... was played on the weekend of 27 and 28 April 1985 (going into the early hours of Monday 29th). Davis was appearing in his fourth final, and Taylor in his second. Davis won every frame in the first session, but Taylor produced a determined comeback to win the match on the final black ball of the final frame, sealing his only world title. The result was a major shock; Davis had been a strong favourite to win the match, having won three of the previous four world championships. Davis was the World No. 1 at the time, while Taylor was ranked 11th.
The climax of the final, in the early hours of Monday 29 April, was watched by 18.5 million people in the United Kingdom; this remains a record for BBC2, and is still the highest ever post–midnight audience for any British TV channel.
© Haydn Thompson 2020