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November 5, 2026
  • The late 1980s love affair with French movies
  • Demonising people with ‘Yuppie Flu’
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  • 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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    The late 1980s love affair with French movies

    3 days ago3 days ago
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    Demonising people with ‘Yuppie Flu’

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    Teaching adult literacy in the 1980s

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    Was TV better in the 1970s and 1980s?

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1970s style
  • 1970s
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1970s – best or worst decade ever?

The 70s 80s 90s Blog2 years ago2 years ago09 mins

I lived through the 1970s – aged seven in the first year of the decade and seventeen when it ended. And I’m still struggling to figure out what I think about the 1970s. Your thoughts would be very welcome. On balance, I believe it was a fascinating time full of amazing music, movies, and other…

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  • 1980s
  • 1990s
  • Culture
  • Politics

Police raids of clubs in the 1980s and 1990s

The 70s 80s 90s Blog3 years ago3 years ago016 mins

Night clubs in the 1980s and 1990s were often subjected to police raids for various reasons as TV historian Tony McMahon recalls

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  • Politics

New Years Eve in Glasgow in the 1980s

The 70s 80s 90s Blog3 years ago9 months ago114 mins

In 1989, TV historian Tony McMahon spent the last New Year’s Eve of the decade in Bellshill just outside Glasgow and it was a culture shock!

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Coventry
  • 1980s
  • 1981 riots
  • Politics

Coventry heroes escaping the Ghost Town

The 70s 80s 90s Blog3 years ago3 years ago213 mins

In 1981 – Coventry really was the Ghost Town but local heroes like Neville Staple and Errol Christie were trying to make a difference – as Tony McMahon reports

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short sharp shock Whitelaw
  • 1970s
  • 1980s
  • crime
  • Politics

Short Sharp Shock – nightmare prison regime

The 70s 80s 90s Blog3 years ago3 years ago011 mins

Short Sharp Shock was a military-style prison regime for young offenders that wrecked lives and didn’t work as Tony McMahon discovers

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  • Politics

1970s feminism – the fight for women’s liberation

The 70s 80s 90s Blog4 years ago9 months ago07 mins

Women’s Lib burst on to the scene in the 1970s but the fight for sexual equality was fierce as Tony McMahon discovers

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  • London
  • Politics

1979 Southall – a riot and its consequences

The 70s 80s 90s Blog5 years ago5 years ago124 mins

1979 saw tensions fuelled by extreme Right activity reach breaking point in Southall as a riot broke out. Tony McMahon looks back.

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  • 1981 riots

British Asian youth on the march

The 70s 80s 90s Blog5 years ago4 years ago020 mins

British Asian youth began a concerted fightback against racism and bigotry in the late 1970s after a period of horrific attacks as Tony McMahon discovers

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  • 1981 riots

Memories of Liverpool in 1981 – part seven

The 70s 80s 90s Blog5 years ago5 years ago222 mins

The 1981 riots in Liverpool and elsewhere were a political challenge for Marxists, especially the Militant, as Tony McMahon discovers

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  • 1981 riots

Memories of Liverpool in 1981 – part six

The 70s 80s 90s Blog5 years ago5 years ago08 mins

Before and after the 1981 riots in Liverpool, the big question was who should control the Merseyside police as Tony McMahon discovers

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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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