1984

Top Selling Singles

1. Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Relax
2. Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Two Tribes
3. Stevie Wonder – I Just Called To Say I Love You
4. Lionel Richie – Hello
5. George Michael – Careless Whisper
6. Black Lace – Agadoo
7. Ray Parker Jr – Ghostbusters
8. Chaka Khan – I Feel For You
9. Duran Duran – The Reflex
10. Wham! – Freedom

Christmas No.1: Band Aid – DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS?

Top Selling Albums

1. Michael Jackson – Thriller
2. Lionel Richie – Can’t Slow Down
3. Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A.
4. Billy Joel – An Innocent Man
5. Paul Young – No Parlez
6. Sade – Diamond Life
7. Queen – The Works
8. Alison Moyet – Alf
9. ZZ Top – Eliminator
10. Bob Marley and the Wailers – Legend

At the Box Office

1. Beverly Hills Cop
2. Ghostbusters
3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
4. Gremlins [clip]
5. The Karate Kid
6. Police Academy
7. Footloose
8. Romancing the Stone
9. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
10. Splash

Cost of Living

Average house price	£39,000
Average salary
Average car price
Petrol
Pint of beer	77p
Packet of 20 Cigarettes
Pint of milk	22p

In the News

• Prime Minister – Margaret Thatcher
• Best selling car was the Ford Escort
• The FTSE 100 Index starts.
• Miners’ strike begins and dominates the news for much of the year
• Great Britain and Northern Ireland compete at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, and win one gold medal.
• Starlight Express opens at Apollo Victoria Theatre
• Torvill and Dean win a gold medal for ice skating at the Winter Olympics [clip]
• The Thames Barrier, designed to protect London from floods, is opened by The Queen
• Unemployment is at a record high of around 3.26 million
• The biggest exam shake-up in the education system in over 10 years is announced with O-level and CSE exams to be replaced by a new exam, the GCSE
• 22 June – The inaugural flight of the first Virgin Atlantic plane takes place
• The government announces the abolition of dog licences.
• 15 September – The Princess of Wales gives birth to her second son, Harry
• 25 November – 36 of Britain and Ireland’s top pop musicians gather in a Notting Hill studio to form Band Aid and record the song “Do They Know It’s Christmas” in order to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia.
• Michael Jackson received hospital treatment for serious burns to his head after his hair caught light during a freak filming accident. He was singing his hit “Billie Jean” for a Pepsi Cola commercial in Los Angeles when the special effects went wrong. Three thousand fans saw a firework display erupt behind the superstar, showering him in sparks and setting light to his hair.
• The 130th Boat Race has been postponed less than an hour before it was due to start after the Cambridge vessel was in collision with a barge and sank.
• Libyan embassy siege ends. The siege of the Libyan Embassy in St James’s Square in London is over. In the end, the diplomats, holed up in the building for 11 days since the shooting dead of WPC Yvonne Fletcher which began the siege, simply walked out.
• Scientists find Aids virus. The discovery of a virus which may cause Aids, the fatal disease sweeping through America, has been hailed as a “monumental breakthrough” in medical research.
• Historic York Minster engulfed by flames. The cause of the fire was unclear, but early suggestions are that the medieval cathedral was struck by lightning.
• Grand Hotel Bombing. At least two people were killed and many others seriously injured. The blast tore apart the Brighton Grand Hotel where members of the Cabinet have been staying for the Conservative party conference.
• The Gatwick Express came into full service on May 14, 1984, transporting passengers from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport.
• Ronald Reagan has been elected for a second term as US President
• News of the familiar green £1 note’s withdrawal came when Chancellor Nigel Lawson made his autumn statement in parliament. Mr Lawson said the note – popularly known as a “quid” – would be phased out and replaced by coins which were introduced in April 1983
• After travelling with her on the Australian leg of his Too Low for Zero tour, Elton John proposed to Renate. The couple wed on Valentine’s Day in St. Mark’s Church in Sydney, Australia and were married for four years [clip]

On the Telly

• Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends is first broadcast on ITV, becoming one of the most successful children’s TV programmes of all time since Postman Pat on the BBC three years prior.
• The Bill, a police TV drama, airs for the first time on ITV. When the last episode is shown in 2010 it will be the longest-running police procedural in British television history.
• An estimated 24 million viewers watch Torvill and Dean win Gold at the 1984 Winter Olympics skating to Ravel’s Boléro.
• Peter Davison’s last serial as the Fifth Doctor in Doctor Who, The Caves of Androzani, finishes; Colin Baker becomes the Sixth Doctor in the same episode.
• Horse racing is shown on Channel 4 for the first time.
• Comedian and magician Tommy Cooper dies from a fatal heart attack on live television at the age of 63, during Live from Her Majesty’s.
• The first edition of Crimewatch UK is broadcast on BBC1
• Still Watching:
• Fraggle Rock, Ever Decreasing Circles, Bob’s Full House, The Lenny Henry Show
• Alas Smith and Jones, The Price Is Right
• Surprise Surprise, Emu’s All Live Pink Windmill Show

Top Selling Christmas Toys

• Transformers
• Cabbage Patch Kids
• Rainbow Brite
• G.I. Joe.

Gadgets

• Amstrad CPC 464
• Macintosh 128K – about £2,000
• Brother M-1009 Dot Matrix Printer

Script in use

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