1990

1990

MCMXC
 * FA Cup Winners: Manchester United (beat Crystal Palace 1-0 in replay after 3-3 draw)
 * Christmas Number One: Cliff Richard - Saviour's Day
 * Eurovision Song Contest: Zagreb, Yugoslavia 05 May
 * UK Eurovision Entry: Emma - Give a Little Love Back to the World (6th place)
 * Contest Winner: Toto Cotugno - Insieme: 1992 (Italy)


 * Blue Peter Team: Caron Keating (until 22 January), Yvette Fielding, John Leslie, Diane Louise Jordan (from 25 January).
 * Doctor Who: -
 * Radio 1 Breakfast Show DJ: Simon Mayo
 * Big Christmas Day Film on BBC1: ET (world TV premiere), Baby Boom 

Main events

 * March: Ambulance crew dispute ends after six months - workers agree to a 17.6% pay rise; Poll Tax Riots in London as Community Charge introduced
 * April: first Aldi UK supermarket opened
 * May: BSE rumours denied by govt.
 * June/July: Italia '90 World Cup, England go our in semi-final shoot-out v. Germany ("one night in Turin")
 * August: UK heat wave peaks at 37°C
 * November: Geoffrey Howe resigns from govt., attacking Margaret Thatcher's anti-European stance, Michael Heseltine steps up for leadership challenge, Thatcher resigns as Conservative leader and PM. John Major elected.
 * December: heavy snowfall in UK, first Poundland opened; Christmas Day storms leave 100,000 British homes without power.

The Buddha of Suburbia (novel) published for first time

New shows
(channel and first broadcast date in brackets)
 * Mr. Bean (ITV, 01 January), One Foot in the Grave (BBC1, 04 January), Vic Reeves Big Night Out (25 May), MasterChef (02 July), Stars in Their Eyes (21 July), Drop the Dead Donkey (C4, 09 August), Have I Got News for You (BBC2, 28 September). Twin Peaks (BBC2, 23 October), Keeping Up Appearances (29 October),  House of Cards (BBC1, 18 November) (full list)

Shows ending

 * Blankety Blank (BBC1, 12 March - revived 1997), Opportunity Knocks (02 June), Juke Box Jury (25 November), Howards' Way (25 November), All Creatures Great and Small  (24 December) (full list)

Other TV events

 * November: British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) founded as a merger between Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting



Radio

 * January - BBC Radio 1 launches a new 30 minute news programme News 90
 * March - BBC Radio 2 becomes available on FM 24/7 for the first time
 * 27 August - BBC Radio 5 begins broadcasting - sports programming moved from BBC Radio 2
 * 30 September - Mark Goodier replaces Bruno Brookes as host of BBC Radio 1’s Top 40 show.
 * 01 October - Goodier debuts The Evening Session
 * November - The Broadcasting Act 1990 receives Royal Assent, paving the way for deregulation of the British commercial broadcasting industry



Music

 * Biggest selling singles: The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody (orig. rel. 1965), Sinéad O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U (orig. rel. 1985), Elton John - Sacrifice / Healing Hands (full list)
 * Biggest selling albums: Phil Collins - ...But Seriously (rel.1989), Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert,  George Michael - Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (10th biggest seller, biggest selling 1990 studio album of original songs) (full list)
 * Compilation albums: Madonna - The Immaculate Collection (biggest selling 1990 release, second biggest selling album overall), The Very Best of Elton John, Luciano Pavarotti - The Essential Pavarotti
 * Debut albums: Jon Bon Jovi - Blaze of Glory (full list)
 * Eponymous debuts - Lloyd Cole, The Brand New Heavies, Mariah Carey,
 * Alternative/independent: Ride - Nowhere, The Lightning Seeds - Cloudcuckooland 

Films
UK release date * premiered in 1989
 * Driving Miss Daisy* (23 February), Born on the Fourth of July* (02 March), The War of the Roses* (09 March), Nuns On the Run (16 March) She-Devil* (11 May), Pretty Woman (01 June), The Phantom of the Opera (15 June), Back to the Future Part III (11 July), Robocop 2 (12 October), The Little Mermaid* (12 October), Ghost (05 October)

Births

 * Jordan North (14 Feb.), Princess Eugenie of York (23 March), Giovanni Pernice (05 Sept.)

Birthdays

 * 20: Ethan Hawke
 * 30: Gary Lineker, Bono Vox, Tony Hadley, Hugh Grant, Kim Wilde
 * 40: Peter Gabriel, Princess Anne,
 * 50: Gloria Hunniford
 * 60:
 * 70:

Deaths

 * Terry Thomas (08 January), Rex Harrison (02 June), Malcolm Muggeridge (14 November), Roald Dahl (23 November)