 Taylor in 2004 | |
| Born | (1949-01-19)19 January 1949 (age 76) Coalisland,County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
|---|---|
| Sport country |  Northern Ireland |
| Professional | 1972–2000 |
| Highestranking | 2 (1979/1980) |
| Tournament wins | |
| Ranking | 2 |
| World Champion | 1985 |
Dennis Taylor (born 19 January 1949) is a Northern Irish retired professionalsnooker player and current commentator. He turned professional in 1972 and won the1985 World Snooker Championship, in which he lost the first eight frames ofthe final to defending championSteve Davis but recovered to win 18–17 in a duel on the lastblack ball. The final's conclusion attracted 18.5 million viewers, setting UK viewership records for any post-midnight broadcast and for any broadcast onBBC Two that still stand.
Taylor had previously been runner-up at the1979 World Snooker Championship, where he lost the final 16–24 toTerry Griffiths. He attained his highestworld ranking in1979–1980, when he was second. He won one other ranking title at the1984 Grand Prix, where he defeatedCliff Thorburn 10–2 in the final. He reached two otherGrand Prix finals but lost 9–10 to Davis in1985 and 7–10 toStephen Hendry in1987. He won the invitational1987 Masters, defeatingAlex Higgins 9–8 in the final. He made the highestbreak of his career at the1987 Carling Challenge, a 141.
Beginning in 1983, Taylor wore distinctive glasses during his matches. Designed byJack Karnehm specifically for playing snooker, they were often described as looking upside-down. Taylor began commentating on the sport in the 1980s and has been a regular commentator onBBC snooker broadcasts since his retirement from the professional tour in 2000. He competed on theWorld Seniors Tour until he announced the end of his competitive playing career in 2021, aged 72. Outside snooker, he appeared on the third series ofStrictly Come Dancing, finishing eighth alongside dance partnerIzabela Hannah.
Born on 19 January 1949 inCoalisland, Northern Ireland, Dennis James Taylor was the son of a lorry driver, and had six siblings.[1][2][3] In 1966, Taylor left Coalisland to look for work in England and moved in with his aunt nearBlackburn. He landed a job cutting out carpet patterns for cars, but left abruptly after nearly severing his little finger. He then worked 12-hour shifts at the Waterside paper mill,[4] followed by a position as aweighbridge clerk and then for Relayvision, a television rental firm.[5] He left his snooker cue at home, feeling he was unable to compete against more experienced English players, but found he was of equal skill at his local club. With a new cue he competed in the Blackburn league, winning the Accrington and District singles title and a Champion of Champions event. Taylor also played exhibition matches with professional and future championJohn Spencer, who praised his abilities and gave him encouragement.[6] Taylor won the 1968British Junior Billiards Championship[7] and the East Lancashire championship in 1970, which he won four times in five years. He was chosen to join the English amateur team against Wales and Scotland after making a 136 break, then a record for an amateur.[8]
Taylor turned professional in 1972.[9] That season he made his debut in theWorld Snooker Championship at the1973 event, losing 8–9 toCliff Thorburn in the first round.[10] Over the next few years, Taylor reached the semi-finals at the event in1975 where he lost 12–19 toEddie Charlton,[11] and1977, losing to Thorburn 18–16.[12] Two years later he reached the1979 final, but lost 16–24 to qualifierTerry Griffiths.[10][13] He reached his highestworld ranking for thefollowing season, second behindSteve Davis.[14][15]
He reached the semi-final for a third time in1984, losing to Davis.[16] His mother died of a heart attack as he was beginning the new season at the1984 Jameson International. He retired from the event before his quarter-final match againstSilvino Francisco.[17][18] However, he won the first ranking event of his career at the1984 Grand Prix later that year defeating Thorburn 10–2 in the final.[19]
Following his first ranking tournament victory, Taylor played in the1985 World Championship.Seeded 11th for the tournament, he defeated Francisco in the opening round 10–2,[20] Eddie Charlton 13–6 in the second round,[21] Cliff Thorburn 13–5,[22] andTony Knowles 16–5 to reach the final.[23] In thefinal, he played three-time winner and world number one Steve Davis. In the foursession match, he trailed 0–7 after the first,[24] but bounced back to trail 7–9 overnight after the second.[25] Never being ahead, he took the match to a deciding frame with the scores tied at 17–17.[26] Trailing at 62–44 to Davis in the deciding frame with fourcoloured balls remaining. He potted a longbrown ball, which he says was one of his best ever shots under pressure.[27] He also potted theblue andpink to bring the score to 62–59 with one ball, worth seven points, remaining.[28] Both players missed a shot on theblack, but it was finally potted by Taylor to win the championship.[29][30]
The final has been voted by BBC viewers as the greatest snooker match in history[31] and was broadcast to a peak audience of 18 million viewers in the United Kingdom. As of 2020[update] this is the highest viewership of any broadcast after midnight in the country, and a record for any programme shown on BBC2.[32][33][34] On his return to Northern Ireland, Taylor was awarded thekey to the city of Coalisland.[35] He also received a victory parade that 10,000 attended.[36]
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Taylor reached his fourth ranking event final at the1985 Grand Prix, later that year. He faced Davis again and went to a deciding frame, but this time was beaten 9–10. As of 2020[update] this was the longest one-day final in history with a playing time of over 10 hours.[37] Defending his world title at the1986 World Snooker Championship, Taylor lost 6–10 in the opening round toMike Hallett.[38] In 1987, Taylor reached the final of theMasters for the only time in his career, where he played countrymanAlex Higgins. Despite trailing 5–8, Taylor won the match 9–8.[39] This would be the last time a Northern Irish player won aTriple Crown event untilMark Allen won the2018 Masters.[40] Taylor made the highest break of his career, a 141,[41][42] at the1987 Carling Challenge, which he won, defeatingJoe Johnson in the final.[43]
At the1990 World Cup, Taylor, Higgins, andTommy Murphy formed a Northern Irish team.[44] After failing to win the tournament, Higgins threatened Taylor, telling him "if you ever come back to Northern Ireland I’ll have you shot".[45][46][47] Shortly afterwards they met in the quarter-finals of theIrish Masters, and a determined Taylor won 5–2.[44][45] In the next decade, his form dropped, and he fell out of the top 16 in the world rankings in 1995. Taylor retired as a professional in 2000.[13]
Alongside other players managed byBarry Hearn (known as theMatchroom mob) andChas & Dave, Taylor featured on themusic single called "Snooker Loopy".[48] The song spent 11 weeks in theUK Singles Chart in 1986, reaching a peak of sixth.[49] Taylor wore distinctive glasses during matches, which had large frames and an unusual 'upside-down' structure that enabled a player to look through the lenses even when down on a shot.[50] The spectacles were a joke in the song,[51] and also commented on byJohn Virgo in other media.[52][53] During his career, Taylor won theIrish Professional Championship on six occasions.[54]
After retiring from the Tour, Taylor played matches on theWorld Seniors Tour and has been a snooker commentator and analyst for theBBC.[55] In May 2021 after losing his match withBarry Pinches at the2021 World Seniors Championship, Taylor announced that the match was his last competitive game.[56]
On 27 April 2022, it was announced by fellow co-commentatorJohn Virgo that they had been axed by the BBC and that the2022-23 snooker season would be their last as commentators for the broadcaster.[57] However, in late 2022 the BBC production team informed Virgo that they will be commentating for the "foreseeable future".[58]
Taylor made regular guest appearances on snooker television game showBig Break.[59] In 2005 he took part in the third series ofStrictly Come Dancing, reaching eighth place with his partnerIzabela Hannah.[60][61] In February 1990, Taylor opened theRoyal Mail sorting office inBlackburn,Lancashire before playing a single-frame challenge match.[62] Taylor currently lives inLlay nearWrexham.[63] His son Damien is a professional golf coach.[64] Taylor supportsBlackburn Rovers andManchester United.[65]
| Tournament | 1972/ 73 | 1973/ 74 | 1974/ 75 | 1975/ 76 | 1976/ 77 | 1977/ 78 | 1978/ 79 | 1979/ 80 | 1980/ 81 | 1981/ 82 | 1982/ 83 | 1983/ 84 | 1984/ 85 | 1985/ 86 | 1986/ 87 | 1987/ 88 | 1988/ 89 | 1989/ 90 | 1990/ 91 | 1991/ 92 | 1992/ 93 | 1993/ 94 | 1994/ 95 | 1995/ 96 | 1996/ 97 | 1997/ 98 | 1998/ 99 | 1999/ 00 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking[66] | No ranking system | 9 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 24 | 32 | 26 | 34 | 52 | 88 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| British Open[nb 1] | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | QF | 1R | QF | 2R | 1R | 3R | QF | 2R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | LQ | LQ | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | 3R | 1R | W | F | 3R | F | SF | QF | 2R | 1R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | LQ | LQ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UK Championship | Non-Ranking Event | 2R | SF | 2R | 2R | 3R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 2R | LQ | LQ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| China Open[nb 2] | Tournament Not Held | NR | LQ | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Welsh Open | Tournament Not Held | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 2R | LQ | LQ | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malta Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | LQ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thailand Masters[nb 3] | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | Not Held | 1R | F | 3R | 2R | 1R | 1R | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scottish Open[nb 4] | Tournament Not Held | NR | QF | 2R | WD | SF | 3R | 2R | QF | 3R | Not Held | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | LQ | LQ | LQ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championship | NR | LQ | SF | QF | SF | 1R | F | 2R | QF | 1R | 2R | SF | W | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | QF | 1R | QF | 1R | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Champions Cup[nb 5] | Tournament Not Held | F | 1R | A | A | 1R | A | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scottish Masters | Tournament Not Held | A | SF | A | A | QF | A | QF | NH | 1R | A | 1R | A | 1R | A | LQ | A | LQ | A | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Masters | Not Held | A | 1R | 1R | QF | A | QF | 1R | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | QF | W | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | A | A | A | A | A | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Irish Masters[nb 6] | Not Held | A | SF | RR | 1R | A | RR | QF | QF | 1R | SF | 1R | QF | SF | 1R | 1R | F | SF | QF | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Premier League[nb 7] | Tournament Not Held | F | Not Held | RR | RR | A | RR | RR | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pontins Professional | NH | A | QF | QF | RR | RR | A | A | QF | QF | SF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Canadian Masters[nb 8] | Not Held | Non-Ranking | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking | QF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hong Kong Open[nb 9] | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | NH | QF | Tournament Not Held | NR | NR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classic | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | 1R | 1R | 3R | 1R | QF | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strachan Open | Tournament Not Held | 2R | MR | NR | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Asian Classic[nb 10] | Tournament Not Held | NR | A | 1R | QF | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | LQ | Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| European Open[nb 11] | Tournament Not Held | 2R | 1R | QF | 3R | 3R | 2R | LQ | 1R | LQ | NH | LQ | NH | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| German Open | Tournament Not Held | LQ | LQ | LQ | NR | NH | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former non-ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championship | 1R | Ranking Event | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Norwich Union Open | NH | 2R | 1R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Watney Open | Not Held | QF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Matchplay Championship | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Holsten Lager International | Tournament Not Held | QF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Golden Masters | Tournament Not Held | SF | SF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bombay International | Tournament Not Held | RR | RR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pontins Camber Sands | Tournament Not Held | F | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Champion of Champions | Tournament Not Held | A | NH | RR | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scottish Open[nb 4] | Tournament Not Held | F | Ranking Event | Not Held | Ranking Event | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Ireland Classic | Tournament Not Held | QF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classic | Tournament Not Held | QF | F | QF | 1R | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tolly Cobbold Classic | Tournament Not Held | A | F | A | F | SF | A | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UK Championship | Tournament Not Held | 2R | 2R | SF | QF | 2R | 2R | 2R | Ranking Event | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| British Open[nb 1] | Tournament Not Held | SF | SF | 2R | LQ | LQ | Ranking Event | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Costa Del Sol Classic | Tournament Not Held | W | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Singapore Masters | Tournament Not Held | A | RR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kit Kat Break for World Champions | Tournament Not Held | W | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belgian Classic | Tournament Not Held | QF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thailand Masters[nb 3] | Tournament Not Held | A | A | W | QF | Not Held | Ranking Tournament | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malaysian Masters | Tournament Not Held | A | NH | F | Tournament Not Held | A | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| China Masters | Tournament Not Held | F | SF | Tournament Not Held | A | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hong Kong Open[nb 9] | Tournament Not Held | A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | A | W | A | NH | R | Tournament Not Held | A | A | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Carling Challenge[nb 12] | Tournament Not Held | A | A | W | W | A | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tokyo Masters | Tournament Not Held | W | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Canadian Masters[nb 8] | Not Held | F | QF | A | SF | A | QF | A | Tournament Not Held | W | QF | W | R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Asian Classic[nb 13] | Tournament Not Held | QF | Ranking Event | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Matchroom Professional Championship | Tournament Not Held | SF | W | F | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Zealand Masters | Tournament Not Held | Not Held | 1R | A | QF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| London Masters | Tournament Not Held | QF | QF | A | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shoot-Out | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Norwich Union Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | SF | A | QF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Masters | Tournament Not Held | 2R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hong Kong Challenge[nb 14] | Tournament Not Held | A | A | QF | F | SF | SF | NH | A | QF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indian Challenge | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Seniors Championship | Tournament Not Held | SF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Matchplay | Tournament Not Held | QF | QF | A | QF | A | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belgian Challenge | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Irish Professional Championship | Not Held | SF | SF | F | A | A | W | W | W | F | NH | W | W | W | F | A | Not Held | SF | A | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kent Classic[nb 15] | Tournament Not Held | QF | A | A | A | A | NH | QF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| European Challenge | Tournament Not Held | QF | QF | SF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pot Black | A | A | F | F | RR | RR | A | SF | A | RR | A | QF | SF | SF | Tournament Not Held | QF | 1R | QF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seniors Pot Black | Tournament Not Held | SF | Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Performance Table Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LQ | lost in the qualifying draw | #R | lost in the early rounds of the tournament (WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin) | QF | lost in the quarter-finals |
| SF | lost in the semi-finals | F | lost in the final | W | won the tournament |
| DNQ | did not qualify for the tournament | A | did not participate in the tournament | WD | withdrew from the tournament |
| NH / Not Held | means an event was not held. | |||
| NR / Non-Ranking Event | means an event is/was no longer a ranking event. | |||
| R / Ranking Event | means an event is/was a ranking event. | |||
| Legend |
|---|
| World Championship (1–1) |
| Other (1–3) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 1979 | World Championship |  Terry Griffiths | 16–24 | [67] |
| Winner | 1. | 1984 | Grand Prix |  Cliff Thorburn | 10–2 | [67] |
| Winner | 2. | 1985 | World Championship |  Steve Davis | 18–17 | [67] |
| Runner-up | 2. | 1985 | Grand Prix | Steve Davis | 9–10 | [67] |
| Runner-up | 3. | 1987 | Grand Prix(2) |  Stephen Hendry | 7–10 | [67] |
| Runner-up | 4. | 1990 | Asian Open | Stephen Hendry | 3–9 | [67] |
| Legend |
|---|
| The Masters (1–0) |
| Other (20–20) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1980 | Pontins Camber Sands Open | Geoff Foulds | 7–5 | [79] |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Team/partner | Opponent(s) in the final | Score | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1985 | World Cup | Ireland | England | 9–7 | [80] |
| Winner | 2. | 1986 | World Cup(2) | Ireland | Canada | 9–7 | [80] |
| Winner | 3. | 1987 | World Cup(3) | Ireland | Canada | 9–2 | [80] |
| Runner-up | 1. | 1987 | World Doubles Championship | Cliff Thorburn | Mike HallettStephen Hendry | 8–12 | [81] |
| Runner-up | 2. | 1990 | World Cup | Northern Ireland | Canada | 5–9 | [82] |
Taylor
Frank Brownlow
