| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Sheffield City Hall |
| Location | Sheffield |
| Country | England |
| Established | 1969 |
| Organisation(s) | World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association |
| Format | Non-ranking event |
| Final year | 2007 |
| Final champion |  Ken Doherty (IRL) |
Pot Black was a snooker tournament in the United Kingdom broadcast on the BBC. Each match was contested over a single frame, where other tournaments were significantly longer. The event carried no ranking points, but played a large part in the popularisation of the modern game of snooker. The event was first held in 1969 with a field of eight players and ran annually until 1986. The event resurfaced for three years in both 1991 and 2005. The series was followed by events for other categories of players, with a juniors and seniors events, and a celebrity version held in 2006.
The series was created by the BBC2 controller David Attenborough, shortly after BBC2 began broadcasting in colour. Snooker, a game using coloured balls, was suggested as a suitable way to sell the new technology. The series helped transform snooker from a minority sport played by just a handful of professionals into one of the most popular sports in the UK. Mark Williams made the highest break in the competition's history, a 119.