Craig Allan: Vintage Higgins. Everyone expects Selby to Win. Higgins under no pressure. Fancy Higgins to win 18-16.

Some more stats to throw at you.

If Higgins is to win this year, it will be 19 years after his first world title.

Oh, by the way, this is the top two players in the game today as win or lose, Higgins is set to rise to second in the world rankings. Selby, of course, is the world number one, a position he has held since February 2015.

It is early, early days, but the world champion is struggling a bit.

Higgins, after breaks of 141 and 63 in the last two frames, continues his good form with a run of 95 in the sixth to go from 2-1 down to 4-2 up.

Ian Moore‏: It's hard to get behind either of these players. Would've much preferred a Ding v Hawkins final.

Ah, don't be like that Ian. It will be great.

Scrappy in the sixth. Selby, after celebrating the success of a potted red, then misses his next shot. A half-chance for Higgins to move two frames clear.

John, what have you done?

The pink is on the spot, the cue ball is heading into the reds. But the pink stays out and Selby pounces as we have our first ball potted in 25 minutes.

Doesn't sound too bad. Every time I play the game there is normally that amount of time between pots. Not deliberately, mind.

Mark Selby opts for the delicate touch as he tries to make the thinnest of thin contacts on the red....

...but the radar is slightly off as it misses to give Higgins four points and control of the table. Could be costly.

Image source, Frame 6b

Not much happening at the moment to be honest. We're in the early stages of a safety battle. It is going to be tight and hard-fought all the way through the match.

We could well have a late-night finish tomorrow. Current score 0-5 in the sixth to Higgins.

Paranormalee: Higgins MUST stay ahead at all times if he is to win. If he falls behind he will never catch up.

RachelF: Good to see Higgins making a strong start, I want this to be a good final. Selby a bit sloppy so far.

Dwain: Higgins needs to go into tomorrow with a lead - can't afford to let Selby get ahead.

Image source, PA

Image source, Getty Images

Only one previous televised 147 break had been made in the sport's history before Thorburn - helped by a fluked opening red - pocketed all the balls up until the pink.

"Good luck, mate," whispered Jack Karnehm in the BBC commentary box, before Thorburn sunk the final black. He dropped to his knees and held the cue aloft in the air as the crowd erupted, well, not literally.

Watch the full break here

Click here to choose your moment

And the Scot is ahead for the first time in the final.

Now, I'm not one to get anyone's hopes us but listen to this quote from BBC commentator Dennis Taylor.

"This could be one of the all-time great finals with both players playing so well," says the 1985 champion.

There you go, it's going to be a classic. You had best stay with us then.

With three balls on the side cushion, it was always going to be a challenge for Selby, and he misses this tricky shot on the red with the rest in the fifth.

Higgins gobbles up a few more points to lead 66-40 in the fifth, with one red remaining.

Willie Thorne
BBC snooker commentator at The Crucible

Mark Selby has been the best player throughout the tournament but if John Higgins plays how he did against Mark Allen, this could be a very close final.

Higgins has a healthy lead in the fifth after a break of 63 took him 63-16 ahead, but a missed red into the top left pocket keeps the frame alive.

There are three reds on the side cushion so it will take a huge effort from Selby if he is to snatch this frame away from the Scot.

Image source, PA

It seems nothing gets in the way of watching the World Championship at the Crucible. Sound familiar? 

That's also the case for Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain.

"My manager spoke to me last year when we started the tour in February, He said 'We need to go out in the last few weeks in April to July'.

I said, 'Well, I need that bank holiday off Rod for the World Snooker Championship'. He replied 'We'll see'. True to his word, here I am."

We're five frames in and we've not talked about any celebrity who has rocked up at the Crucible.

Luckily, we can correct that oversight now with Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain present..

After Selby won his first world title in 2014, at the post-event party McBrain took to the drums as Selby grabbed the microphone and belted out a few karaoke classics, including Kings of Leon's 'Sex on Fire', REM's 'Losing my religion' and The Monkees 'I'm a believer'.

A repeat on Monday night?

Oh, by the way, Higgins is 48-16 up in the fifth at the moment.

Image source, Rex Features

Alex Higgins defeated Willie Thorne and Jimmy White en route to another final, coming up against six-time winner Ray Reardon. A superb 135 break gave him an 18-15 victory over the Welshman, but what followed was pure emotion.

As the Northern Irishman was handed the trophy and winners' cheque, the tears flowed, but the rest of the nation soon followed as Higgins mouthed "my baby, my baby" with 18-month old blonde-haired daughter Lauren and wife Lynn delivering a loving embrace in the arena.

Click here to choose your moment

We're back. Four more frames to go in the afternoon session. Which way will the match swing?

It was a few frames ago, but still worth watching again. So have a look at Mark Selby bounces the red off the side cushion to pot it in the other side.

John Parrott
1991 world champion at The Crucible

After John Higgins potted a long red early in the frame on his way to a 141 break.

"If John keeps knocking in reds like he is when he gets the opportunities, he's a match for anybody.

"That was a wonderful pot, there wasn't an absolute guaranteed path back but he chipped the black in and made 141."