TV & Radio Visits

Although the Collection has had quite a few visits from T.V. Companies and also provided items for T.V. Programmes over the years we didn't keep a record of them. However since 2013 we have had more visits and have kept a photographic record of them. Also radio presenters.

The first was from the production company making the information series about the 'History of Snooker' for the BBC. This series of bits of the history of the sport was broadcast during the 2013 World Snooker Championships. It is to be hoped that the BBC will re-broadcast the series and some future date or even put them on to the internet as they were very well put together and had some fascinating historic clips such as making Billiard balls at the Composition Billiard Ball Supply Co. factory in Congleton.

The visit to Liverpool to film part of the series had a shot of Steve Davis walking up At. Anne Street to the THURSTON shop and then looking at the cue section on display before meeting Peter Clare to talk about tables and balls.

The picture below was taken by Peter when the camera man and producer were taking one of their shots.

Steve Davis visit to Thurston

Steve Davis admiring the cues in Thurston showroom.

On the left the producer Mr. Chris Littleford - on the right the camera man Mr. Mark Pert - picture © Peter Clare

Steve Davis in Thurston Table showroom

Steve Davis in the Table showroom - picture © Peter Clare

During the 2013 World Snooker Championships the WSA got in touch and asked could they arrange a visit for a Chinese T.V. production company. Jason Ferguson drove the group over from Sheffield one Saturday morning and a tour of the Collection was made.

China CCTV in Thurston Shop

A group picture after the visit -  Left to Right

Mr. Wang Yian (camera man); Ms Narissa Wang(my147.com), Jason Ferguson (WSA), Salina Li (WSL), Mr. Liu Wei (CCTV 5 China) - picture © Peter Clare

China CCTV & World Snooker Association visit

L- R

Ms Narrisa Wang (My147.com), Mike Atherton (Thurston), Salina Li (WSL) , Jason Ferguson (WSA), Peter Clare (Thurston) - picture © Peter Clare

The T.V. Production company for the Antiques Road Trip also visited the Collection in 2103. The 'expert' Christina Trevanion arrived on a cold spring day in a soft top Morris Minor. She was a delight to meet and had a good look round the collection.

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           Christina Trevanion playing a shot on the Octagonal Billiard Table  

   picture © Peter Clare 

In early 2015 we were contacted by 'definitionmedia' (www.definititonmedia.co.uk) to see if we could help with part of series they were filming about inventions and could we explain the history of British Billiards & Snooker Tables. The series they were filming was to be called 'WICKED INVENTIONS' and would be broadcast to Northern Europe and Scandinavia.

WICKED INVENTION IMAGE

In August 2015 Billiards T.V. from Seoul, South Korea visited the Heritage Collection to interview Peter Clare about items in the collection for a Series about Billiards & Snooker in Europe. The spent a full day filming and even used a drone to get shots of the outside of the Thurston building.

Billiards T.V. South Korea

L - R

 Sang-Young Sim; David Kim; Peter Clare; Ji-Young Shin; Jae-Sang Lee

The group are in the THURSTON table showroom Liverpool  -picture©Peter Clare 2014

In June 2015 Stuart Gardiner of WSP ,the West of England Snooker/Billiard cloth manufacturers from Stroud, known in the trade as Strachan, contacted Thurston to see if we could help with any information on Billiards in the Victorian period. The reason for the request was they were to have a visit from the  production company who make the "Great British Railway Journeys" which Michael Portillo  uses the Bradshaw Guide to discover interesting places mentioned in the guide. So it was natural that the 'West of England Billiard/Snooker cloth manufacturer should contact their oldest and long established customer Thurston, established in 1799, to help.

The request from Stuart was basically can you supply any items to help with the history of Billiards/Snooker that can be used at the Mill in Stroud when they film at the Mill.

Thurston (www.snookerheritage.co.uk) were able to provide early examples of cues (called maces), ivory billiard and snooker balls as well as one of the the early Thurston Sales Ledgers recording the sale of a Billiard Table to H.M. Queen Victoria. The entry also recorded that the cloth supplied with the table was 'West of England'.

 The  production company then wished to expand the association with the cloth mill to include the invention of Snooker. To that end Peter Clare the M.D. of Thurston  and editor of the snooker heritage web site was invited to meet with  Michael Portillo at the Top Q Snooker in Gloucester. Peter took with him some additional examples of early cue as well as some of Peradon's new models and also early billiard balls.


Peter Clare - Thurston - E.A. Clare & Son Ltd
 Michael Portillo  & Peter Clare in the Top Q Snooker, Gloucester
picture ©Peter Clare 2015

         The programme was 1st. broadcast on Wednesday 20th January 2016 on BBC2.

 

In late 2015 the Heritage Collection was approached by Liberty Media Productions to see if they could visit the collection to film part of a sports documentary for the Middle East. So in January 2016 Rory McLeod, the Muslim professional Snooker player along with the producer and camera man, came to Thurston's.

Rory McLeod was shown round the collection by Peter Clare (Thurston Managing Director), and they discussed the history of the games of Billiard & Snooker as they were filmed walking round the items in the collection.

Rory is keen to promote the game to ethnic minority groups in the U.K. To increase the diversity of players. He is the leading the example of this aim, along with the local Thai and Chinese players  now participating in the professional game.


Peter Clare& Rory McLeod
in Thurston showrooms; Liverpool

Libertymedia _Rory Mc Leod _R2rw2
picture © Keith McIndoe & E.A. Clare & Son Ltd.2016

Shortly after Rory McLeods visit the production company for the BBC coverage of the World Snooker Championships contacted The Heritage Collection because as the BBC was preparing for the World Snooker Championships 2016 there was a need to carry out some filming before the event. The production company  IMG wanted  snooker/billiards related background scenery and thought that the hertiage Collection at Thurston's in Liverpool provided the ideal setting.

So for two days in early March 2016 the crew together with the sports presenter now associated with Snooker, the delightful, Hazel Irvine used the showroom and the heritage rooms. It was two days of hard work being in at 8:30 am and not leaving until well after the Thurston shop had closed.

It will be interesting to see how the piece filmed at Thurston's fit into the programmes during the 2016 World Snooker Championships.

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Hazel Irvine - BBC Sports

picture©2016Peter Clare & E.A. Clare & Son Ltd.


Hazel Irvine RW

The two pictures of Hazel Irvine at work in the Thurston showroom in Liverpool

picture©2016Peter Clare & E.A. Clare & Son Ltd.


 

Visit from Flog It!

On Monday 10th October 2016 the antiques show 'Flog it!' call to film a piece on the Snooker Heritage Collection. Paul Martin the presenter of the programme is himself a keen snooker player and has his own table which was previously owned by Ray Reardon. So Paul was keen to see all the items that are on display in the Collection and was impressed and very interested in the range of billiard and snooker related items.

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Some of the film crew

picture ©2016 Peter N. Clare

 

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Lights, camera, action

picture ©2016 Peter N. Clare

 

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The presenter of Flog It, Paul Martin and his producer

picture ©2016 Peter N. Clare

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Paul Martin the 'Flog It' presenter and Peter Clare M.D. of Thurston where the collection is housed

picture ©2016 Peter N. Clare

March 2022 an email to "snookerheritage@eaclare.co.uk"was received from Radio Merseyside. They had only just found about the collection and wanted to send one of their presenters to talk about the Collection.

So on Tuesday 15th March 2022 Tony Snell came to see the Collection after his morning show had finished.

Radio Mesrseyside Visit

 

Picture ©2022 Peter N. Clare


www.snookerheritage.co.uk

© E.A. Clare & Son Ltd. 2021. © Peter N. Clare 2021
Reproduction of this article allowed only with the permission from E.A. Clare & Son Ltd.

The Snooker Heritage Collection is free to enter BUT as the rooms are just part of a working office and factory a Guide is required. So please make an appointment giving at least 72 hours notice. The maximum number that can be shown round is limited to four. To make an appointment phone 0151 482 2700.

For all your Snooker, Billiard or Pool Table cues & accesories contact - Thurston on 0151 482 2700 or visit their e-shop and website -  ww.thurston.co.uk -T