John Trevor Virgo (4 March 1946 – c. 4 February 2026) was an English snooker commentator and professional snooker player.

After turning professional in 1976, Virgo won four professional titles, including the 1979 UK Championship, the 1980 Bombay International and the 1984 Professional Snooker League. A member of the sport's elite Top 16 for seven seasons, Virgo was also a British Open and World Championship semi-finalist and runner-up at the 1980 Champion of Champions and the 1984 Australian Masters. Virgo retired from professional snooker in 1994.

Virgo had a successful career working for the BBC, as a co-presenter of Big Break from 1991 to 2002, and as a snooker commentator for the channel. In 2023, he was inducted into the World Snooker Tour Hall of Fame.

Snooker career
Amateur
Virgo practised at Potters Club in Salford and earned a reputation by winning several big money matches.[2] As an amateur snooker player, he won the National Under-16 Championship in 1962[3] and the National Under-19 Championship in 1965.[4] In total, he represented England in the amateur championships fifteen times.[2] His first notable appearance in a major tournament was the 1973 American pool tournament for The Indoor League, where he lost in the semi-final.[5] Virgo reached the final of the Pontin's Open in 1975 but lost 1–7 to world champion Ray Reardon, despite receiving a 25-point head start per frame.[2] He won the 1976 Coral Pairs Championship with fellow Salford player Paul Medati.[2]

Professional
Virgo turned professional in 1976 at the age of 30, one of the youngest players on the circuit at the time.[6] He compiled his first maximum break in the same year against Roy Andrewartha.[2] He reached the semi-finals of the 1977 UK Championship but lost to eventual winner Patsy Fagan by 8–9.[7]

In 1979, Virgo moved south and joined Henry West's group of snooker players that he managed.[2] His snooker-playing fortunes peaked in 1979 when he reached the semi-final of the World Championship, losing 12–19 to the eventual runner-up Dennis Taylor. In the 28th frame, Virgo was close to making a maximum break but missed the twelfth black.[2] He won the 1979 UK Championship, which was not a ranking event at the time. En-route to the final, he beat Tony Meo, Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor. He overcame the reigning world champion Terry Griffiths in the final by 14–13, despite being controversially docked two frames because of a miscommunication regarding the start time of the next session of play, and arrived 20 minutes late for the match.[2][8] His win was not broadcast as the television cameramen were on strike at the time. In October 1980, Virgo was runner-up in the Group A bracket of the Champion of Champions tournament at the New London Theatre, losing to Doug Mountjoy.[2] Virgo reached his highest ranking, world number 10, during the 1979–80 season. Virgo would not reach the semi-final of a major professional event until the 1982 Jameson International. He was runner-up at the 1984 Winfield Masters in Australia and won the inaugural Professional Snooker League, which carried no prize money.[2]

In 1986, Virgo reached the semi-finals of the British Open, losing 4–9 to Willie Thorne. In 1987, he beat Steve Davis at the same event, which marked the first time Davis had failed to reach the televised stages of a professional tournament.[2] He ended the 1989–90 season as world number 14, but dropped out of the elite top 16 the following season.

In 1993, Virgo entered the qualifying stages of the Grand Prix and the UK Championship but failed to qualify for the main events, losing both times in round seven. Virgo retired from professional play in 1994.[6]

Virgo was appointed Chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).[2]

In 2023, Virgo became the 35th person to be inducted into the World Snooker Tour Hall of Fame.[9]