The writer Terry Coleman, who has died aged 93, had a fair claim to being the inventor of the modern set-piece newspaper interview. As Robin Day had done before him on ITV, he swept away – in countless Guardian articles – the deference that had largely characterised the interaction between the British media and the famous.
“Terry was really combative,” recalled the former Guardian deputy editor David McKie. “He took on an interview as a joust, riding into battle with his lance ready, and every now and again would use it as a weapon.” It is hard to find a modern equivalent; today’s PR people would quickly warn off their celebrities.
