Returning after the success of last year is our inconspicuous snooker aficionado, Free Ball.
Throughout the World Championship, this unnamed follower of our beloved sport will provide a few musings on some of the not so well documented happenings in Sheffield – mostly from the luxury of his/her own settee.
The main talking points obviously surround the snooker played in the arena but there’s plenty of other things, both useful and useless, to take note of during a tournament of this extremity and length.
Read below for the latest offering, but who is behind the Free Ball?
Broadcasting Memoranda
By Free Ball
In the note passed to all BBC employees before a hectic and lengthy World Championship:
- Ensure all live televised sessions begin at least 10 minutes late.
- Priority must go towards repeated player profile videos, punditry, idle studio banter, et al.
- Peter Ebdon’s incessant commentary throughout frames an imperative.
- If two mid-session intervals have completed relatively succinctly, broadcast replay of previous frames while live play of both matches resume.
- If main broadcasting channel decides to switch from one live match to another, secondary channel (Red Button) may be allowed a considerable amount of time until viewer is given choice of matches.
- If aforementioned secondary channel’s coverage of session completes, display match stats for too long before switching to the other table.
- In brief highlights broadcast each evening, spend as much time as possible away from actual match action and insightful post match interviews with players.
You obviously get irritated by exactly the same BBC actions as I do………… 🙁