In 1985 the thrilling climax to the World Championship Final was watched by more than 18.5 million people and snnoker was one of the most popular sports in Britain.
Those heady days are long gone now but the BBC is bringing them back in a film which celebrates the glorious era on the 1980s, when snooker was dominated by big personalities like Alex 'Hurricaine' Higgins and Steve Davis.
The Rack Pack is BBC iPlayer's first comedy drama and the film will air exclusively online this December. As the first image (above) shows, the cast can't be accused of not capturing the spirit of the era...
Luke Treadaway (Fortitude) will be playing troubled showman Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins, Will Merrick (Skins) plays his rival, the ice cool and uber-professional Steve Davis and James Bailey stars as the greatest player to never win the World Championship, Jimmy 'Whirlwind' White.
"BBC iPlayer offers a unique creative space for comedy of all shapes, sizes, tones and ambition - free of the traditional parameters of TV slots," says BBC Head of Comedy Shane Allen.
"Higgins was to snooker what George Best was to football - a Northern Irish folk hero whose mesmerising talent made for a fascinating world-class champion on the snooker table, but his explosive personality made for a troubled life off the table. Our cast are perfect to do this vibrant story and era justice.”
The Rack Pack will be available on the BBC iPlayer this December.
