The Word, Series 3, Episode 4, 20/11/92

# The Word – S3E4 (20 Nov 1992)

## “Oli-Cam, Acid Tongues & Eagle-Eyed Mayhem”

**Cold open & vibe**
Black armbands for Factory Records, jokes about Windsor Castle still smouldering, and the promise of Britain’s most combustible chat guest under surveillance. It’s The Word: half youth show, half insurance claim.

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## The Ali-Cam experiment: Taming Oliver Reed (lol, no)

* Two hidden cameras (tastefully shoved behind dried flowers) watch **Oliver Reed** in his dressing room.
* Status checks: genial → fidgety → *covers the lens* → reappears doing DIY party tricks with balloons and a producer.
* The plan: ensure he’s safe for live TV. The result: he’s Oliver Reed.

**Viewer quiz:** “Which bird is tattooed on Oliver’s… person?” Correct: **an eagle**. Britain collectively winces and moves on.

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## Music that kicks the door in

* **L7** open like they’re paid by decibel: straight, serrated grunge from California; zero small talk, 100% stomp.
* **Ned’s Atomic Dustbin** later: all elbows, two-bass snarl, and a new single performed like someone unplugged the fire exits.

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## Bill Hicks: smiles, knives, and theology

* Introduced as “best comic of his generation,” Hicks arrives bone-dry and surgical.
* Smoking bit upgraded: “I quit, therefore I defend the **right to choose**. That was always the point.”
* Fundamentalists skewered: “If you want Jesus to come back, maybe stop **wearing crosses**. He’s hardly nostalgic.”
* On British vs US crime panic: Britain’s “hooligans tip dustbins” vs LA’s riot reel. Deadpan, razor accurate.

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## Import model: Liliya, from Crimea to catwalk

* **Liliya** (new Soviet supermodel) swaps shortages for short hemlines.
* Discovered in Moscow; now London-based; asked—because it’s the 90s—if she sends money home.
* She navigates Terry’s “cultural diplomacy” with the poise of someone who’s done 40 runway changes without a zipper.

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## Ongoing mischief

* Katie plays Mission Control: pops in on **Ali-Cam** updates like a cozy Stasi. Oliver covers lenses; producers improvise “trust exercises” with rubber props; everyone pretends this is normal telly.
* Repeated reminders that Oliver Reed is “Britain’s most dangerous TV guest”—as if the audience didn’t already cancel their premiums.

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## Standout bits & stray shrapnel

* **Tone:** Acid irony with tabloid sparkle; a pub brawl wearing a glitter jacket.
* **Running joke:** “Is this too much for live TV?” The Word: “Let’s put a camera on it and see.”
* **Audience energy:** Rowdy but game—equal parts mosh pit and court of law.
* **Fashion crimes:** Denim with opinions; hairspray like a regional weather system.

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## Why this episode works

It’s a perfect Word cocktail: **one icon liable to go feral (Reed)**, **one icon determined to stay lucid (Hicks)**, noise you feel in your ribs (L7, **Ned’s**), and a high-gloss culture import (**Liliya**) to pretend we’re sophisticated. Surveillance, satire, and feedback howl—served warm.