cannot bear John Virgo, he wrecks every frame for me with his stupid "WHERE'S THE CUE BALL GOING?!", and wittering on and on and on incessantly. If there are two matches on at the same time, I use him to decide which one to watch - ie the one he isn't commentating on. In the last Worlds he made some terrible personal comments about Stephen Hendry about how he was too old etc - just before Stephen did his wonderful 147 which shut Virgo up for once (hooray!)

Dennis Taylor on the other hand is excellent - I love his commentary. Very knowledgeable and knows when to be quiet to allow us to enjoy a good break-build etc.

[brendan147]

Dennis Taylor on the other hand is excellent - I love his commentary. Very knowledgeable and knows when to be quiet to allow us to enjoy a good break-build etc.

He is former World Champion and he know what he want to talk about/silent. It is the best when he do the commentary together with Steve Davis.

Keep it up Taylor...!!!

[legod]

I love the commentary and I think Willie Thorne is great. :D
Can't understand what all the fuss is about.

[csmarkus]

For me, the commentary produces 50-60% of the value. I like them all, Mike Hallett and Joe Johnson on Eurosport and all the former players commentating on BBC. Unfortunately, I can only receive Eurosport with Hungarian commentary and it is a joke for anyone knowing a little about the game.

So, if anyone is unsatisfied with the BBC commentary, send the sound to me please. ;)

[cantpotforshíte]

John Virgo is the only one that I absoutely cannot listen to. My cat knows more about snooker than he does. Like another poster mentioned here, I find myself constantly talking back at the TV - 'No it won't', 'No he isn't', 'Actually you're wrong again- he's not playing for that ...' And he doesn't know when to shut up and let the play do the talking. Truly abysmal commentator.

I can bear Willie Thorne because he calls the shots, from a break building perspective, very well indeed. It's a pity about his conceit/insecurities or whatever it is that makes him so overly critical - that can be a bit onerous at times.

The rest of the bunch, I like.
Everton and Griffiths are pure class. Taylor is good, And I'm hoping to hear a lot more from Darren Morgan. These four know when to keep quiet and let us enjoy the good stuff.

[spike]

Neil Foulds is one of my favourite commentators these days, though he has done little commentary for the BBC of late it seems. Maybe this has something to do with Ken Doherty, Steve Davis and John Parrott who are spending more time in the commentary box..

[hotpot]

I think its time for a change from Parrot and Davis now , it needs revitalising as good as they both are and are legends of the game I think its time for new faces . I would like to see a rotational systems to give all a crack at it

[jaguarf1]

I always wondered how would it be if Mike Strutter commented snooker :D

[Nigel1982]

I think its time for a change from Parrot and Davis now , it needs revitalising as good as they both are and are legends of the game I think its time for new faces . I would like to see a rotational systems to give all a crack at it

Maybe, but I really like Steve Davis' analystic style and opinions because he is one of those who when he speaks, people listen. I'm always interested to see what he has to say and seems to spot things that sometimes the match commentators don't notice. And at the end of the day, he's been there, done that and people are more likely to listen to someone who has more world championships than the rest of the commentators combined.

I agree a change around though would be good though, who does everyone think would be the next pro/ex-pro to try his hand on the mic..

[hotpot]

Love to see the Whirlwind have a go , the peoples favourite

[spike]

Love to see the Whirlwind have a go , the peoples favourite

Nothing against Jimmy but i doubt if he would be any better than Davis, Parrott and Doherty. Just IMO of course..

[magicman]

John Virgo is the only one that I absoutely cannot listen to. My cat knows more about snooker than he does. Like another poster mentioned here, I find myself constantly talking back at the TV - 'No it won't', 'No he isn't', 'Actually you're wrong again- he's not playing for that ...' And he doesn't know when to shut up and let the play do the talking. Truly abysmal commentator.

I can bear Willie Thorne because he calls the shots, from a break building perspective, very well indeed. It's a pity about his conceit/insecurities or whatever it is that makes him so overly critical - that can be a bit onerous at times.

The rest of the bunch, I like.
Everton and Griffiths are pure class. Taylor is good, And I'm hoping to hear a lot more from Darren Morgan. These four know when to keep quiet and let us enjoy the good stuff.

Apart from the fact that I haven't got a cat I couldn't have put it better myself!