FEW things have been more synonymous with late night television over the last 15 years than Terry Christian's deadpan Manchester accent.

From his stint on the infamous Channel Four youth show The Word to anchoring ITV's television review programme Turn On Terry, his cheeky smile has been the first thing millions of people have seen when they've returned home from the pub.

So it's somewhat surprising to hear Terry admit "I don't take TV seriously, it's just a way of keeping your profile up." His real passion is for music, specifically from Manchester, as those who've read his best-selling Oasis biography could testify.

And his knowledge of the bands which have sprung up out of this city over the last forty years is verging on the encyclopaedic.

So for Terry, his weekly radio show on BBC GMR is like having the keys to the toy box, as he digs the crates for Manchester classics - both famous and forgotten - while championing new music.

After flitting around the schedules for the last year, the show has found a regular home, going out live on Wednesday nights from 7 till 10 on 95.1 and 104.6FM, on digital radio and online.

Audience figures

"I've been trying to pin down a regular show about music in Manchester since February 1998," Terry told ManchesterOnline. "There was always a local music show on Piccadilly or Key from 1981 to 1996.

"I got offered the gig when I was working at the BBC, earning £35 per week at Radio Derby. It was going to be a three hour show so I asked for £60. In the end they gave Tony The Greek £20 to do it instead."

Terry's last stint at flying the flag for local music on the airwaves came at Century FM, but the powers-that-be let him go despite the audience figures going up and up.

Fortunately, within months the BBC stepped in and offered him a longer show and more freedom. "I can pick my records and play whatever I want now so it's Manchester past, present and future. I want to catalogue all the great Manchester bands from Tractor from Rochdale in the seventies to Raw T now."

While he offers plenty of coverage to what he calls "the overcoat brigade" - The Fall, Joy Division, The Chameleons, The Smiths - Terry also takes a keen interest in highlighting the number of successful acts from Manchester who have been relegated to the footnotes of music history.

"Bands like The Hollies, 10CC and Simply Red have had number ones in the US and in 1965 Herman's Hermits outsold the Beatles in the US," he said.

"In fact for five weeks in a row in 1965, Manchester bands were at number one on the US charts - Freddie & The Dreamers, Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders and then Herman's Hermits.

"Later on that year there were Manchester bands at number one, two and three on the same week. The US was talking about a Manchester invasion at the time, not a Liverpool one."

Recorded

When Terry gets started on the subject of Manchester acts being airbrushed out of history, there is no stopping him. "The Mockingbirds used to be the warm-up band at Top Of The Pops when the programme was recorded in Manchester.

"Their songwriter Graham Gouldman was only 19 but he was already writing top ten hits for The Yardbirds, The Hollies and Herman's Hermits.

"Then in 1974 Sweet Sensation from Manchester were the first black UK act to go to number one with Sad Sweet Dreamer.

And The Real Thing from Liverpool were the biggest-selling British black soul group of the 1970s and 1980s, but you don't hear anything about either of them because the only place in England that's allowed to be multicultural is London."

He does think that the capital has the edge in some ways, though: "London's got better venues and PAs. You feel like you've been to a gig. Outside of London and Manchester in England there's only really Liverpool, Leeds and Bristol - everywhere else is a bit dead."

The last hour of Terry's show sees his co-host Conrad Murray take control of the CD player, championing the city's newest and most hotly-tipped acts.

More often than not, it's Murray and Christian who have given the world premiere first spin of new singles from breakthrough bands like Performance, Beats For Beginners and Longcut.

With radio station playlists becoming increasingly homogenised, it's reassuring there's at least one programme on the airwaves that remains refreshingly different.

Listen to Terry Christian on BBC GMR from 7pm to 10pm every Wednesday. Check the website below for further information.

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