The Rack Pack - snooker bio

Strange for it to be in iPlayer only.  A bit like a film going straight to DVD.

Probably interesting for snooker fans and from a nostalgia point of view.  I doubt whether it would have broader appeal.

Was a bit of a pantomime characterisation of players, particularly Steve Davis - who was shown as a half-wit.

Higgins actor couldn't get the accent/voice right.  Probably hard to sound like you smoke 80 a day if you don't.

Alot of positives on Twitter :
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https://twitter.com/hashtag/RackPack?src=hash

Produced by
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http://www.endemolshineuk.com/who-we-are/zeppotron

Thanks -- I'd have missed it otherwise. Agree with the positives except that it did seem rather like a miniseries whose three half-hour episodes had been bolted together.

Agree with @Jack Hacksaw about the portrayal of Steve Davis.

there was no mention of pi55ing in the pot plants at the crucible either, or higgins doing press conferences with black eyes etc
theres loads of stuff they didnt mention about higgins that is a real hoot

like when he was locked in an upstairs bedroom to keep him safe and he climbed out and fell.
The copper standing over him asked if he was dead to which he opened his eyes and said 'not yet but I bet you wish I was'

Or the time he had to be restrained from spearing the crowd with his cue

this was better

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2CG7JctfvU

Higgins in real life was a truly obnoxious, vitriolic individual.

haha he was great value.
The world is chock full of characterless and infinitely forgettable individuals.
You cant say higgins was any of those whether you liked him or not.

@dustybin -- there was no mention of pi55ing in the pot plants at the crucible

That was there, although I think they might have relocated the scene away from the Crucible (can't be bothered to rewatch and check).

Brilliant,and i thought the actor who played Higgins got the accent just about spot on.

I also really enjoyed this.

The scene where Alex clears up against Jimmy White in the '82 Semi's is a great couple of minutes and really well filmed.

You can see it here starting at 43 minutes in:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p03bv0t5/the-rack-pack

I watched the snooker bit and wondered if the actor was either
1. pretty good at snooker
2. had about 100 attempts at a break
3. was done on a computer where he just hit the ball close to the hole and the computer sorted the rest

Sad to hear that Bill Werbeniuk has died of heart faliure at the young age of 56. He used to sink about a gallon of lager while playing and said he needed it to steady his nerves. He even tried to claim tax relief on the money spent on lager RIP big Bill

@dustybin -- I watched the snooker bit and wondered if the actor was either
1. pretty good at snooker
2. had about 100 attempts at a break
3. was done on a computer where he just hit the ball close to the hole and the computer sorted the rest

Probably the last -- actor hits a green cue ball (because he needs to aim the cue at something) and then the computer CGIs it out and CGIs in the white cue ball and reds and colours.

Apparently not to be shown on BBC TV for a year.

Doesn't seem very fair to licence fee payers who don't have iPlayer.

dustybin 22 Jan 16 13:18 
I watched the snooker bit and wondered if the actor was either
1. pretty good at snooker
2. had about 100 attempts at a break
3. was done on a computer where he just hit the ball close to the hole and the computer sorted the rest


it was definitely cgi. and very well done too.

i enjoyed the film a lot. but although i never met him, i was left feeling that it was a quite sympathetic towards higgins portraying him as a flawed romantic genius with alcohol dependency issues rather than an alcoholic c*nt who happened to be good at snooker.

Really enjoyed it, and agree the Higgins actor was excellent.


Nerdy note to the production company.

Do a bit more research on your music charts.
"Hit me with your rhythm stick" would definitely have not been
played at a disco in 1976 as it wasn't released till 1978.

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I thought this thread was going to be about this sort of thing

Still time wit-ham. the floors yours.