3 min read
Two plastic balls linked by a skinny rope caused the most ridiculous moral panic at at the start of the...
The 70s 80s 90s Blog
TV historian Tony McMahon takes you on a rollercoaster ride through the politics, history, and culture of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. A period of history he knows well having grown up in it and been politically very active as well as a big fan of many rock and pop groups. He has also written two well-received biographies of Neville Staple, lead singer in The Specials and Errol Christie, a pioneering black British boxer of the 1970s and 1980s.
3 min read
6 min read
Nearly forty years ago, a police officer was hacked to death during a night of violence in north London. Police...
6 min read
On December 6, 1989, Doctor Who as a TV series (there were movie spin-offs) came to an end after a...
4 min read
1985 was a thrilling year for Cold War spies with two double agents dominating the headlines. One was a high...
10 min read
It's hard to believe but a whole swathe of the British population, still very much alive today, was legally beaten...
7 min read
Being told to stand still. The lights going up. The police entering in large numbers. Frisking. Individuals led away. Court...
6 min read
I ended the 1980s in Bellshill - just outside Glasgow having spent Christmas in Geneva, Switzerland. A winter holiday season...
One weekend in 1996, I went out clubbing with some mates. Literally starting on Friday afternoon and ended at some...
6 min read
Coventry in 1981 was a tinderbox of a city primed to explode. Youth unemployment was skyrocketing as factories shut. The...
5 min read
The United States and United Kingdom have seen their fair share of serial killers. But Canada, that peaceful and calm...
