Disgruntled BBC viewers have threatened to stop paying their TV licences after being left frustrated by the airtime given to the UK Championship on Saturday.

Barry Hawkins secured his place in the final with a hard-fought victory over Mark Allen, which went on for much longer than expected.

The 45-year-old fought back from 4-2 down to take four of the last five frames, claiming victory after a 43-minute decider. The match went on until the early hours of Sunday morning, prompting complaints from some BBC viewers.

The broadcaster was forced to alter its schedule due to the snooker running late, which did not go down well on social media and particularly among viewers in Scotland.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), @bitdoc wrote: "BBC on St Andrew's Day, the only programme dedicated to Scottish music, is delayed/cancelled for the English snooker?! Definitely made my mind up to cancel my TV licence."

@George11786928 added: "This is a pretty petty post but, switched on BBC2 to watch Sounds of Scotland only to have the most boring sport snooker on, seriously BBC?

"It’s St Andrew’s Day, one day a year, how often is boring snooker on? Get a grip BBC. No wonder people are not paying their licence fee."

@Jab6400 said: "Sounds of Scotland at the BBC on St Andrew's Day gets kicked into touch for snooker. Oh to be ruled by your neighbours."

@PurlsofColour, meanwhile, fumed: "Why can't the BBC schedule snooker games properly and just give them four hours, rather than promising music programmes at 10pm?

"Now it's 11.30pm and snooker is still on. Happens every time! I don't know why I still hope it doesn't happen again, because it surely does."

Others called for the introduction of a shot clock to prevent players from spending longer than necessary at the table, which would help to speed up play.

@gee1155911 wrote: "Terrible to watch. Snooker must introduce a shot clock to counteract the negative players like Mark Allen. No wonder old stagers like [Ronnie] O'Sullivan, [Mark] Williams and [John] Higgins are still the most entertaining to watch."

The final of the UK Championship will take place on Sunday, with Hawkins going up against Judd Trump in the showpiece match at the York Barbican.