1983: The Strange Case Of Time Magazine And Margaret Thatcher's Teeth

Originally a sometimes windswept-looking woman with slightly wonky teeth, in the 1980s Margaret Thatcher changed. Her outfits grew smarter. Her hair grew bigger and stiffer. Her teeth grew straighter.

So, what was on earth was America's Time magazine doing ignoring Mrs T's new nicer gnashers in its cover illustration for the 20th June 1983 edition - the edition which featured an article on Mrs T's return to power via the 1983 General Election?

Let the Diary from the Daily Mirror, June 16, 1983, tell the story - tongue in cheek, of course...

How Time drew Maggie's teeth

Maggie Thatcher, with her new ring of confidence, will today give her first interview to a foreign television company since her return to power.

She is doing a programme in London with Barbara Walters for the big United States network ABC.

Miss Walters may well find that Mrs T is a little miffed with the American media at the moment.

For Time magazine, in their issue of June 20, feature her on the cover with her teeth not quite meeting.

This is one gap in Mrs Thatcher's life that has been bridged - by the marvels of cosmetic dentists last year - and she could well feel that Americans should have noticed.


Left: Untimely "Time", June 1983 - Mrs T's gappy pearlies were made perfect in 1982. Right: Mrs T shows a totally happy, absolutely non-gappy smile to the world, after she is elected for a second term in the 1983 General Election.

Introducing the first mobile phone - the DynaTAC 8000x

The first commercially available handheld cellular phone ever was unveiled in 1983 (although, according to Motorola, they weren't available to consumers until 1984). Motorola had invested fifteen years of research and $100 million in the advancement of cellular technology, and the story stretched back much further than that. The first handheld mobile was called the DynaTAC 8000X and was unveiled on March 6th. It was, of course, a brick. At a price of $3,995 it wasn't for everybody.

If the first commercially available mobile was a brick, boggle at the thought of the first working Motorola prototype ten years earlier which has been described as a boot! Motorola built several prototype models between 1973 and 1983.

And we ended up with a brick.

Rudy Krollop, one of the original Motorola designers, said recently: "In 1983, the notion of simply making wireless phone calls was revolutionary and it was an exciting time to be developing the technology at Motorola."

England's first mobile phone call was in 1985.

Choose Life

If you associate the 1980s CHOOSE LIFE T-shirt solely with Wham! prancing about on stage, then think again. Launched in 1983, it was part of a range of protest T-shirts by designer Katherine Hamnett.

Other slogans included WORLDWIDE NUCLEAR BAN NOW, PRESERVE THE RAINFORESTS, SAVE THE WORLD, STOP KILLING WHALES, and EDUCATION NOT MISSILES. The original T-shirts were sold with a percentage going to charity. The line was designed to be copied, with the sole aim of spreading the word.

Back in the day... Some 1983 people display Katherine Hamnett's new slogan t-shirts - including, of course, CHOOSE LIFE. 

In 1984, Ms Hamnett wore a '58% Don't Want Pershing' T-shirt when she met Margaret Thatcher at Downing Street.

Originally published 8 April 2009. UPDATED 23 JULY 2012

Garfield, Garfield Everywhere...

Favourite fat cat Garfield, creation of American cartoonist Jim Davis, first appeared as a comic strip, syndicated in 41 US newspapers, on 19/6/1978. The illustration above, showing Garfield and Jon Arbuckle, is a panel from that first outing. Didn't they look different?! Especially Garfield. Gradually, the characters evolved. By the early 1980s, Garfield was recognisable as the Garfield we know today, but it still took some years before he stood up on two legs. Studying pictures of Garfield over the years is fascinating.

Garfield is greedy, cynical and lazy. He has a passion for lasagna, a love/hate relationship with Odie, the dog, and is pretty loyal to his not-terribly-bright owner, Jon Arbuckle, all things considered.

This advertisement appeared in a Cambridge, England, newspaper in December 1983. The local branch of Clinton Cards was introducing the city to a flood of Garfield merchandising. 

I have had several queries about the "1978" copyright label on some Garfield merchandise. This refers to the year the character was first copyrighted. If you have an early Garfield toy, mug etc, it will have been manufactured in the 1980s. As can be seen in the illustration at the top of this post, Garfield looked rather different in 1978! 

Garfield creator Jim Davis’ company, Paws, Inc, was founded in 1981 to take care of the creative side of the Garfield licensing business.
-

This girly, wearing a "Frankie Say Relax" T-shirt with very fancy lettering indeed, nipped out to her local Bejam's one morning. On her way home, she spotted this major celebrity presiding over the re-opening of her local Post Office, which had been closed for a refit. 

Swoon, swoon!

Well, it seemed to be love at first sight, but in reality the celebrity had simply spotted the frozen lasagna in her shopping bag. We tried to warn her that it was only cupboard love - but would she listen?!

This card was received by me on my 21st birthday in 1986 and originally had a plastic "key to the door" stuck to the top right hand corner. I was quite a fan of Garfield back then and still enjoy reading the comic strip today. In the 1980s, Garfield posters adorned my bedroom wall, my tea was drunk from a Garfield mug and a Garfield cuddly toy lived under my bed. 

And sometimes in my bed, if I had nobody else to cuddle.

Did you take Garfield for a ride in your motor?!

A Christmas card from 1988.

The wit inside the card!

This Garfield phone was available in the Index catalogue from September 1989 onwards.

The BMX Craze...

Early days - above and below, a two page advertisement featured in "Look-In" magazine, 13/12/1980.

THE RACE IS ON

BMX is the bike-racing sport that has swept across America. The action-packed event that's tougher, faster and more exciting than anything you've ever seen before.

Now Puch Murray and Halfords bring BMX to Britain. And there's never been a better time to take off with a brand-new sport.

Bicycle Motocross is no place for toy bikes or tame riding. You race on a dirt-track downhill course that really separates the men from the boys.

On the left [ABOVE] is an artist's impression of a typical BMX track. It can have as many jumps, bends, hairpins and fast straights as you want.

Thunder down the straights, slam round the bends.

Fly over hair-raising jumps at full speed.

It's a real test of your skill and courage.

No other bike ride has the thrills of BMX.

ONLY THE BEST IS GOOD ENOUGH

If you thought any old bike would do for Bicycle Motocross you'd be wrong. Because most BMX courses are enough to shake any ordinary bike to bits.

When you race a motocross course you need a bike that's really hot.

That's why Puch Murray bikes are made for the job. Prices start from £79.95 for the 5310 model shown here. They have 20" wheels with track-grabbing racing tyres.

Cross braced handlebars for extra strength.

Even frames and forks are specially designed for competition riding.

And you'll find that every model is as tough as steel and lightening quick.

ALL GEARED UP

BMX is a hard sport. And a BMX course is no place to take risks.

That's why the top track stars always wear crash helmets and protective clothing when they're racing.

When you get your bike, make absolutely sure you've got the gear to go with it.

Not only will you look good, you'll be a whole lot safer too. There's trousers at £8.95, Jerseys at £7.45, Helmets at 12.50 and protect your bike with Pad sets at £4.15.

We're sure you'll agree. If you're going to win at BMX it's best to win in style.

STAY ONE JUMP AHEAD

Don't miss out on the incredible BMX action.

Get into Bicycle Motocross today.

Nobody knows more about BMX and the range of Puch Murray bikes than your local branch of Halfords. You'll find they're experts. They'll tell you which BMX bike is best for you.

And who knows, if you've got what it takes, you could soon be Britain's first BMX star.

DAREDEVIL ON PEDALS 

Daily Star, 19/5/1983

Britain's top motor-cycle rider, Eddie Kidd, has switched to pedal power... on a BMX bike.

And after his first crack at the fast-growing kids' sport, daredevil Eddie said: "It's a whole lot of fun."

He was put through his paces by five-year-old [is this a printing error?] David Maw, one of the country's most promising BMX starlets.

BMX stands for Bicycle Moto-cross, and youngsters race round obstacle courses on special rough-rider bikes.

Crash helmets are a must and so is a good sense of balance.

The craze has already swept the United States and is now taking off in a big way here too.

David, of Barnetby le Wold, South Humberside, has competed in five national events so far this season - and won them all.

But he found that Eddie could teach him a few tricks when it comes to leaping off ramps.

Said David: "Motorbikes or BMX, I think Eddie is the greatest in the world."

ET merchandise, including a BMX, on sale in the Brian Mills spring and summer mail order catalogue, 1983.

More from the Brian Mills spring and summer 1983 catalogue - some very excellent Raleigh Burners.

The bikes weren't exactly cheap in that day and age, thank heavens for mail order catalogues - a great way to spread the cost!

The BMX craze swept the country like wildfire.

Macho seems a good name for a BMX. I was a bit too old to take part in the craze and preferred Stella Artois, but there were many young lads, teeth firmly gritted, determined not to disgrace themselves by crying after taking a tumble and grazing knees and/or elbows.

From the John Myers Home Shopping catalogue, autumn and winter 1983 - the Burner GS BMX and Burner GX.

If you're a BMX fan, then this site comes highly recommended.

Raleigh BMX 'Aero Burners' - as featured in the Janet Frazer catalogue, autumn/winter 1984/5.

Wincey Willis

One of my favourite TV celebrities of the 1980s, Wincey (real name Winsome) emerged into the limelight as TV-am weather girl in May 1983, helping to bring warmth and popular appeal to the channel after its starchy start. She had been spotted doing regional forecasts on Tyne Tees Television.

 Wincey had begun her career as a TV weather girl in July 1981. On a visit to Tyne Tees Television, it was suggested that she audition. Wincey protested that she knew nothing about the weather, but was assured that all the details would come from the Newcastle Weather Centre. It was the day before the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer,  and at the audition Wincey was suddenly told that there was no forecast available - an old ploy to see how the person auditioning would cope under pressure. Wincey had been doing mock forecasts for the Royal Wedding street parties that were to be held throughout the Tyne Tees region, and said that, despite the lack of information at her disposal, she knew it was going to be a fine day because her mother's knee hadn't been aching all week! She got the job, and in 1983 came her TV-am role.

Wincey used her fame to promote her passionate interest in animals and nature. 

Before fame, in 1980/81, whilst working on local radio, she had been asked to present a piece about terrapins on regional Tyne Tees Saturday morning children's show Saturday Shake-Up. This was spotted by Granada producer Muriel Young, who asked Wincey to contribute to three programmes of a 1981 children's series called Graham's Ark. In 1982, Wincey got her own series for pre-school children, Wincey's Pets.

TV Times, 4 June, 1982: Wincey's Pets makes its debut.

Having gained national fame at TV-am, Wincey wrote the books It's Raining Cats And Dogs (1986) and Green Days (1990). In 1986, she devised The Weather Game, a board game manufactured by Waddingtons. She also presented other TV-am features, Wincey's Pets, Wincey's Wall and Caring Christmas, before finally leaving the station in 1987.

In the meantime, Wincey had joined innovative '80s series Treasure Hunt as adjudicator, taking her place alongside Kenneth Kendall and Anneka Rice, and remained there until the final series in 1989, when Anneka was replaced by tennis player Annabel Croft.

Wincey also had the great honour of a mention in a sketch on the wonderful Victoria Wood As Seen On TV series, when a character took out a copy of the (entirely fictional) Wincey Willis Book Of Wholemeal Pasta from the local library!

TV Times, May/June 1982: The wonder woman of animal farm. Wincey is pictured in the days before her glorious mullet with Molly the cockatoo. Here's an extract from the article: 

Rags, a large Airedale crossbreed dog was abandoned by his owners in a state of collapse; Suzie, a Papillon, was a wandering bitch with a very matted coat, Black Puss was a farmyard cat about to be drowned; Tucker the kitten was found thrown away in a dustbin inside a plastic bag; Leo and Lucy were stray cats; and Tiddles lived on his wits in a deserted cottage. These are some of the domestic pets belonging to Wincey Willis, presenter of the series Wincey's Pets and weather forecaster for Tyne Tees Television.

Her collection of 80 animals, many of which have hard luck stories behind them, lives with her and her husband Malcolm in a small cottage standing among fields in the heart of the countryside outside Darlington. The back room has been turned into a home for terrapins, tortoises, cockatoos and other animals that need to be kept warm. In the garden is an aviary with Wincey's collection of exotic birds and a 'hospital' for wild birds recovering from injuries. A bounding gypsy goat leaps in and out of the trees and the whole is presided over by a strutting cockerel.

Wincey, a bubbling blonde with close-cropped hair and cornflower eyes, has always loved animals. 'As a child I never wanted toys - just more pets,' she says. 'I would make model zoos out of cardboard boxes. If a bird fell from a tree or a hedgehog turned up half drowned in a drain, I would always bring it home and my dad would help me look after it and get it well again.'

Over the years, Wincey has built up a reputation as someone who can never say 'no' to an animal in trouble. Strangers turn up at her door with stray pets, fledglings that have fallen out of trees and birds of prey with broken wings. Wincey has made herself an expert on all types of wildlife and her phone is always buzzing with calls from vets, asking her the right mix for hedgehog milk or the correct diet for a song thrush. Her farming neighbours think she is crazy, but they respect her views. Before they plough or harvest, they invite her to inspect their fields so that she can remove any animals or birds to safety before the machines move in.

'To look after wild animals properly and bring them back to fitness so they can be released you have to know what they normally eat and what conditions are like for them in the wild. Trying to simulate their natural diet and living conditions isn't always easy. We had a baby swift once that needed hundreds of tiny flies a day.'

Husband Malcolm, who helps Wincey with her animals, remembers the stay of the swift very well. He was sent into the garden to swat thousands of flies and Wincey boiled them up into a kind of soup. 'But it was worth it,' she says. 'I will never forget the day we let it fly away. It was sheer magic to see it soaring off into the sky'....

Writing about herself in recent years, Wincey says:

You will probably remember me as the mulleted beauty from TV-am with a penchant for bad '80s knitwear...

It all seemed such a good idea at the time - remember, mullets weren't called mullets in the 1980s and seemed very glamorous! Wincey won the honour of the "Head Of The Year" award for her hairdo in 1986.

 It's Raining Cats & Dogs, 1986, This is a lovely read - a twelve month insight into some of Wincey's activities, with an introduction by Gerald Durrell . 

Wincey is still broadcasting and lecturing on media and wildlife conservation, and recently returned to daily weather forecasts on an internet based community news station for West Oxfordshire.

UPDATED 10/6/12

Dynasty: Joan Collins, Alexis, Shoulder Pads And Leg Warmers...

First came Dallas. These were rich folks, yet somehow gritty. A ranch. Cattle. Offices that looked vaguely 1960s. Clothes... well, the odd fur coat, odd nice frock, but well... let's face it, nothing to really write home about. But then Dallas had JR with his wicked grin and stetson. So, who needed more?

Then came Knots Landing - not particularly dressy in its early days, but with its nice big houses (you could have fitted our kitchen into Karen's kitchen about five times) there was plenty for your average non-rich English viewer to boggle at.

And then came Dynasty. And suddenly clothes were a big thing - particularly after Joan Collins made her debut as Alexis Carrington.

Dynasty had clothes that absolutely screamed "WE'RE RICH!" And they were classy. By '80s standards. Sometimes bizarre. Often very camp. Frills, bustles, Nissen hut-sized shoulder pads...

And Dynasty influenced the other American soaps of the '80s, with the actresses howling for (and getting) higher dress budgets.

And there's no doubt that English actress Joan Collins, who made her debut as Alexis in the second season of Dynasty, had a lot to do with setting the pace.

Joan made her UK Dynasty debut on New Year's Day, 1983.

The Sunday Mirror of May 15 1983 contained a fascinating interview with our Joanie, revealing that one of the scenes which sealed her Dynasty fame featured her apparently with no clothes on at all, between satin sheets...

MY FUN BETWEEN THE SHEETS (COMPLETE WITH LEG WARMERS!)

Joan Collins shrugged her shoulders when she was offered a part in TV's Dynasty. "What is that?" she said.

She thought it was just another soap opera.

It was low in the ratings - the show had failed to grip the imagination of American viewers. But Joan was persuaded to read the script.

She liked it and accepted the role of bitchy Alexis Carrington. Later she discovered that almost every actress in Hollywood had wanted the part..

Few of them could have guessed that Dynasty would race to the top of the U.S. ratings, bringing Joan a success she had never dreamed of.

What really turned her into a superstar was a sizzling bedroom scene that shocked some viewers, delighted others - and made Joan giggle.

"I was wearing leg warmers, tights and a strapless bathing suit," said Joan. "It was hilarious."

"Lloyd Bochner, who played Cecil, and I were writhing around under satin sheets. There seemed to be thousands of people on the set, including a censor, and I kept on breaking up into gales of laughter.

"Yet when the episode was shown it was called the hottest thing ever. The Daughters of the American Revolution tried to get it banned."

The publicity over the episode - which will be shown in Britain shortly - was enormous.

Suddenly Joan was one of the hottest properties in show business. She could no longer walk down the street without dozens of people going up to her.

Thousands of fan letters began to arrive each week.

"Now I am told that in the US my picture on the cover is the biggest seller of tabloid newspapers and magazines after Princess Diana," she said.

"I wasn't even first choice for the role. The pecking order was Sophia Loren, Raquel Welch and then me."

When the offer was made, Joan had just sold her Los Angeles home and moved back to England...

Joan has coped with the explosion of interest in her career and private life remarkably well.

How has she succeeded where so many others have been driven to the analyst's couch?

"Well, I'm a mature woman now and realised the pitfalls from the start," she said.

"To begin with, I don't believe my own publicity, good or bad. A magazine says I am one of the ten most beautiful women in America and then a newspaper will say I am the biggest bitch that ever walked. I don't believe either of those things.

"I'm very conscious of being privileged, doing a job I adore and being successful. The knocks I have to take are part of that. On a scale of one to ten I think I score about nine-and-a-half in terms of luck."

Joan dislikes the gossip surrounding Dynasty.

"People make up fueds between Linda Evans or Pamela Sue Martin and myself," she said.

"The truth is we all get on better than any other television 'family'. I've known Linda for a long time - she is an old friend and she is great. As for John Forsythe, he is the most wonderful, charming guy.

"I've no idea where some of the stuff printed about me comes from."

I walk with her out to her car and suddenly she turns and says: "You know what? Life is like a game of Monopoly. Throw a dice and you get a job in Dynasty. Throw another dice and the ratings fall and you go back three spaces. But I do believe you finally get what you deserve from life and, without being big headed, I think I have earned my success."

And off she speeds along the Monopoly board.

Sons And Daughters: Fiona, John, A Bunch Of Flowers And A Rubik's Cube...

Fiona Thompson (Pat McDonald) struggles with a Rubik's Cube and the arrival of John Palmer (Peter Phelps), a man wanted for murder...

Sons and Daughters may have had a slightly tangled plot, but this Aussie soap also had us "Poms" on the edge of our seats when it made its TV debut here in England in 1983...

Well, some of us...

1982: Fiona Thompson wishes that her life is as simple as the Rubik's Cube she has been trying to solve. In 1962, Patricia Dunne and David Palmer booked into her boarding house, where Patricia promptly gave birth to twins, John and Angela. Patricia takes Angela and moves in with businessman Gordon Hamilton, becoming first his housekeeper and then his wife.

In 1982, Fiona still runs her boarding house in Sidney. Her tenants at this time include Bunty and Thel, an elderly pair of former tarts. The pair appear in an episode or two early in the series, and Bunty's voice is heard on Fiona's answerphone a little later. From then on, despite mentions of these characters many years into the show's run, the two remain absent from the screen. Very odd...

However, I'm getting sidetracked - let's return to the main story: in 1982, John seeks Fiona's help as he has been accused of a murder he did not commit. He meets and falls in love with Angela, not knowing that she is his twin sister. Angela and John discover the truth and struggle with their feelings for each other. Angela marries David's step-uncle, Rob, embarks on an affair with a man who has just inherited a fortune, has a miscarriage, and opens a coffee shop. John and Angela then discover that David isn't actually their father. Their real father commits suicide.

Meanwhile, David has married Beryl Keegan and they have two children, Susan and Kevin. Susan's husband turns out to be a murderer and Kevin marries the girl next door, Lynn Hardy, before going deaf after being blown up in Saudi Arabia.

Patricia plots, schemes and leaves husband Gordon, who marries nice widow Barbara Morrell. Barbara later discovers that her first husband is actually still alive. Patricia marries Barbara's brother, Stephen, but it doesn't last.

Adored as "Pat the Rat" in Australia and by afternoon telly viewers here, English-born actress Rowena Wallace created a legend. Sometimes neurotic, usually scheming, Patricia was an utterly compelling soap character. In this scene, husband Stephen has told her to start acting like a normal human being for once - or their marriage is over. Patricia has responded by turning sepia. When Rowena Wallace left, Belinda Giblin became the new Patricia, thus ensuring that the character could scheme (brilliantly) until the very end of the series. Rowena returned towards the end as Patricia's twin sister, Pamela.

Patricia finds herself in peril when she is accused of the murder of Luke Carlyle, a young man who has just embezzled millions of dollars from her company. The murderer is actually Beryl's neighbour, teenybopper alcoholic Jeff O'Brien, but he accidentally burns the house down, killing himself in the process, before he can confess.

Luke's father, Roger Carlyle, believing that Patricia murdered his son, sends a slimy surgeon to kill her, but Patricia escapes and flees the country, returning with a new face, height and voice, and a new name - Alison Carr. Alison sets out to clear Patricia's name, but Roger discovers that she is Patricia and, still believing that she killed his son, sets out to have her killed again. He then follows Luke's route out of the series by being murdered himself. I forget who did it.

Alison's fingerprints later prove she is Patricia and she is arrested for Luke's murder. The taxi driver who could give evidence to get her off the hook has just been knocked down and killed after a gun siege at the boarding house run by Fiona, and Patricia's step-son, Wayne Hamilton, has the only piece of evidence that will save her. But he hates her.

Meanwhile, Fiona discovers that her son, Scott, believed to have died as a baby, is still alive and is now called Terry. He has just raped Fiona's best friend, Jill Taylor. Jill has just got over the shock of discovering that her mother is not really her mother, and vows never to forgive Terry for raping her, but Fiona develops maternal instincts when Terry is blinded after blowing up some trees.

Jill announces she is expecting Terry's child, but marries an Irishman she doesn't really love so he can stay in the country. She is soon widowed, and is on the verge of marrying Wayne, another man she doesn't really love, when her first husband, who is actually not dead at all, turns up at the church.

Beryl and David split up, but Beryl becomes pregnant by him and falls down a mineshaft. David believes the father is Jim O' Brien, the uncle of the teenybopper alcoholic murderer.

Confused? Try watching it...

Compact Discs

The Sun, July 1 1982:

Records are about to shrink to less than half-size. New Compact Discs will be on sale before the end of the year.

The mini-records, less than five inches across, can be held in the palm of one hand.

They will have a permanent clear protective coating, which means they won't scratch or wear out. And they will sound better than ordinary albums.

A spokesman for Sony, who are producing the discs, says: "The sound is produced by an optical laser, and is of superior quality."

There's just one snag - the price. Not only are the discs themselves more expensive than today's records, they also need special new equipment to play them on.

But Sony says: "We hope within two years to have prices down to the same as ordinary albums."

A 1983 newspaper advertisement.

The article states that compact discs were due to arrive in England before the end of 1982. Some sources now state that they didn't actually arrive until March 1983.

The discs and players certainly did not come down in price that quickly. Asked if he/she owned a compact disc player in the mid-to-late 1980s, the average geezer/geezette would almost certainly reply:

"You wot? Wot do you think I am - made of money?"

The price was highly prohibitive, and CDs didn't outsell vinyl and cassettes for some years.

Knight Rider - "The Best Series Ever Made!"

1982 was a surprising year for police officer Michael Long - he became Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff), field operative for FLAG, and gained a new friend - KITT the super car - a modified 1982 Pontiac Trans Am.

Ah, 1980s telly! I adored it - Treasure Hunt, No 73, Edge Of Darkness, Juliet Bravo, The Beiderbecke Trilogy, Tenko, Sorry!, The Adventure Game, A Very Peculiar Practice, Blott On The Landscape, The Gentle Touch, Spitting Image, early Brookside and EastEnders, early Channel Four and Breakfast TV, Gilbert's Fridge, Dangermouse, Duckula, Willo The Wisp, Albion Market (personal taste!), Press Gang, Sorry I'm A Stranger Here Myself, Shine On Harvey Moon, Dear John, Just Good Friends, Only Fools And Horses, Yes Minister/Prime Minister - and those are just for starters!

But there are many '80s telly programmes that I either missed or that did not appeal which are apparently considered essential for inclusion on any '80s nostalgia blog. Testing the opinions of friends recently, I was told that it was a crime I hadn't included the American sitcom ALF in the topics covered so far, and my good friend and colleague Ronnie Smith informed me with quiet sincerity that Knight Rider was "the best series ever made".

Of course, I could have scouted around gathering information about Knight Rider and written an article based on that, but Ronnie's enthusiasm interested me and so I asked him if I could interview him on the subject. He agreed, and the result can be read below.

• Andy: OK, Ronnie - here we go. Firstly, can I ask you when Knight Rider started in America and what it was about?
• 
  
• Ronnie: Yeah, it started in 1982 in America. It was about a man and his talking super car fighting criminals who are above the law. It finished in 1986..
• 
  
• A: I remember the voice-over at the beginning - "A Shadowy Flight Into The World Of A Man That Does Not Exist". What did that mean?
• 
  
• R: In the pilot the main character was a police officer called Michael Long.
• 
  
• A: Right - what happened to him and who was Michael Knight?
• 
  
• R: He [Michael Long] gets shot in the head in the line of duty. He survives because of a metal plate in his head that deflects the bullet through his face A man called Wilton Knight rescues him and gives him a new face, has him declared legally dead, and give him a new identity - and so Michael Knight is born.
• 
  
• A: Sounds fascinating! Of course, we all remember KITT the car. How did he come about, and just how talented was this super car?
• 
  
• R: The car was a creation of Wilton Knight, a billionaire. He dies in the pilot but his legacy is FLAG the foundation for law and government. His dream is that one man can make a difference. He gives KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand) to MIchael. KITT is an advanced A.I whose primary function is the preservation of human life. The car has a molecular bonded shell that makes it almost indestructible. It can reach speeds of 300mph, jump through the air, drive itself and has lots of gadgets on it. The car is a Pontiac Trans Am.
• 
  
• A: Great! Did Michael and KITT have any particular friends and enemies in the series?
• 
  
• R: There was Devon Miles who is Michael's boss. Bonnie Barstow who looks after KITT RC3 and helps Michael out, and also April who takes over from Bonnie when she leaves. There are different bad guys in every episode. The only really notable bad guy is Garthe Knight (played by David Hasslehoff wearing a moustache). He is Wilton Knight's son and reappears in a few episodes.
• 
  
• A: That all sounds very intriguing! I seem to recall that the relationship between Michael and KITT was pretty central to the show and both had distinctive personalities, although KITT was a machine! I recall KITT always advising Michael to be careful, and Michael always being ready to take risks. There was some humour between the two characters if I remember rightly - and I only saw a few episodes. How do you think the relationship between man and machine added to the series?
• 
  
• R: In the beginning Michael hated KITT but KITT was always there for him. Their relationship grew and it was just like it was two humans. They cared for each other like any police partners would and were always looking out for each other. A lot of the time it was just them two. The show always dealt with serious issues but the banter and humour between always brought it down a notch to make it suitable for a younger audience. An example is the first episode with Michael being shot in the head.
• 
  
• A: Is that when he first met KITT?
• 
  
• R: He meets KITT in the first episode but after he has recovered and is sent out in the car... well, not sent out - more like takes the car...
• 
  
• A: He TAKES the car? Good grief!
• 
  
• R: Yeah, they let him take the car and he knows it's a special car but he doesn't know about KITT.
• 
  
• A: OK. Now, Ronnie, Knight Rider first came to the UK around 1983. Can you tell me how you first met the show, and how old you were?
• 
  
• R: I'm not sure exactly how old I was but I was around 3 or 4. I spent a lot of time with my granddad. He used to record it for me and i would go round his every weekend and watch it with him.
• 
  
• A: That sounds pretty special. VCRs were not very widespread in the early 1980s. So Knight Rider is a really early memory of yours?
• 
  
• R: Yes very early. I didn't have a VCR back then. It's why I love Knight Rider - it just brings back memories of being with my Granddad. We used to watch it then play 'smash ups' with my toy cars.
• 
  
• A: Very special memories. I remember you saying that Knight Rider was the "best series ever made". Could you recommend any particular "stand out" episodes for newcomers to the show?
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• R: The pilot is a must then the episodes with KARR (Knight automated rolling robot) which was KITT's prototype. Also the ones where KITT gets destroyed - and the ones with Garthe.
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• A: I think I'll take a look at some of this myself! The theme tune is probably one of the most iconic 1980s themes ever. Do you like it and do you think it fits the mood of the show?
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• R: Yeah, I love the theme tune and have had it as my ring tone on lots of phones. It has also been used in a couple of songs. A lot of the '80s shows had great themes, but the two best for me were Knight Rider and Airwolf.
• 
  
• A: Great! And finally, Ronnie, do you still watch Knight Rider today? - and if so, what puts you in the mood for a viewing?
• 
  
• R: Yes I do watch it. I have all of them on DVD. I tend to watch it if I'm feeling down or I'm ill and feeling sorry for myself. It's a good way to cheer myself up but I could watch it any time. I still love it just as much as when I was a kid.

Thanks, Ronnie! Now, if any ALF fans out there would like to be interviewed on the subject for '80s Actual, please get in touch!

Knight Rider had some very snazzy associated merchandise. In the picture from a 1984 mail order catalogue are a very wonderful KITT toy car and a battery operated Knight Rider push button intercom set that: "really works from room to room. Includes 30ft cable, buzzer sound and working light."

Rare Emmerdale Farm '80s Radio Shows Unearthed!

Jack Sugden (Clive Hornby) reflects on life at Emmerdale Farm in the 1980s.

I've just been transported back to 1983 to spend some time with the late, much-loved Emmerdale Farm/Emmerdale actor Clive Hornby. Clive played the legendary Jack Sugden, making his debut on 19 February 1980, and was in the show until shortly before his death in 2008.

During that time, the show was transformed, rocketing out of the (by comparison) sleepy 1980s and into the 1990s and early 21st Century, keeping pace with the other English soaps via a thoroughly modern flavour, geared to the evolving tastes of soap fans across the country.

Through all the drama and comedy, there was Clive Hornby as Jack Sugden, providing a lovely thread of continuity back to the old days - as Elizabeth Estensen said in tribute to the character "Always the farmer".

It was an idea of Carl Gresham AKA "The Gresh", a DJ on Pennine Radio in 1983, to make use of his contacts with the stars of Emmerdale Farm and invite six of them into the studio over a period of about two months - to each present an hour of their favourite music. The Gresh put on his producer's hat for the shows, it being his plan not to interview the stars but simply to let them talk, choose their favourite tunes, and then play the music. Judging by the Clive Hornby hour I have just listened to, it made for marvellous radio.

But it's a long way back to 1983, times and technology have changed dramatically, and The Gresh, faced with the old Ampex ten inch tapes he had kept of the shows (he's a self confessed hoarder!) faced some discouragement from those that thought the tapes would be useless now - they would have degenerated, gone "crumply".

The Gresh persevered, and passed the tapes to his archive producer, Dave Perrett, and, after much work, the interviews were transferred to CD and sound as though they were recorded yesterday!

The Clive Hornby show was originally broadcast on Thursday, 10th November, 1983.

It's a lovely listen, an unexpectedly unearthed piece of Emmerdale history - and makes a tremendous tribute to Clive - who tells us a bit about his youth in the 1960s, the decade from which most of his favourite records originate. There's also a chance to hear the Dennisons - the pop group which featured Clive as drummer - and Clive also relates the story of how he became one of the first people ever to hear a certain classic 1960s hit, comes up with a song which captures the complexities of being seventeen years old, and slips in a request for another Emmerdale Farm cast member.

Throughout the hour, Clive comes across as being a thoroughly down to earth and likeable man who would have made a great companion for an evening's chat in the Woolpack Inn, Beckindale - or anywhere else.

If you'd like to hear Clive's musical choice, the show is available on a CD, available from:

PO Box 3. Bradford. West Yorkshire. BD1 4QN

The cost is £5.00 - including postage - and we think it's an absolute bargain. Please make cheques payable to Carl Gresham. We don't usually go in for advertising or selling things at '80s Actual, but this CD is, in our opinion, absolutely priceless!

Clive (far left) with his fellow cast members - the folks at Emmerdale Farm - summer 1984.