Product Description

The Word - and Terry Christian in particular - tended to divide its audience. Its late-night mix of cutting-edge music and irreverent, what can best be described as 'student' humour won the hearts of millions while enraging an equal number, resulting in many calls to the Channel 4 Complaints line. There's no question though that the programme helped shape TV for years to follow. MY WORD is Terry Christian's take on life behind the scenes at Channel 4 in the nineties. He takes no prisoners in this hugely entertaining account of the journey from a working-class childhood in Manchester to the heart of London's television world. The picture that emerges is not of some leery Manc geezer chancing his arm on national television, but of a slightly leery Manc geezer who has a more sensitive side, is a grammar school boy, is a twice Sony-award winning radio presenter, who is soaked in music, and who has had to battle for all his working life against the prejudices of those who control broadcasting in the UK.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #114720 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 359 pages

EVENING HERALD
'Hugely entertaining'

Review
'Entertaining... Christian's story in worthy and thought-provoking' (SUNDAY TRIBUNE )

'Hugely entertaining' (EVENING HERALD )

About the Author
A DJ, broadcaster and writer, Terry Christian got his break twenty-five years ago as the voice of unemployed, disaffected and misunderstood youth on a Gus Macdonald chat show called 'Devil's Advocate'. Since then he has been a twice Sony-Award winning DJ (Radio Derby), the host of a groundbreaking Manchester music show (Piccadilly Radio), presenter of Channel 4's The Word, and a guest on anything and everything from Richard & Judy and Fantasy Football, to Jonathan Ross and Have I Got News for You. He's the author of a bestselling Oasis biography and of 'Reds in the Hood', his account of growing up as a Manchester United fan.

Customer Reviews

Terry Christian still causing ructions
I worked in the music business for fifteen years as a plugger having to plug to radio and television producers who thought they were demi gods ruling some kind of fiefdom where beneath it all I could tell they were all afraid , that fear corroding their judgement(yes we like the band , but it might not be a hit record/they've had no press etc).This culture of fear is captured brilliantly by Terry, and I'm afraid it still exists today only far worse. I siuppose being a midlander from an ordinary background I could relate to Terry's story and the snobbery in the business ( number of times I had to bite my lip as some unfunny posh producer did a bad imitation of my black country accent and condescended to me). My job amounted to bown nosing posh idiots for living. Terry gave them some back. This book is amusing and poignant and for anyone who's ever worked in media related business , shines an amusing torch into the dark unspoken corners of the snobbery that runs the whole thing. Terry Christian you love him or you hate him, personally I salute his courage. That's his career screwed

Nice work Citizen Christian
Terry's book charts his life from the streets of Manchester as a child through his career as a radio DJ and then settles down to spend several chapters charting his early hopes and eventual disillusionment as presenter of The Word.

To those of us brought up in the North of England in the 80s and 90s this book will reinforce what many of us thought all along - that the London-centric media leached the Manchester music scene dry and hijacked the history of dance music. But forgive me, because I'm starting to rant here, and it's the ranting throughout this book that starts to drag it down a little.

Terry strongly believes that a media scene dominated by Southern, middle class, public school nepotism was the cause of all ills, both for himself and The Word. Unfortunately, like a great orator that overstays their welcome, he mentions this fact on virtually every page. This could be construed as either bitterness or laziness. Given some of the lows that his career took after The Word I'd suspect the former. The London media scene and The Word were the goose that lay the golden egg for Terry. It was also the goose that bit him on his backside and chased him out the farmyard once it grew bored of him, leaving our hero a little miffed to say the least.

Terry's class war aside, this is still a great read. It'll raise more than a few chuckles, prompt more than a few nods in agreement and bring back memories to many. A must read.

Decent read and very honest
Some bitchy reviews , some good ones. Have to say an entertaining read and different and more focussed and forthcoming than most books about the communications industry and media in that it actually communicates in a straight forward and amusing way. Well worth a read