1980s Calendar: Every Year, Events, TV And Music

The 1980s in order, one year at a time.

Each year below gives the headline event, what people were watching and what they were listening to, with a link to the full page for that year.

Good for a quiz round, a reminiscence session or working out what to put in a milestone birthday card.

1980

• 1980 - The decade opened with the SAS on live television and John Lennon's death in December.
• News: The Iranian Embassy siege in London ended with an SAS assault on 5 May, broadcast live while the snooker was on BBC Two.
• Screen: The Empire Strikes Back was the film of the year.
• Music: The Police, Blondie and Abba all had number ones during the year.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1980

1981

• 1981 - A royal wedding, riots in several cities and the first London Marathon.
• News: Charles, Prince of Wales, married Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral on 29 July, and the day was a public holiday.
• Screen: Only Fools and Horses began in September, quietly, to small audiences.
• Music: Adam and the Ants were the biggest chart act of the year, with 'Stand and Deliver' and 'Prince Charming' both reaching number one.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1981

1982

• 1982 - The Falklands, the launch of Channel 4 and the arrival of the Spectrum.
• News: Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands on 2 April; the conflict ended with the Argentine surrender on 14 June.
• Screen: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was the film of the year.
• Music: Dexys Midnight Runners' 'Come On Eileen' was the best-selling single of the year.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1982

1983

• 1983 - Breakfast television, the pound coin and a general election landslide.
• News: Margaret Thatcher won the June general election with a large majority.
• Screen: BBC Breakfast Time launched on 17 January, with TV-am following on ITV in February.
• Music: Culture Club, Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran were the chart acts of the year.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1983

1984

• 1984 - The miners' strike, the Brighton bombing and Band Aid at Christmas.
• News: The miners' strike began in March and ran for a year.
• Screen: Ghostbusters and Gremlins filled the cinemas.
• Music: Frankie Goes to Hollywood had 'Relax' and 'Two Tribes' at number one in the same year.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1984

1985

• 1985 - Live Aid, the first EastEnders and a very bad year in football.
• News: The miners' strike ended in March.
• Screen: EastEnders began on 19 February; the Christmas Day episode drew an enormous audience.
• Music: 'The Power of Love' by Jennifer Rush was the year's best-selling single.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1985

1986

• 1986 - The Hand of God, Chernobyl and Neighbours arriving on daytime television.
• News: The Chernobyl nuclear accident occurred on 26 April; rainfall carried fallout to parts of Britain.
• Screen: Neighbours began on BBC One and became a daytime and teatime fixture.
• Music: 'Don't Leave Me This Way' by the Communards was the year's best-selling single.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1986

1987

• 1987 - The great storm, Black Monday and a third election win.
• News: The great storm struck southern England overnight on 15-16 October.
• Screen: Dirty Dancing and Fatal Attraction filled the cinemas.
• Music: 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Astley was the year's best-selling single.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1987

1988

• 1988 - Acid house, Kylie's first number one and a grim run of disasters.
• News: The Piper Alpha oil platform explosion on 6 July killed 167 people.
• Screen: Red Dwarf and Home and Away both began on British screens.
• Music: Kylie Minogue's 'I Should Be So Lucky' reached number one in February.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1988

1989

• 1989 - Hillsborough, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the decade.
• News: The Hillsborough disaster on 15 April killed 97 Liverpool supporters.
• Screen: Batman was the film of the year; Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was close behind.
• Music: 'Ride on Time' by Black Box was the year's best-selling single.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1989

Pop culture milestones of the 1980s

• 1980 - The Empire Strikes Back was the film of the year. The Police, Blondie and Abba all had number ones during the year.
• 1981 - Only Fools and Horses began in September, quietly, to small audiences. Adam and the Ants were the biggest chart act of the year, with 'Stand and Deliver' and 'Prince Charming' both reaching number one.
• 1982 - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was the film of the year. Dexys Midnight Runners' 'Come On Eileen' was the best-selling single of the year.
• 1983 - BBC Breakfast Time launched on 17 January, with TV-am following on ITV in February. Culture Club, Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran were the chart acts of the year.
• 1984 - Ghostbusters and Gremlins filled the cinemas. Frankie Goes to Hollywood had 'Relax' and 'Two Tribes' at number one in the same year.
• 1985 - EastEnders began on 19 February; the Christmas Day episode drew an enormous audience. 'The Power of Love' by Jennifer Rush was the year's best-selling single.
• 1986 - Neighbours began on BBC One and became a daytime and teatime fixture. 'Don't Leave Me This Way' by the Communards was the year's best-selling single.
• 1987 - Dirty Dancing and Fatal Attraction filled the cinemas. 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Astley was the year's best-selling single.
• 1988 - Red Dwarf and Home and Away both began on British screens. Kylie Minogue's 'I Should Be So Lucky' reached number one in February.
• 1989 - Batman was the film of the year; Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was close behind. 'Ride on Time' by Black Box was the year's best-selling single.

Holidays and annual dates

• 1 January - New Year's Day, a bank holiday across the UK (2 January too in Scotland).
• 25 January - Burns Night.
• 14 February - Valentine's Day.
• 1 March - St David's Day.
• 17 March - St Patrick's Day.
• Mothering Sunday - the fourth Sunday of Lent, so it moves with Easter (March, sometimes late February).
• Good Friday and Easter Monday - the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March sets the date.
• 23 April - St George's Day.
• First Monday in May - the early May bank holiday (added in 1978).
• Last Monday in May - the spring bank holiday (fixed to that Monday in 1971).
• Third Sunday in June - Father's Day.
• 12 July - a bank holiday in Northern Ireland.
• First Monday in August - the summer bank holiday in Scotland.
• Last Monday in August - the summer bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• 31 October - Halloween.
• 5 November - Bonfire Night.
• 11 November - Armistice Day, with Remembrance Sunday on the second Sunday of the month.
• 30 November - St Andrew's Day, a bank holiday in Scotland.
• 25 and 26 December - Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
• 31 December - New Year's Eve, Hogmanay in Scotland.

Shop birthday cards

How to write it so it lands

• For a guess-the-year round, read the three lines for a year and hide the date.
• For a card, use the year they were born rather than the decade.
• In a reminiscence session, stop on whatever gets a reaction rather than finishing the list.

Where to shop next

• 1980s history: events, politics and culture
• 1980s music: songs, genres and trends
• 1980s films and directors
• 1980s books, films and TV
• 1980s books: novels and authors
• 1980s art: artists and styles
• 1980s fashion: styles, designers and trends
• 1980s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
• 1980s travel: destinations and holidays
• 1980s technology: gadgets and computers
• 1980s shopping guide: what to buy
• 1980s games: board, card and video
• 1980s trivia: fun facts
• 1980s quiz: questions and answers
• 1980s party playlist
• The 1980s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1980s
• The decade before: the 1970s
• The decade after: the 1990s
• All decade guides in one place
• Card messages by occasion: every guide in one place
• Card hub: cards, badges and messages by occasion
• Decade history by era
• Decade calendars: every year from 1920
• Decade music: songs, genres and trends
• Decade films: best movies and directors
• Decade books: novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends
• Decade fashion: styles, designers and trends
• Decade food: dishes, restaurants and eating trends
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays
• Decade technology: gadgets and computers
• Decade shopping guides
• Decade games: board, card and video games by era
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade quizzes: questions and answers by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade quiz: test your memory
• Shop art prints and posters
• Shop greetings cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Shop funny cards
• Milestone birthday cards
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Look back to 1980
• Look back to 1981
• Look back to 1982
• Look back to 1983
• Look back to 1984
• Look back to 1985
• Look back to 1986
• Look back to 1987
• Look back to 1988
• Look back to 1989
• 80s kids' TV shows
• 80s quiz questions
• Toys of the 80s and 90s
• Computers and consoles we grew up with
• Saturday morning TV
• Cassette tapes and taping the charts
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Guess the year quiz
• Care home reminiscence quiz
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Funny Father's Day cards
• Wedding cards
• Wedding cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What happened in the 1980s?

The decade opened with the SAS on live television and John Lennon's death in December. The calendar above runs through every year from 1980 to 1989, with the main event, the television and film, and the music for each one.

What was on television in the 1980s?

Each year on this page lists what people were watching that year. For the full television and film picture, open the year page itself.

Where do these facts come from?

They are the same checked facts used on our year pages - real, dateable events only. The official UK singles chart begins in November 1952, so earlier years list popular songs rather than chart positions.

Do you sell anything to do with this decade?

We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, including milestone birthday cards. This page is free to read and free to copy.