I used to LOVE ‘The Word’.
That thing with Terry Christian at the helm.
The twitching Mancunian.
I used to LOVE ‘The Word’ even though.
When measured against traditional ideas of television programmes at the time.
Like presenters being able to speak.
And remember lines.
And know which camera to look at.
It was shite.
Tiswas.
Tiswas was the same.
Chris Tarrant and Sally James and Lenny Henry.
Just mucking about.
Teaching children that being unstructured and off-the-wall and messy and a little bit naughty and spontaneous is OK.
(In fact it’s not just OK.
It’s what children are for).
Vic and Bob
Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer were the same.
Nailing teddy bears to walls.
Frightening a bald man with chives.
Just odd.
Shite-But-Good.
I am not sure of the exact formula for Shite-But-Good.
But the framework for successful Shite-But-Good definitely contains:
- Being restlessly and endlessly creative.
- Running at ideas as opposed to analysing them (literally) to their death.
- Not giving a shit what people think.
- Doing things for the first time.
- Doing what you enjoy.
- Being happy.
- Being in a good team of like minded people.
- Being brave.
- Failing and being OK with failing.
- Not judging.
Give it a go.
You’ll love it.
Debut.
And by the way.
A band called OASIS made their TV debut on The Word.
On the 18th of March 1994.
With a tune called Supersonic.
Here it is (https://www.50odd.co.uk/shite-but-good/):
