Terry Christian Q&A

“Spending a whole afternoon with James Brown back in 1990 was a big thrill. He was in prison at the time..”

Terry, if you hadn't been 'discovered' on TV all those years ago - which led to your Sony Award winning radio shows (prior to The Word etc) - what would you be doing?

Probably something half useful like a teacher or at that time, given my radical tendencies , some mad left wing politician!

Who is your favourite ever Man Utd player & why?

George Best , simply the most skillful watchable player of all time , even Pele - when I interviewed him at The Trafford Centre several years ago - reaffirmed that he thought Best was better than him. As for those people who mention Maradonna - great player , but nowhere near as good as Best. I saw Maradonna - at his height in 1984 - not even get a kick of the ball against Bryan Robson at Old Trafford. He played there for Barcelona, and United beat them 3-0. Best, though was absolutely unstoppable and Robson wouldn’t have got near him.

What is the most memorable match that you have ever been to see?

There have been so many great ones over the years , but for me though it was a pre-Christmas top of the table battle between Man United and Sunderland in Division 2 in November 1974. It was an awesome game - 63,000 crowd and United won 3-2 - an incredible atmosphere.

Who do you think is the most overrated player of all time?

Rodney Marsh of Manchester City. Fat , lazy , slow and big headed. He’d make Berbatov look like a bargain! Must have cost Man City so many trophies and certainly at least one league title in his four and a half years at the club , as soon as they got rid of him , Man City finished runners up in division one in the 1976/77 season. An out-and-out bum!

Who do you think is the most overrated band of all time?

Very sad to say this , but I think for all the fuss some people make about them, it has got to be the Ramones. The Status Quo of punk. I loved Bonzo Goes to Bitberg, but not arsed about the rest. Pretty unimaginative really and live every song sounded exactly the same (on record too)!

What's the most recent album that you've been listening to?

The Courteeners - Falcon.

What TV programmes make you want to stay in these days to watch?

Pacific is great and I like Lie To me , but I’d just Sky Plus everything , unless it was Man United live (poor season though , short of players and inspiration).

You've had a number of acting roles on TV & also ~ more recently ~ the Mad Theatre Company's Angels with Manky Faces. Is this something you'd like to pursue in the future?

I did a horror film recently called Dead Time, where I played an unscrupulous power- mad record company exec; four episodes of Cutting It where I played an unscrupulous power-mad & rather sleazy TV presenter; and Angels with Manky Faces where I played an unscrupulous sleazy drunken Catholic Priest. More of the same I suppose - hope I’m not typecast!

What's your greatest DIY achievement at home?

Picking the rug up to hoover under it.

If you could go back in time, who would you specifically like to meet?

I’d have to go for Jesus. Being a recovering Catholic I’d have a few questions for him to answer.

You have met and interviewed may famous people over the years, but who was the most interesting person?

There have been loads of interesting and amusing people: Keith Richards was great - I spent about two and a half hours with him; Tom Hanks , Patrick Swayze, Joe Strummer , Bill Hicks , Ollie Reed , Gil Scott Heron , Peter Tosh , Johnny Rotten , Robin Williams, Lou Reed, George Melly , old blues guys like Bo Diddley and Champion Jack Dupree (spent all night drinking with him in a hotel bar after a gig in Derby in 1987, he must have drank a whole bottle of scotch and he was well into his seventies then - a fascinating bloke)...I could carry on forever really , I’ve been really lucky like that. One of the biggest thrills for me, though was spending a whole afternoon with James Brown back in August 1990. He was in prison at the time , but allowed out on day release and we basically bribed his warders to kidnap him for three or four hours. He did a private concert for me on the piano and everything. I still pinch myself over that one.

Who was the most unpleasant person ever?

None were really unpleasant. I thought Eddie Murphy was very strange. He wouldn’t acknowledge or speak to me, or shake my hand before or after the interview , yet was fantastic throughout it for almost an hour. Odd bloke.

Who would you like to meet/interview in the future?

They’re all dying off and I’ve been lucky enough to meet so many greats while they were still with us. Mohammed Ali would be great , Paul McCartney and probably Stevie Wonder and Jack Nicholson.

Who would play you in a film of your life?

Denzel Washington.

Most people agree that you should have won Celebrity Big Brother. Did you enjoy your experience? Highlights? Lowlights? Are you still in touch with any of your housemates?

I’ve seen and been out with Ben Adams , Coolio , Verne , Latoya Jackson , Tommy Sheridan , Michelle Heaton and Tina since coming out and a few texts go around. It was more fun as an experience than I expected - really strange - I’d almost recommend it!

Aside from your family, what did you miss most about being in the Big Brother House?

Just the football and having a horizon of more than 20 feet in front of you to look at. You get the thousand yard stare after you’ve been in there for three weeks and then come out. God knows what it’s like for those who’ve been in for three months in the proper one!

What ideal careers would you have for your 2 sons?

Never think of it. One is a good guitarist and the other is a really good footballer - he has been at the United, City and Crewe academies and is now at Everton. As long as they’ve got enough dosh to repay my investment in them that’ll do me - maybe buy me a villa with a pool in Greece or the West Indies, just something modest.

You've written some successful books over the years ~ is there a specific subject matter close to your heart that you'd love to write about that you've not yet done?

I’m working on it now. I suppose one that could articulate what I see as the growing war on Britain’s Underclass since Margaret Thatcher and the Americanisation of Britain. No free thought and all the people in power seem to be cheerleaders rather than original thinkers.

Terry Christian Q&A by Alison Bell
Story designed and edited by Craig Nelson: