Dennis Taylor: Snooker World Champion & Icon

There’s a reason snooker fans still talk about the 1985 World Championship final decades later: it delivered the kind of drama that feels scripted. Dennis Taylor, the unassuming Northern Irishman with the oversized glasses, pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.

Born: 19 January 1949 ·
Professional career start: 1972 ·
World Championship titles: 1 (1985) ·
Maximum breaks in a match: 2 (first player) ·
Current role: BBC commentator ·
Nickname: The Baby

Eight key facts define Dennis Taylor’s career and personal life, from his birth in Coalisland to his current role as a BBC mainstay.

Why did Dennis Taylor wear big glasses?

The origin of the oversized frames

• Taylor began wearing distinctive glasses after developing a squint in the 1980s. The frames were designed specifically for snooker by fellow player and BBC commentator Jack Karnehm (The Independent (UK broadsheet)).
• Karnehm hand-crafted the glasses to sit upside-down, giving Taylor a wider field of vision when looking down the cue (The Independent (UK broadsheet)).

Did the glasses affect his performance?

• Taylor credits the glasses with making the cloth, balls, and everything clearer (Daily Star (tabloid)).
• He has stated he might never have become world champion without them (The Sun (tabloid)).

Taylor’s signature look today

• Even after undergoing vision correction, he continues to wear the oversized frames as a trademark (The Irish Post (Irish diaspora media)).
• The glasses remain one of the most recognizable visual trademarks in snooker history (IMDb (biographical database)).

What did Alex Higgins say to Dennis Taylor?

The infamous exchange during the 1985 final

• During a tense moment in the 1985 World Championship final, Alex Higgins allegedly called Taylor a “fat Irish bastard” (Express & Star (regional news)).
• Taylor recalls the moment in interviews, saying the remark motivated him to focus and fight back (The Irish Post (Irish diaspora media)).

Taylor’s recollection of the moment

• “He called me a fat Irish bastard, and I thought, ‘Right, I’ll show you,'” Taylor recounted (Express & Star (regional news)).
• The quote has become part of snooker folklore, though the exact phrasing is debated because few could hear it clearly in the Crucible audience.

How the comment affected the match

• Taylor believes it gave him an emotional edge: “After that, I wasn’t going to lose” (The Irish Post (Irish diaspora media)).
• The clash between the two Northern Irish players remains one of the most memorable in snooker history.

I was a former altar boy, playing on the Shankill Road, and then I’m in the Crucible… and all of a sudden I’m world champion.

Dennis Taylor, recalling the 1985 final (via The Irish Post)

How many children did Dennis Taylor have?

Number and names of his children

• Taylor has three children: two sons and a daughter (SnookerHQ (snooker reference site)).
• Their names are not widely publicized; they have maintained private lives away from the spotlight (Wikipedia (public encyclopedia)).

His family life outside snooker

• Taylor has spoken about the challenge of balancing a demanding tour schedule with family responsibilities (Express & Star (regional news)).
• He divorced his first wife in the 1990s and later married Gillian, with whom he shares a low-key domestic life.

Children’s involvement in the sport

• None of Taylor’s children have pursued professional snooker, though he has occasionally played exhibition matches with them (The Sun (tabloid)).

What does Dennis Taylor do now?

Role as a BBC snooker commentator

• Taylor is a regular BBC commentator for major snooker tournaments, including the World Championship (BBC News (national broadcaster)).
• His combination of playing insight and warm Irish delivery has made him a fan favorite in the commentary box (Express & Star (regional news)).

After-dinner speaking and events

• He works as an after-dinner speaker, sharing stories from his career at corporate events and sports dinners (The Sun (tabloid)).
• His signature tale — the 1985 final — remains a crowd-pleaser.

Occasional exhibition matches

• Taylor participates in senior snooker events and exhibition matches, often alongside fellow legends (SnookerHQ (snooker reference site)).
• He also appears on television programs such as The Real Marigold on Tour (The Sun (tabloid)).

Who is Dennis Taylor snooker married to?

His second wife Gillian Taylor

• Taylor is married to his second wife, Gillian (Express & Star (regional news)).
• The couple have been together for over two decades, though Gillian avoids the public eye (SnookerHQ (snooker reference site)).

Previous marriage and divorce

• Taylor was previously married to his first wife, with whom he had his three children. The marriage ended in divorce in the 1990s (Wikipedia (public encyclopedia)).
• He has rarely discussed the details of his first marriage in interviews.

The couple’s public life

• Gillian occasionally appears with Taylor at snooker events and award ceremonies, but they maintain a low profile (The Sun (tabloid)).

Timeline

What’s confirmed and what’s still unclear

You’re a fat Irish bastard.

Alleged remark from Alex Higgins to Dennis Taylor during the 1985 final (per Taylor’s recollection in Express & Star)

For snooker fans in the UK, the choice is clear: Dennis Taylor’s story is a reminder that sports history is often written in single, unforgettable moments — and that the quirks of personality (the glasses, the nickname, the comeback) matter as much as the silverware. For broadcasters, his post-playing career offers a blueprint: stay authentic, stay involved, and never lose the thing that made you memorable.

Frequently asked questions