Look Back To The 2000s: The Whole Decade

Reality television, downloads, the smartphone and the decade that started with the Dome and ended with a banking crash.

Below is the decade in sections, and a link to every single year from 2000 to 2009.

The music

• Reality television ran the singles chart: Will Young, Gareth Gates, Girls Aloud, Michelle McManus, Shayne Ward, Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke all came from talent shows.
• The X Factor took the Christmas number one every year from 2005 to 2008.
• Downloads began counting towards the chart in 2005, and by the end of the decade physical singles were a minority.
• Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Amy Winehouse and the Killers were the albums everyone owned.
• Arctic Monkeys' debut in 2006 became the fastest-selling debut album in British chart history at the time.
• The iPod, then the iPhone, changed how music was carried around entirely.

The news

• The 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States reshaped the decade.
• The invasion of Iraq began in March 2003, after the largest protest march in British history in February.
• London was awarded the 2012 Olympics on 6 July 2005; the 7 July bombings followed the next day.
• The financial crisis of 2007 and 2008 brought the run on Northern Rock and the collapse of Lehman Brothers.
• The smoking ban came into force in England in July 2007, after Scotland in 2006.
• The MPs' expenses scandal ran through 2009.

On screen

• Big Brother started in 2000 and reality television took over the schedules.
• The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter film series ran through the decade.
• The Office began in 2001, Doctor Who returned in 2005 and Gavin & Stacey began in 2007.
• Freeview launched in 2002, and digital switchover began later in the decade.
• Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor both began in 2004.
• Sky+ and then catch-up television ended the idea of watching at the scheduled time.

Everyday life

• Text messaging, then MSN Messenger, then MySpace, Bebo and Facebook, all in the space of a few years.
• Broadband replaced dial-up, and the phone line stopped being blocked.
• The Nintendo Wii in 2006 put gaming in the living room with the grandparents.
• The iPhone arrived in the UK in November 2007.
• Low-cost airlines made weekends abroad normal.

Year by year

• 2000 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 2001 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 2002 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 2003 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 2004 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 2005 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 2006 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 2007 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 2008 - see the full page for that year, linked below.
• 2009 - see the full page for that year, linked below.

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How to write it so it lands

• Each year has its own page with the charts, the news and the everyday detail.
• For a party, pull three facts from one year and run it as a guess-the-year round.
• For a card, use the year they were born rather than the decade.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 2009
• Look back to 2008
• Look back to 2007
• Look back to 2006
• Look back to 2005
• Look back to 2004
• Look back to 2003
• Look back to 2002
• Look back to 2001
• Look back to 2000
• 2000s party playlist
• 00s quiz questions
• Dial-up, MSN and MySpace
• Adverts we can still recite
• Decade music round questions
• The 2020s so far
• The 2010s: the whole decade
• The 2000s: the whole decade
• The 1990s: the whole decade
• The 1980s: the whole decade
• The 1970s: the whole decade
• The 1960s: the whole decade
• The 1950s: the whole decade
• The 1940s: the whole decade
• The 1930s: the whole decade
• The 1920s: the whole decade
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays by era
• Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
• Decade films: best movies and directors by era
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Nostalgia birthday party by decade
• Nostalgia hamper and gift ideas
• Guess the year quiz
• Care home reminiscence quiz
• Reminiscence gifts for grandparents
• Milestone birthday cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What was the first Christmas number one of the 2000s?

'Can We Fix It?' by Bob the Builder, at Christmas 2000.

When did downloads start counting in the UK chart?

Downloads were included in the official singles chart from April 2005, initially alongside a physical release requirement that was dropped in 2007.

When was London awarded the Olympics?

6 July 2005, at the IOC session in Singapore, for the 2012 Games.

When did the smoking ban start?

Scotland in March 2006, Wales and Northern Ireland in April 2007, and England on 1 July 2007.

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. The pages themselves are free to read and free to copy.