Remember the 80s in the UK? These photos will take you back...

The 80s
Royal Wedding 1981
Collectors' items
WHAM!
The sound of the 80s
Fame
American Soap Operas
Trivial Pursuit
New Romantics
80s Anthems
They just don't make them like this anymore
Digital watches
Looking into the future
Live Aid 1985
A concert that changed the world
Smash Hits
Pop heaven
Cabbage Patch Dolls
Sun-in
Family Fortunes
Arcade games
The originals
Slush puppies
Blind Date
Sony walkman
A necessary accessory
Rubiks cube
Rubik fever
BMX bikes
And BMX blunders
The Price is Right
Panini football stickers
Deely Boppers
Pencil toppers
The Hand of God
T-shirt slogans
The 80s

Retro sweets, new technology, music and fashion. We take a look at the iconic items, tv shows, events and images that reflect the true 80s in Britain.

Royal Wedding 1981

The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. Life stopped for a while as the nation watched Prince Charles marry Britain's favourite lady.

Collectors' items

There was not a house in Britain that didn’t have a Charles and Diana tea towel or commemorative mug.

WHAM!

George Michael and Andrew Ridgley burst on to the scene in 1982 with WHAM RAP.

The sound of the 80s

Teenagers and mums alike swooned over the tanned duo with highlights that made most women envious.

Fame

The 80s just wouldn’t be the same with out the kids from 'Fame'. The much lighter, family friendly show based on the film of the same name, gave us hit after hit and, of course, leg warmers.

American Soap Operas

Shoulder pads, drama and plenty of pouting. 'Dallas' and 'Dynasty' ruled the screens in the 80s. With Britain's own Joan Collins being everyone's favourite villain in 'Dynasty'.

Trivial Pursuit

The family board game that tested your knowledge on various topics. It made the quiz popular again and started many a family argument.

New Romantics

Influenced by the likes of David Bowie and Roxy Music, the New Romantics took the 80s by storm with their frilly shirts, blusher and big hair. Culture Club, Spandau Ballet and Ultravox to name but a few.

80s Anthems

Classics such as the haunting 'Sweet dreams' by the Eurythmics. 'Don’t you Want me Baby?' by Sheffield band Human League.

They just don't make them like this anymore

Let's not forget to mention the epic 'Another Brick in the Wall' by Pink Floyd. These days, this song will fill any dance floor with parents telling their children that they 'just don’t make them like this anymore.'

Digital watches

The must have accessory of the 80s. No more winding up watches, this futuristic timepiece blew our minds.

Looking into the future

The timepiece also had features that we never expected to have in a watch, such as a calculator or even games.

Live Aid 1985

The brain child of Boontown rats front man Bob Geldof (later to be known informally as St Bob) and Ultravox singer Midge Ure.

A concert that changed the world

Held on Saturday 13 July 1985, to raise funds for Ethiopia famine relief and starting a movement of charitable events by entertainers all over the world.

Smash Hits

Who didn’t have at least one Smash Hits poster on their bedroom wall?

Pop heaven

Be it Duran Duran, Madonna, Howard Jones or Shakin Stevens, this pop magazine gave us the weekly feed on music and what was happening in the pop world.

Cabbage Patch Dolls

No two dolls were the same and they each came with a birth certificate. It was cute. Until the panic craze hit and parents were frantically trying to buy the little lovable toys at any shop they could.

Sun-in

No 80s' list would be complete without Sun-in. The bottle of spray that would give you blond highlighted hair in one quick spray. Responsible for many a fashion disaster in this decade.

Photo: YouTube/Sun In - Put Sun In Your Hair - Product - Bleacher Highlights Commercial (1989)

Family Fortunes

Everyone can just hear that computer sound when the wrong answer was given. Of course, one of the 80s best TV shows in the UK was also incredibly frustrating: remember everyone shouting at the screen when the answers were so clearly obvious? Well, obvious to us at home...

Arcade games

Game changer. Pac-man or Space Invaders, life would never be the same again.

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

The originals

We have come along way with technology and graphics since then, but just remember without Pac Man there would be no Fortnite.

Photo by Kyle Nieber on Unsplash

Slush puppies

Who wouldn’t want an ice cold drink full of additives on a cold Autumn day in England? Brain freeze and a coloured mouth was a small price to pay for this refreshing beverage.

Photo by u/EdGrimley (Reddit)

Blind Date

"What's your name and where d'ya come from?" Saturday nights from 1985 were never the same again. 18.2 million people tuned in to watch the show per week.

Sony walkman

Yes. Portable music on a device that needed six batteries and lasted only half an hour... sign me up.

Photo by Florian Schmetz on Unsplash

A necessary accessory

But it was true, to be cool in the 80s you needed a walkman.

Rubiks cube

A 3D combination puzzle created by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Erno Rubik. The little square won the German game of the year in 1980.

Photo by Fletcher Pride on Unsplash

Rubik fever

There were competitions and champions and Rubik fever told over the world. Photo shows the first Rubik's Cube Championship in France.

BMX bikes

With the introduction of the BMX in the Box office smash film, 'E.T.', BMX was the only method of transport for 80s' kids.

And BMX blunders

A generation of adults are now proudly showing their BMX scars after attempting tricks that probably shouldn’t be tried at home.

Photo by Keagan Henman on Unsplash

The Price is Right

Ranked No. 5 in the list of the 60 greatest game shows ever by TV guide in 2013; this show was the first game show to ever be shown in colour. Of course, the show ran for 35 years with Bob Barker as host. A legend.

Panini football stickers

How to be the most popular boy in the school playground during the 80s? Have a substantial pile of football sticker swaps, preferably with a good collection of shiny badges.

Photo: Twitter @BTTEPOD

Deely Boppers

If you didn’t have enough hairspray to hold your ridiculous 80´s big hair then you had a second chance of fitting in with a dashing pair of Deely Boppers wobbling about on your head. Just don’t ask why.

Pencil toppers

Normally a freebie with a packet of cereal. But they meant so much more. In the 80s they took over the classrooms. Pencil toppers were the stationery addition that every child had to have.

Photo: Twitter / @80sThen80sNow

The Hand of God

English hearts were broken at the injustice that occurred at the 1986 World Cup Final when pint sized party boy Diego Maradona scored in the quarter finals with his hand, claiming to be 'The Hand of God.'

T-shirt slogans

If you didn’t have a 'Frankie says Relax' t-shirt perhaps you had a 'Choose life' one. Printed t-shirts really took off in the 80s and it was a great way to get your message across.

More for you