I Love the '80s (UK TV series)

Last updated

I love the '80s
I love 1980.JPG
opening title
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series1 (BBC2)
No. of episodes10 (BBC2)
Production
Producer(s) BBC
Running time90 minutes
Release
Original network BBC2
Picture format 4:3
Original release13 January (2001-01-13) 
24 March 2001 (2001-03-24)

I Love the '80s is a BBC television mini-series that examines the pop culture of the 1980s. It was commissioned following the success of I Love the '70s and is part of the I Love... series. I Love 1980 premiered on BBC Two on 13 January 2001 and the last, I Love 1989, on 24 March 2001. Unlike with I Love the '70s, episodes were increased to 90 minutes long. The series was followed later in 2001 by I Love the '90s . The success of the series led to VH1 remaking the show for the US market: I Love the '80s USA, which is known simply as "I Love the '80s" in the US itself. The following repeat version in 2001 was cut down to an hour per year, then in 2019, the series was repeated again, this time cut down into a 30 minutes per year "highlights" version removing certain pop-culture and/or contributors.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters are at Broadcasting House in Westminster, London, and it is the world's oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees. It employs over 20,950 staff in total, 16,672 of whom are in public sector broadcasting. The total number of staff is 35,402 when part-time, flexible, and fixed-contract staff are included.

I Love the '70s is a television mini-series produced by the BBC that examines the pop culture of the 1970s. It was broadcast in ten hour-long episodes, one dedicated to each year, with the first episode, I Love 1970, premiering on BBC Two on 22 July 2000, and the last, I Love 1979, premiering on 23 September 2000. On the original broadcasts, each episode was followed by the host introducing a film from that particular year.

I ♥… is a British television and compilation album brand by the BBC, which looks back at a specific year in each episode. The programs consist of celebrities and public figures discussing, reminiscing and commenting on the pop culture of the time i.e. films, fads, fashion, television, music etc. that relate to the program's overall topic.

Contents

Contributors

The series used many regular contributors, which included Peter Kay, Clare Grogan, Dee Hepburn, Kate Thornton, Stuart Maconie, Emma B, Ice-T, Toyah Willcox, Tommy Vance, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, Ross Noble and many others.

Peter Kay English comedian and actor

Peter John Kay is an English comedian and actor. Kay has written, produced, and acted in several television and film projects, and authored three books.

Clare Grogan Scottish singer and actress

Claire Patricia Grogan, known professionally as Clare Grogan or sometimes as C. P. Grogan, is a Scottish actress and singer. She is best known as the lead singer of the 1980s new wave music group Altered Images and for supporting roles in the 1981 film Gregory's Girl and the science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf as the first incarnation of Kristine Kochanski.

Dee Hepburn is a Scottish former actress. She starred as Dorothy in the 1981 film Gregory's Girl, and played Anne-Marie Wade in the ITV soap opera Crossroads from 1985 to 1988.

Episode guide

I Love 1980 broadcast: 13 January 2001

Presented by Larry Hagman. Opening titles: "Call Me" by Blondie. Ending credits: "Jump to the Beat" by Stacy Lattisaw.
The episode features (In the order shown in episode)

Larry Hagman American actor

Larry Martin Hagman was an American film and television actor, director and producer best known for playing ruthless oil baron J.R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime television soap opera Dallas and befuddled astronaut Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson in the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. Hagman had supporting roles in numerous films, including Fail-Safe, Harry and Tonto, S.O.B., Nixon and Primary Colors. His television appearances also included guest roles on dozens of shows spanning from the late 1950s until his death and a reprise of his signature role on the 2012 revival of Dallas. He also worked as a television producer and director. Hagman was the son of actress Mary Martin. He underwent a life-saving liver transplant in 1995. He died on November 23, 2012 from complications of acute myeloid leukemia.

Call Me (Blondie song) song by the American New Wave band Blondie

"Call Me" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie and the theme to the 1980 film American Gigolo. Released in the US in early 1980 as a single, "Call Me" was No. 1 for six consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it became the band's biggest single and second No. 1. It also hit No. 1 in the UK and Canada, where it became their fourth and second chart-topper, respectively. In the year-end chart of 1980, it was Billboard's No. 1 single and RPM magazine's No. 3 in Canada.

Blondie (band) American rock band

Blondie is an American rock band founded by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band were pioneers in the early American new wave and punk scenes of the mid-late 1970s. Its first two albums contained strong elements of these genres, and although successful in the United Kingdom and Australia, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the United States until the release of Parallel Lines in 1978. Over the next three years, the band achieved several hit singles including "Heart of Glass", "Call Me", "Rapture" and "The Tide Is High" and became noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles incorporating elements of disco, pop, reggae, and early rap music.

<i>Fame</i> (1980 film) 1980 film by Alan Parker

Fame is a 1980 American teen musical drama film directed by Alan Parker. Set in New York City, it chronicles the lives and hardships of students attending the High School of Performing Arts, from their auditions to their freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years.

The Gap Band band

The Gap Band was an American R&B and funk band that rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. The band consisted of three brothers Charlie, Ronnie, and Robert Wilson; and it was named after streets in the historic Greenwood neighborhood in the brothers' hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The group shortened its name to The Gap Band in 1973. After 43 years together, they retired in 2010.

Liquid Gold was an English disco group, from Brackley in Northamptonshire. Their biggest success came in 1980 with "Dance Yourself Dizzy", which peaked at number two on the UK chart.

Flashback Commercial of 1980: Monster Munch - Three Monsters (actually aired in 1978)

Monster Munch are a baked corn snack, manufactured by Walkers, according to Walkers "They are one of Britain’s favourite snacks and whilst we think of them as monsters' feet, we don’t want that to stop people from coming up with their own imaginative ideas". They are aimed at children and widely consumed in the United Kingdom. Flavours include Roast Beef, Pickled Onion and Flamin' Hot.

I Love 1981 Broadcast: 20 January 2001

Presented by Adam Ant. Opening titles: Prince Charming by Adam and the Ants. Ending credits: Swords of a Thousand Men by Tenpole Tudor.

Adam Ant is an English singer and musician. He gained popularity as the lead singer of new wave group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring 10 UK top ten hits from 1980 to 1983, including three UK No. 1 singles. He has also worked as an actor, appearing in over two dozen films and television episodes from 1985 to 2003.

Prince Charming (Adam and the Ants song) 1981 song performed by Adam and the Ants

"Prince Charming" was a number-one single in the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in September 1981 for Adam and the Ants. Written by Adam Ant and Marco Pirroni, and featuring on the album of the same name, it was Adam and the Ants' second number-one single in a row and was the fifth biggest hit of the year 1981.

Adam and the Ants English rock band

Adam and the Ants were an English rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The group, which lasted from 1977 to 1982, existed in two incarnations, both fronted by Adam Ant. The first, founded in May 1977 and known simply as The Ants until November that year, achieved considerable cult popularity during the transition from the punk rock era to the post-punk and new wave era, and were noted for their high camp and overtly sexualised stage performances and songs. The final line-up of this first incarnation – Dave Barbarossa, Matthew Ashman and Leigh Gorman – left the band in January 1980 at the suggestion of then-de facto manager Malcolm McLaren, to form the instrumentalist personnel of the controversial Bow Wow Wow.

The episode features (In the order shown in episode)

Flashback Commercial of 1981: Kit Kat - Pop Band (actually aired in 1984)

I Love 1982 Broadcast: 3 February 2001

Presented by Dave Lee Travis, Mike Read and Tommy Vance in TOTP set. Opening titles: Fantastic Day by Haircut 100. Ending credits: Poison Arrow by ABC.
The episode features (In the order shown in episode)

I Love 1983 Broadcast: 10 February 2001

Presented by Roland Rat. Opening titles: Karma Chameleon by Culture Club. Ending credits: Calling Your Name by Marilyn.
The episode features (In the order shown in episode)

I Love 1984 Broadcast: 17 February 2001

Presented by Holly Johnson. Opening titles: Two Tribes by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Ending credits: Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin) by Scritti Politti.
The episode features (In the order shown in episode)

I Love 1985 broadcast: 24 February 2001

Presented by Grace Jones. Opening titles: Take on Me by A-ha. Ending credits: Let's Go Crazy by Prince and the Revolution.
The episode features (In the order shown in episode)

I Love 1986 Broadcast: 3 March 2001

Presented by Patsy Kensit. Opening titles: Walk Like an Egyptian by The Bangles. Ending credits: Ain't Nothin' Goin' on But the Rent by Gwen Guthrie.
The episode features (In the order shown in episode)

I Love 1987 Broadcast: 10 March 2001

Presented by Richard E. Grant. Opening titles: "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" by Whitney Houston. Ending credits: "Respectable" by Mel and Kim.
The episode features (In the order shown in episode)

I Love 1988 Broadcast: 17 March 2001

Presented by Raphael and Leonardo of The Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. Opening titles: Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car by Billy Ocean. Ending credits: Tell It to My Heart by Taylor Dayne.
The episode features (In the order shown in episode)

I Love 1989 Broadcast: 24 March 2001

Presented by Jason Donovan. Opening titles: All Around the World by Lisa Stansfield. Ending credits: Days by Kirsty MacColl.
The episode features (In the order shown in episode)

Flashback Commercial of 1989: Carling Black Label - Mission Impossible Squirrel

Repeats

The series has been repeated a number of times on BBC2, during 2002, 2008 and again 2014. The series was also repeated on UKTV Documentary, but was edited to fit into one hour slot with adverts. In 2019 BBC2 once again repeated the series but episodes were heavily edited to fit a 30min time slot.

DVD Release

The series has never been released on DVD or other media. As of May 2019, there has still been no release of any of the alternate edits of the series. This is due to the various unavoidable inter-connected Rights and clearances issues between the various music elements, the various Archive rights, intellectual property rights, and progranme contributors. This is likely to be why the 2019 repeat version has deleted entire segments where all the various rights could not be cleared. Also, some contributors have since been "disgraced".

See also

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