Shaun Murphy clears up awkward Dennis Taylor moment as he admits 'I didn't understand'
Shaun Murphy has opened up on his awkward exchange with BBC commentator Dennis Taylor during the World Snooker Championship final at the weekend
Shaun Murphy has opened up on the tense moment with Dennis Taylor
(Image: George Wood, Getty Images )
Shaun Murphy has confessed to being baffled by BBC commentator Dennis Taylor's remarks about Zhao Xintong during the World Championship. A particularly uncomfortable exchange between the snooker star and the broadcaster became something of a viral sensation following the weekend's final.
Murphy, who was on co-commentary, quickly shot down Taylor after he suggested that he had friends who had never seen Zhao play and were shocked by his talent.
'They must be fairly new to the game then, Dennis, because we're watching a former UK champion here,' Murphy responded. Taylor hit back: "They don't live in the UK, Shaun, that's what I was saying."
The clip of the conversation, in which the exchange was followed by a long silence from both men, was widely circulated on social media. Murphy has since disclosed that he discussed the comments with Taylor off-air, but remains perplexed by their meaning.
The 42-year-old highlighted that the UK Championship, along with other tournaments won by Zhao, are viewed globally, reports the Express.
"I still don't understand what the thing was. I don't know. Sometimes you wonder whether some of these things are lost in translation a little bit, between generations. I don't know if it was just a little throwaway funny line that Dennis thought he was saying," Murphy said on the OneFourSeven Snooker Podcast.
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Shaun Murphy remains confused by Dennis Taylor's (pictured) comments about Zhao Xintong
(Image: Getty )
"I don't know if it just got missed, but I didn't really understand what he meant. I did say that to him off-mic between frames because he [brought it up].
"I said, 'Sorry, I didn't really understand what you were trying to say. Xintong won the German Masters and the UK Championship [three] and [four] years ago'. The UK Championship, this isn't 1984, it gets watched in almost every single country around the world.
"Last year, we had over a billion eyeballs on snooker throughout the season. A sixth or a seventh of the planet watched snooker at some stage last season. These might just be things that Dennis isn't aware of, and other people of his vintage, they're not aware of... I don't know. But I just didn't really understand, I didn't get it."
Shaun Murphy endured an awkward moment with Taylor live on air
(Image: Getty )
He continued: "I remember before I got involved in broadcasting, you'd hear certain people on certain channels making mistakes and saying things that were just incorrect. The one that gets me is when a commentator says, 'Oh, I haven't seen much of this player, I don't really know anything about this player'. And they wear it like a badge of honour.
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"They say it as if it's a good thing. It's not a good thing because it makes it look like you're turning up, taking your wages and then leaving. You're not putting any effort in. I've pulled up a couple of my co-commentators in the past because it's not a good look. Even if you haven't seen this player, don't say it. Don't tell the world that you can't be bothered to do your job.
"That wasn't the thing with Dennis. I still don't understand how that blew up as big as it did. There was a little ruffle of a laugh that went round The Crucible, which is why I went quiet.
"Dennis is a friend of mine, it's no axe to grind with Dennis. Dennis and I, we haven't fallen out. There was no exchange of words. I think it was meant to be funny, but wasn't funny. It's not the first time Dennis has told a joke that wasn't funny."
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