1. What Inspired you to start podcasting?
There wasn’t a snooker podcast and I thought there should be one. I thought I was well placed to do it as I was on the circuit and had access to people in the sport.
2. Do you have a favourite episode of your podcast?
Probably the best guest I’ve had on was Neil Robertson. I’d arranged to speak to him after his first match at the Champion of Champions but he unexpectedly lost and I assumed he would be heading home. Instead, he agreed to do it and spoke to me for 70 minutes, talking very eloquently about every aspect of his career. Very classy guy.
3. Who is your dream guest?
It would’ve been great to have had the chance to interview Joe Davis, the first world champion who started professional snooker. It would be fascinating to know what he would think of the way snooker has become a frontline TV sport.
4. Favourite Podcast to listen to? (That isn’t yours)
The first one I ever subscribed to is still my favourite: Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode’s Film Review on Radio 5 Live.
5. Who are your top 5 Players of all time?
I’m going to cheat here and name six because I don’t want to leave out any of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Steve Davis, Mark Williams and Mark Selby. In the modern era, these are the six greats because they are all multi-times winners of the biggest events.
6. Who are the up and coming stars we should be looking out for?
There are some Chinese players who have great talent and drive, such as Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize. I would also like to see some young British talent coming through. There’s Jackson Page from Wales, who is mentored by Mark Williams, and could be one to watch.
7. How would you describe your podcast in three words?
Right on cue.
8. Favourite underdog moment?
Joe Johnson, who I now commentate with on Eurosport, winning the 1986 World Championship remains a remarkable achievement. More recently, Jordan Brown, who’d been working in a petrol station two years earlier, beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in the Welsh Open final. That was an amazing story.
9. Apart from Snooker, are there any other sports you are interested in?
My other main sporting interest is cricket, mainly Test cricket.
10. At what age did you become a fan of Snooker and was there a moment that solidified your interest?
I grew up in the 1980s and snooker was everywhere, not just tournaments on TV but in the culture. Snooker players would be on chat shows, entertainment programmes etc, and everyone knew them, so it would have been more unusual at that time to not be interested in snooker. My other passion was writing and by going into journalism I was able to join the snooker circuit and become part of the sport.
