Snooker legend Steve Davis could give 'high break' a new meaning if he gets his wish with plans for a new YouTube series.
The 'Ginger Magician' played at his peak during a period in which drugs were at their most rampant in snooker. But while other greats of the sport saw their legacies hampered by certain substances, Davis won six World Snooker Championship finals in the space of eight years.
The 64-year-old retired from playing professionally in 2016 and has become a mainstay of the BBC's snooker commentary team. Not content with his current broadcasting duties, however, Davis appears eager to use new media as a way of exploring outside the box.
Or outside his box could be the more accurate description should the former world No. 1 follow through with his plans. Drugs remain strictly forbidden in snooker, but retirement grants Davis the freedom to be more liberal in his performance-enhancing methods.
“Snooker went down the drug testing route in the ‘80s to try and get it Olympic ready, so all snooker players from the ‘80s have been drug tested," Davis told the Chatabix podcast. "I thought it could be quite fun now that I’m retired to do a YouTube channel where you actually play snooker on a variety of different things to see what it was like.
“I know there’s one on putting together flat pack IKEA furniture on a variety of different drugs. I think it would be a great idea. It would be a funny thing to do. You might make a one break and think it’s a 147."
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Davis' BBC employers may not be as excited about the prospect of their pundit going online while under the influence of acid or LSD. Davis didn't want to stop at just him, however, and suggested roping one of his old rivals in to double the entertainment.
“I could try and convince Dennis Taylor, we could recreate the 1985 World Championship," he continued, referring to the classic showdown in which Taylor emerged a narrow 18-17 victor. "I can just see it with his glasses all steamed up.”
Snooker's efforts to clean up in the '80s might have been well-intentioned, but Davis said he "always felt it was a bit unfair" on those who weren't out to boost performance. Now far removed from the sport in a competitive sense, however, 'The Nugget' is motivated to experiment purely for the betterment of snooker.
