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November 3, 2026
  • The late 1980s love affair with French movies
  • Demonising people with ‘Yuppie Flu’
  • Teaching adult literacy in the 1980s
  • Was TV better in the 1970s and 1980s?

The 70s 80s 90s Blog

Three Decades of History with TV historian Tony McMahon

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  • French movies 1980s

    The late 1980s love affair with French movies

    1 day ago1 day ago
  • yuppie flu

    Demonising people with ‘Yuppie Flu’

    2 days ago2 days ago
  • 1980s illiteracy

    Teaching adult literacy in the 1980s

    2 days ago2 days ago
  • TV 1970s 1980s

    Was TV better in the 1970s and 1980s?

    2 months ago2 months ago
  • 1976 drought summer heat climate change

    Summer of 1976 and Climate Change

    5 months ago5 months ago
  • 1986 Britain

    1986 – 40 years ago in Britain

    10 months ago9 months ago
Labour Party left
  • Politics

Tony Benn, Dennis Healey battle for Labour

The 70s 80s 90s Blog9 years ago6 years ago27 mins

In 1981, the left and right in the Labour Party clashed when Tony Benn and Dennis Healey ran against eachother to be Deputy Leader

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Notting Hill carnival riot
  • Politics

Notting Hill carnival ends in riot

The 70s 80s 90s Blog9 years ago5 years ago013 mins

In the late 1970s, every year at the Notting Hill Carnival ended in a riot reflecting poor relations between the Metropolitan Police and black youth

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austerity economics failure
  • Politics

Austerity economics – failure 35 years ago

The 70s 80s 90s Blog9 years ago6 years ago05 mins

The 1979 Thatcher government introduced a form of austerity economics called monetarism that ended up being a complete failure

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Racism 1980s
  • Politics

Shocking racism in the early 1980s

The 70s 80s 90s Blog9 years ago6 years ago29 mins

Racism in the 1970s and 1980s could be shocking with appalling comments from politicians like Enoch Powell and the activities of extremist groups

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NWOBHM
  • Music

NWOBHM – new wave of British heavy metal

The 70s 80s 90s Blog10 years ago6 years ago16 mins

NWOBHM was the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, which was a hard rock movement at the start of the 1980s that spawned bands like Motorhead

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Iran Left
  • Politics

Iran and the Left – reaction to Khomeini

The 70s 80s 90s Blog10 years ago6 years ago04 mins

In 1979, the Left in Iran and the UK condemned the seizure of power by Khomeini and the clergy but since then, attitudes seem to have regrettably shifted

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Thatcher satire
  • 1981 riots
  • Politics

Anti Tory art from the early 1980s

The 70s 80s 90s Blog10 years ago4 years ago13 mins

The 1980s saw an avalanche of anti Tory art encompassing songs, images, movies and plays in a creative expression of Thatcher hatred

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miners strike
  • Politics

Crashing the National Grid in the miners strike

The 70s 80s 90s Blog10 years ago6 years ago23 mins

During the 1984-85 miners strike, there was an idea that the national grid could be crashed if we all simultaneously used electrical appliances

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  • Culture

Kojak advertises Bacardi Rum in the 1980s

The 70s 80s 90s Blog10 years ago6 years ago01 mins

An advert from 1983 – the late Telly Savalas advertising Bacardi Rum. Best known for his starring role as the tough New York detective, Kojak. That police series was big in the 70s.

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1980s technology
  • Culture

The look of new technology in 1983!

The 70s 80s 90s Blog10 years ago6 years ago03 mins

New technology in 1983 involved TVs with text services, washing machines with computer chips and a new generation of microwave ovens

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Buy Original Rude Boy – biography of Neville Staple, The Specials

Boxing and racism in the 80s

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Tony McMahon – your blogger – circa 1982

TV historian Tony McMahon journeys through the politics, culture, and history of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s

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