The Good Word returns to TVNZ7 -on air Tuesday 1st March

They said television was the enemy of the book. There were even heavy suggestions quite some time back that reading would have long since become an endangered activity.
The thought that there’d actually be such a thing as a show about books on TV in these days of the sound bite and pre-chewed info-tainment should have been – well, unthinkable.
But, flying in the face of logic and technology, comes a third series of The Good Word, the trend-setting TVNZ 7 show about books and the people who love them.

The 15-episode series, presented by star New Zealand novelist Emily Perkins, makes its return in March, NZ Book Month, with a few surprises on board.

The Good Word retains its lively mix of studio and documentary elements – Perkins on the show’s set with an all-star book-review panel and interviewing a notable guest about his or her favourite book, journalist Finlay Macdonald in the field with his Under the Covers series, looking at the stories behind famous New Zealand books.

There’s a new two-minute documentary strand called Write Space, which gets up close and nosey with a variety of Kiwi writers in their private creative places, in a lyrical sort of way.

District Court judge – and former Chief Censor – Bill Hastings, actor Jennifer Ward-Lealand, funnyman Te Radar, columnist Steve Braunias, TV presenter Miriama Kamo and journalist Gordon McLauchlan return to the regular book review panel along with a notable new regular, Carol Hirschfeld.

And, in another bold media cross-over, John Campbell is among the special guests talking about a favourite book – or, in Campbell’s case, books.

Other guests spilling the beans on their most-loved read include TV cook Peta Mathias, blogger Cameron Slater and rock musician Sophia Burn from The Veils, screenwriter James Griffin and Oscar Kightley.

All on The Good Word – putting books on the box, despite what the experts said.