Articles/Interviews

OUTRAGEOUS drunk Oliver Reed was kicked off a TV programme yesterday after grabbing and kissing a shocked feminist author.

Reed, 52, SWORE at fellow guests and SWIGGED wine from a half-pint glass in front of the cameras.

The early-hours Channel Four chat show After Dark had already been BLACKED OUT for 20 minutes as producers tried to make Reed behave himself.

But after the break Reed was abusive as ever when he staggered off to the loo and came back announcing: "I've had a slash."

He tumbled over the back of a sofa where writer Kate Millett was sitting, held her face in both hands and planted an unwanted smacker on her cheek.

Bully

Kate, the author of the 1970 bestseller Sexual Politics, begged host Helena Kennedy: "Am I expected to put up with that?"

She turned on grinning Read and stormed: "It's aggressive, it's obnoxious. I think you are an awful bully and I think it's appalling that anyone should have to put up with it. I think you should go."

Fellow guests backed her up and Reed walked out.

The boozy actor had turned the air blue throughout the show by peppering his speech with abuse like p***, f***, c***, s*** and b******s.

His answer to the live debate on why men are violent was: "No bullsh*t. It's all down to whether she wants to get shafted."

Waving his arms and rolling his eyes he added: "I'll put my plonker on the table if you don't give me my mushy peas."

"A woman will never ever forgive a man if he f***s her."

He told 54-year-old Kate: "I've had more fights in pubs than you have had hot dinners, girl."

One fellow guest, psycho-analyst Dr Arthur Hyatt Williams, said Reed was ALREADY sozzled when he arrived.

He said: "He drank a bottle of wine during the show and even knocked one glass over."

"He was awful and I for one will never work with him again, drunk or sober."

A Channel Four spokesman said: "We had hundreds of complaints, but we put the show back on because Mr Reed had calmed down."

But a station insider revealed: "We had a feeling Ollie could be trouble because there was a drinks trolley in the studio."

"It was only a matter of time before he did something daft."

Last year drunken Reed tried to head-butt actor Patrick Mower at a celebration to mark the 501st edition of This Is Your Life.

He refused to comment yesterday on his latest outrage.