| Tournament Name: | 1979 Pot Black |
| Dates: | Recorded late Dec 1978 (broadcast) |
| Venue: | Pebble Mill Studios |
| Location: | Birmingham |
| Country: | England |
| Format: | Non-ranking event |
| Winners Share: | £1000 |
| Highest Break: | Doug Mountjoy (82) |
| Winner: | Ray Reardon |
| Runner Up: | Doug Mountjoy |
| Score: | 2–1 |
| Previous: | 1978 |
| Next: | 1980 |
The 1979 Pot Black was a professional invitational snooker tournament, which was held in the Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham. 8 players were competing in 2 four player groups. All matches were one-frame shoot-outs except the final which was played in the best of 3 frames on a one-hour programme.
Broadcasts were on BBC2 and started at 21:00 on Friday 29 December 1978[1] Alan Weeks presented the programme with Ted Lowe as commentator and Sydney Lee as referee.
This tournament had the TV debut of Steve Davis who played veteran namesake Fred Davis on the programme transmitted 19 January[2] and won the frame 83-23 but failed to reach the semi-finals. The first Pot Black champion Ray Reardon regained the title 10 years after his first beating reigning champion Doug Mountjoy 2–1.[3] [4]
| Player 1 | Score | Player 2 | Broadcast Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Reardon | 1–0 | John Spencer | 29 December 1978 | |
 Eddie Charlton | 0–1 | Graham Miles | 12 January 1979 | |
| Ray Reardon | 1–0 | Eddie Charlton | 26 January 1979 | |
| John Spencer | 0–1 | Graham Miles | 9 February 1979 | |
| Ray Reardon | 0–1 | Graham Miles | 23 February 1979 | |
| John Spencer | 0–1 | Eddie Charlton | 9 March 1979 |
| Player 1 | Score | Player 2 | Broadcast Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doug Mountjoy | 0–1 |  Perrie Mans | 5 January 1979 | |
| Fred Davis | 0–1 | Steve Davis | 19 January 1979 | |
| Perrie Mans | 1–0 | Fred Davis | 2 February 1979 | |
| Doug Mountjoy | 1–0 | Steve Davis | 16 February 1979 | |
| Perrie Mans | 1–0 | Steve Davis | 2 March 1979 | |
| Doug Mountjoy | 1–0 | Fred Davis | 16 March 1979 |