The Word, Series 3, Episode 2 (06/11/92)

# The Word — Series 3, Episode 2 (6 Nov 1992) — Synopsis

The Word returns like a glitter cannon you can’t switch off: part seaside postcard, part club night, part fever dream.

On stage, **Stereo MCs** kick the doors in with “Step It Up,” **Shonen Knife** bring bubble-gum buzzsaw energy, and **En Vogue** detonate a live, roof-lifting **“Free Your Mind”**—the show’s unofficial memo to Standards & Practices. Between songs, we’re promised “Cindy Crawford’s teenage rival” and “the world’s youngest divas,” because why book one headline when you can tease three?

Terry corrals **Julia Sawalha** and **Dexter Fletcher** for a pinball interview: Press Gang nostalgia, Ab Fab’s “moustachioed virgin” gag, Italia Conti war stories, and a detour through *The Rachel Papers* (sex-starved? sex doll? let’s call it “eager”). They flirt with the idea of remaking **Starsky & Hutch**, mainly to decide who gets the cardigan.

**Mr. Memory** vows to memorise the entire audience’s names—200+ strangers and one ticking clock—so we can all witness the exact moment confidence meets sweat.

Out of studio, **Katie** sprints through **Blackpool** before the Illuminations go dark: toe-sucking lollies, chip-field factoids, 16 tons of daily rubbish, and a fortune-teller promising her “a touch of the Orient” and “a funny fat man.” Enter two adorable Japanese tourists and a tour of Oz nightclub’s arcade fever—surf simulators, robot football, and sumo suits—while Japanese giant **Namco** eyes the promenade like it’s level one.

The gossip blender whirs: **Milli Vanilli** plot a comeback; **David Hasselhoff** resurfaces in a pre-Baywatch cheerleader relic; political quips fly; bottoms are admired. And, because this is The Word, a segment on people “who can’t get enough” teases America’s latest diagnosis: **sex addiction**—coming soon to a talk show near you.

It’s brash, breathless, and gloriously over-served: a Blackpool rock of an episode with “WHAT JUST HAPPENED?” stamped through the middle.