John Virgo: Say Goodnight, JV: My Autobiography

by John Virgo

In this revelatory memoir, snooker player John Virgo turns the spotlight on himself, sharing secrets from his forty years at the top of one of the world's most popular sports.

Famous for his hilarious impersonations of snooker's biggest stars, JV is a household name thanks to his razor-sharp BBC Snooker commentary and the much-loved quiz show Big Break.

A fascinating insight into British sporting life, taking readers from John's childhood in Salford, through smoky snooker dens, to tournaments and championships all over the world, as he relives travelling on Concorde, rubbing shoulders with royalty and much more.

Admiringly nicknamed 'Mr Perfection', John tells how he overcame adversity to become UK champion, yet also reveals how gambling wrecked his dreams of becoming World Champion, and almost bankrupted him.
An affectionate reminder of a time when Britain - and sport - took themselves a little less seriously.

With a foreword by snooker legend Jimmy White.

Genres: Biography

288 pages, Paperback

Published July 18, 2019

Reviews

[Pete daPixie]

I've always thought that Virgo looked familiar to me, and that was the reason for selecting his autobiography from my local library.
Although he is older than I am by half a dozen years, we both herald from territory close to one another. On p25 he states that he attended Old Trafford School, so did I. He then tells of his escapades in Chorlton Snooker Club where I was a member too. Or perhaps it was on the terraces of Old Trafford football ground where I stood throughout the 1960's.
'Say Goodnight, JV' published in 2017 is an interesting glimpse into the post war years around Salford and Manchester and Virgo's accounts of his life in snooker when the sport was just on the cusp of its present popularity.
Perhaps nostalgia isn't what it used to be, but I'm a sucker for a literary walk down memory lane.

[Steve Payne]

An enjoyable read for those who like their 70's, 80's and 90's snooker. Some good and funny stories ranging from the days of Fred Davis (I like the story of the jovial rogue making no attempt to hit the reds) and Ray Reardon (includes a great quote about his political change when finding himself in a more affluent position), through to the times of Alex Higgins and Steve Davis to Jimmy White.

Nothing deep, just a good and enjoyable nostalgia trip.

[Ben DT Reid]

Simply sensational. This is a truly great autobiography. JV is a character I’ve grown up to hear and rarely see on my TV screen. He’s been the voice of snooker for myself watching the sport through the late 90’s and onwards. I love that he’s still on commentary to this day, no one better for me. His story is a great one and one I didn’t expect to enjoy so much. A fantastic read, one for all snooker fans.

[Ruth McAvinia]

There are a couple of new anecdotes (I particularly enjoyed Denise Higgins cropping up towards the end defending her husband’s honour). Mostly it’s the author chronicling what he did and not reflecting too much on it. He seems surprisingly defensive of his role in the WPBSA while simultaneously claiming he fell into it. But to his credit he does admit being a horribly biased commentator.

[Gary Causer]

Enjoyed this book , bringing back many memories of the characters of snooker including JV. An interesting story from humble beginnings to TV star. Will be sadly missed goodnight JV thanks for the memories

[Martin]

Didnt enjoy this book one bit not very interesting .

[Paul McCormack]

Snooker books are one of my favourite topics especially 1980s ones. This didn't let me down

[James Watts]

Interesting read

John goes through the dark side of snooker, along with the more funny times. When he talks about the politics side of the sport, I was amazed at what goes on.

[Paul Waring]

Unusually for an autobiography, Virgo forgoes a lot of information about his childhood and private life, and instead focuses on what made him famous. This is really a book about snooker, albeit told from Virgo's viewpoint of player, commentator, presenter and member of the governing body. If you like the game, you'll like this book, as it has anecdotes galore and if Virgo had any scores to settle, you wouldn't realise it from this.