Terence Christian (born 8 May 1960) is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He has presented several national television series in the UK including Channel 4's late night entertainment show The Word (1990–1995) and six series of ITV1 moral issues talk show It's My Life (2003–2008). He has also been a regular guest panelist on the topical Channel 5 series The Wright Stuff and Jeremy Vine.
Christian presented two series of Turn on Terry with regular guest Tony Wilson and numerous other programmes for ITV, MTV, VH1, Channel 4 as well as a variety of different local and national radio programmes on stations including BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 6 Music, Talksport, Century Radio, Key 103, Signal and BBC Radio Derby and BBC Radio Manchester. While at Radio Derby he won two Sony Awards.
Biography
Early life
Christian grew up in the Brooks Bar neighbourhood of Old Trafford with five brothers and sisters and Irish immigrant parents from Dublin: Daniel Christian and Margaret Christian (née Cullen). One of his siblings died when Christian was aged two.
He was educated at St Alphonsus' RC Primary School, Ayres Road, Old Trafford, and St Bede's College, Manchester. His father operated a fork-lift truck at Esso in Trafford Park. He attended Thames Polytechnic (now the University of Greenwich) in London but was removed from his biology course due to his poor attendance.
He first appeared on national TV in 1981 with other unemployed youngsters from inner-city areas of Manchester on Devil's Advocate, a Granada Television programme made for ITV by the World In Action team, presented by former World in Action editor Gus Macdonald and produced by Geoff Moore. The show was made in reaction to the Scarman report which looked into the causes of that summer's riots in Moss Side in Manchester, Toxteth in Liverpool, Brixton in London, Handsworth in Birmingham and St Pauls in Bristol. Other contributing youngsters on Devil's Advocate included Johnny Marr of the Smiths. As a result of his appearances on the programme, Christian was offered his own radio show on BBC Radio Derby called Barbed Wireless.
Radio
Christian presented Barbed Wireless between 1982 and 1988 at BBC Radio Derby. The show won Sony Awards in the Best Specialist Music category in 1985 and again in 1986. He also contributed regularly to Saturday Live on BBC Radio 1. From 1986 to 1988 he presented Radio 4's programme Wavelength, which became Wavelength Plus or WPFM, on which Jo Whiley was his researcher.
Christian managed a twelve-piece reggae band from the Derby/Nottingham area, Junior C Reaction, who received airplay on John Peel and Janice Long's shows on BBC Radio 1 for their first independent release on Centurion Records, a double A Side, "Cry Jahoviah", and "Love & Emotion". They were signed to Cooltempo, a Chrysalis subsidiary, and enjoyed a modicum of success with their first release, a version of the Delroy Wilson classic "Better Must Come", which was C-listed on Radio 1 and Capital Radio at the time, as well as playing a live session on Radio One's Saturday Live. Christian also promoted concerts around the Derby and Nottingham area, and regular house nights at Derby's Twentieth Century club, where the resident Saturday-night DJ was Graeme Park.
In late 1988, Christian joined Piccadilly Radio's Key 103 FM, presenting weekday evenings and Sunday afternoon. Christian also wrote "The Word" page in the Manchester Evening News from September 1989, dedicated to the Manchester music scene.
Christian has presented on every radio station in the Manchester area and several across the North West, including Century Radio, where he presented a syndicated evening show across the network. He also presented the breakfast and drivetime show on BBC Radio Manchester, and the same station's Manchester Music Show in 2002, featuring old and new bands from the Manchester area. He then went on to host the breakfast show on BBC Radio Manchester in April 2006. He was also the presenter of The Final Whistle on talkSPORT on Saturday evenings from 2006 until 2008, alongside ex-footballer Micky Quinn.
Christian joined Stockport-based radio station Imagine FM (104.9 FM) in March 2011.
Christian has presented Pick of the Week on BBC Radio 4 as well as With Great Pleasure and A Good Read and appeared on The News Quiz and Chain Reaction, with his KFM colleague Caroline Aherne.