Comedy snooker film The Rack Pack coming to iPlayer
BBC iPlayer has announced its first comedy drama feature film, based in the world of snooker in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Rack Pack, which will be released exclusively on the BBC's on-demand platform early in December, focuses on the rivalry between Alex "Hurricane" Higgins, who won the World Snooker Championship in 1972 and 1982, and Steve "Interesting" Davis, who won the Championship six times during the 1980s.
Davis's manager, Barry Hearn, later became head of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, the sport's governing body.
The film stars Luke Treadaway as Hurricane Higgins and Will Merrick as Interesting Davis, with Kevin Bishop as Hearn.
Also featuring will be Nichola Burley as Higgins's wife Lynn, and James Bailey as Jimmy White, considered the greatest player never to win the World Snooker Championship.
The Rack Pack is begin released in the year of the 30th anniversary of the famous 1985 World Snooker Championship, in which favourite Steve Davis lost to Dennis Taylor on the final black ball of the last frame.
Broadcast on the BBC in the early hours of a Monday morning, the final was watched by 18.5 million people - remaining to this day the largest audience for any TV programme after midnight in the UK.
The film, produced by Zeppotron, is directed by Brian Welsh and produced by Barney Reisz, who previously worked together on Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror, and scripted by by Simon Pye, Mark Chappell and Alan Connor, who previously worked together on Sky Arts' adaptation of A Young Doctor's Notebook.
Victoria Jaye, the Head of TV Content for iPlayer says: "The Rack Pack is our very first comedy drama feature film made exclusively for BBC iPlayer and builds on the success of our original commissions, which have attracted over 29 million requests in the last six months. Snooker is a much-loved British sport, and The Rack Pack celebrates its glory days in the Seventies and Eighties in a thrilling and brilliantly written story, which will be the centre piece of our film offer over the Christmas period."
Meanwhile, BBC Head of Comedy Commissioning Shane Allen said: "BBC iPlayer offers a unique creative space for comedy of all shapes, sizes, tones and ambition - free of the traditional parameters of TV slots. 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."
Zeppotron boss Peter Holmes adds: "This commission marks an exciting new step for Zeppotron as we produce our first ever feature film. For me, this is the true definition of a 'passion project'. I am a huge fan of snooker and this golden era of the sport is in my blood. If you only watch one film featuring Big Bill Werbeniuk this year, make sure it's this one."