Terry Griffiths: BBC Scotland quizzes snooker's world champion of 1979

"I turned professional at the same time as Steve Davis - that didn't help a lot!"

Terry Griffiths was snooker's World Championship winner in 1979, Masters winner in 1980 and UK Championship winner in 1982, but is able to look back with a smile on the occasions Davis foiled his attempts to lift more major titles.

The 69-year-old Welshman retired in 1997 yet can still be found in practice halls at many of the main events coaching today's stars.

China's Ding Junhui, Northern Ireland's Mark Allen and England's Michael Holt are three who currently glean tips from the man who was once a postman in Llanelli.

With the Scottish Open in Glasgow from 12-18 December, Griffiths took time to answer some of BBC Scotland's questions.

"It's peaceful. People can have their cup of tea in the interval and still watch the snooker.

"The sportsmanship is very strong in snooker, people like to see people dressed correctly, then there is the competition and everybody loves watching competition.

"It can be boring at times but every sport can be boring - you look at football now and there are more 1-1 or 0-0 draws, but people still watch it. The game is still very popular and the standard of snooker now is incredibly good."

"People in Scotland are still very interested in snooker.

"They've still got John Higgins who is as good as anybody at the moment - Alan McManus as well - and there are quite a few young players coming through.

"Stephen Maguire's still a good player; so Scotland hasn't finished - a long way from it."

"Everybody likes to move a ball; whether it's a golf ball, a football, a tennis ball, a cricket ball, a rugby ball - all these things are about moving things. In snooker it's more peaceful; it's one-to-one.

"In my club I had a private room which I used to play snooker in. If anyone was to go in that room that had never played before, and you lock the doors, they will pick the cue up and move the balls around the baize.

"That's what the game is about - it's not about winning World Championships."

"About three months after I won the World Championship, I was driving up the M6 in the pouring rain going to this exhibition.

"I had a friend with me and he said 'You know Terry, it doesn't matter where you go or where you look; you are the champion'.

"I always remember him saying that and it was the first time I realised I was the champion of the world."

"I knocked the world snooker globe off the pedestal when I was playing Steve Davis in the final in 1988.

"It was quite funny and at the time he was beating me, but I still laughed. I was used to him beating me!"