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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Interviews by Michael Hogan

‘Our presenter got kidnapped by German pornographers’ – How we made The Word

Word Terry Christian kidnapped Channel 4 Michael Grade Oliver Reed Zsa Zsa Gabor Nirvana Police
‘It was exploitative’ … Katie Puckrik interviews a drunken Oliver Reed.
‘It was exploitative’ … Katie Puckrik interviews a drunken Oliver Reed. Photograph: Channel 4

Charlie Parsons, creator

Channel 4 asked me to make a youth arts show called Club X but it was a disaster. I told them: “Young people don’t watch arts programmes. Let me do something entertainment-based: a mix of celebrity interviews, cool music and quirky global stories, all in a crazy live format. A show for young people, made by young people.” When they said OK, I got a team together and The Word was born.

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