Rewind 1980s

Rewind takes a look back at 1980 to relive the music and stories making the headlines in this momentous year. Scottish singers Kelly Marie and Sheena Easton were topping the charts, but across the UK unemployment was on the rise, and tragedy struck when John Lennon was fatally shot in New York. At the Moscow Olympics, Scots sprinter Allan Wells took gold, while at home, Aberdeen won the Scottish League Cup. On TV, millions watched to find out who shot JR in US soap Dallas, and cinemagoers flocked to see The Empire Strikes Back, which featured one of the biggest plot twists in movie history.

Rewind back to 1981 and relive the year which saw the royal wedding between Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer and former Hollywood actor Ronald Reagan become the 40th President of the United States. Singer Clare Grogan was riding high in the charts with Altered Images as well as starring in Bill Forsyth’s coming-of-age comedy Gregory’s Girl, Eric Liddell was immortalised in the film Chariots of Fire, while John McEnroe burst onto the tennis scene to win his first Wimbledon final. Bucks Fizz won the Eurovision Song Contest, and The Human League topped the charts at Christmas with Don’t You Want Me.

A look back at the music and news stories making the headlines in 1982, the year of the 20p piece and when Channel 4 exploded onto our TV screens. In sport, Scotland brought home 26 medals from the Commonwealth Games, and Jocky Wilson became the World Darts champion. The Pope undertook an extensive tour of the UK and conducted an open-air mass in Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park. It was the year when trouble erupted over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, The Jam and Madness were riding high in the charts, and an extra-terrestrial alien three million light years from home became the movie star of the year.

A look back at the music and news stories making the headlines in 1983, the year when Breakfast Television launched and Roland Rat became an early morning star. In sport, Aberdeen became the first Scottish team to win two European titles, and Scotland beat England in the Rugby Five Nations. The world first learned about the devastating impact of the Aids virus, and Margaret Thatcher won a landslide victory, returning the Conservative Party to power for her second term in office.

A look back at the music and news stories making the headlines in 1984, the year that saw Ronald Reagan win a second term in the White House and Glasgow launch its Miles Better campaign. Torvill and Dean took gold at the Olympics, and the Scottish rugby team won the Grand Slam for the first time since 1925. Eurythmics and Big Country were riding high in the charts, but by the end of the year news of the devastating famine in Ethiopia led to the formation of the supergroup Band Aid and the charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas.