STEVE Davis is genuinely interesting.
Back in the early eighties, nobody in Britain could be heard saying that.
But thanks to an ‘appearance’ on ITV show Spitting Image, the ironic nickname given to him on the programme stuck.
And when he brought his An Audience With show to The Shipley Club, those in attendance certainly left with that sentiment in mind.
Although no frames were played, like Davis usually would for an exhibition, Davis’ wit and humour made up for the lack of action on the baize.
Jokes ranged from quick one-liners to extraordinary tales from his playing days and celebrity exploits. One story even featured the Queen, who remarkably is a snooker fan!
The 150-minute event began in a rather emotional manner. The six-time world champion was seen paying tribute to his late father Bill on a VT recorded by the BBC when he hung his cue up back in 2016.
The excellent Chris Lovell, host of the night, then brought The Nugget out to the hundred or so in the tight-knit club which primarily focuses on snooker and bowls.
As we went through Davis’ trophy-laden career in chronological order, his recollections of the late great Alex Higgins were fascinating. It was a win over The Hurricane in the final of the 1980 UK Championship that acted as a launch pad for the mass success that followed.
Footage from BBC film The Rack Pack along with nostalgic adverts and game shows, all added to the quality of the event.
For people like myself who did not live through the swashbuckling eighties, I was shocked to see just how big a star Davis was.
He would literally be the face of anything and everything. The snooker star recalls how he and manager Barry Hearn once received a call from a coffee brand. Hearn knew Davis disliked the stuff but nevertheless struck a deal. “He would think of a number and then treble it,” laughs Davis.
Bradford hero Joe Johnson was rightly lauded and who can forget that 1985 black-ball world final, which gained almost 20 million viewers as the clock struck midnight, Mr Davis cannot!
The 64-year-old has since swapped the cue for the DJ decks and the Crucible for Glastonbury in his newfound role of DJ.
The switch is almost as remarkable as the change in personality from a shy boring milk-drinking young lad who arrived at the Lucania in Romford to the entertaining and funny legend that was seen in Shipley on Friday night.
Well done to Keith Walker and all the organisers involved who raised £175 for Prostate Cancer Research through a raffle in the interval.
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