1985

1985

MCMLXXXV


 * UK Prime Minister: Margaret Thatcher
 * FA Cup Winners: Manchester United (beat Everton 1-0 aet, 18 May 1985)
 * Christmas No.1: Shakin' Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone
 * Eurovision Song Contest: Gothenburg, Sweden, 04 May 1985
 * Contest winner: Bobbysocks - La det swinge (Norway)
 * UK Eurovision Entry: Vikki - Love Is (position 4th)
 * Blue Peter Team: Simon Groom, Janet Ellis and Michael Sundin (until 24 June 1985, replaced by Peter Duncan (second term)
 * Doctor Who: Colin Baker (Season 22 - cut short)
 * Radio 1 Breakfast Show DJ: Mike Read
 * Big Christmas Day Films On: BBC1 Absence of Malice 10.40pm, ITV Moonraker 3.05 pm, Gregory's Girl 10.50 pm

Main events

 * First mobile phone UK network launched by Vodafone, Sinclair C5 launched,
 * Miners' strike comes to and end
 * Everton win English League and European Cup Winners' Cup,
 * Live Aid in London and Philadelphia
 * Heysel Stadium disaster, 39 die, FA bans all English football clubs from playing in Europe until further notice, UEFA bans all English football clubs from European competitions for an indefinite period
 * Trans World Airlines Flight 847 hijacking
 * British Home Stores and Habitat announce a £1,500,000,000 amalgamation
 * Inflation stands at 6.1% – the highest since 1982

TV
(channel and first broadcast date in brackets)

New series

 * BBC 1: Eastenders (BBC 1, 19 February), Albion Market (ITV, 30 August - lasted for one year), Miami Vice (UK debut), Three Up, Two Down, Howards' Way, Muppet Babies
 * BBC 2: Victoria Wood as Seen on TV, Bleak House, No Limits
 * ITV: Dempsey and Makepeace, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Saint and Greavsie, Blind Date, The Practice
 * C4: Max Headroom

New seasons

 * Doctor Who, Open All Hours, Sorry!

Shows ending

 * Are You Being Served?, The Comedians, World of Sport, Game for a Laugh, Juliet Bravo

Other TV events

 * Brookside is moved from Wednesdays to Mondays
 * Pages from Ceefax launched in early afternoon
 * A debate in the House of Lords is televised for the first time.
 * World Snooker Championship Final draws BBC2's highest ever rating of 18.5 million viewers
 * A Royal Celebration: 40 Years of Peace (ITV, 05 May)
 * The Heysel Stadium Disaster is televised live by BBC1
 * EastEnders moves from 7pm to 7:30pm to avoid clashing with ITV's Emmerdale Farm; 1000th episode of Emmerdale Farm 12 Nov.
 * Children's BBC is launched on BBC1
 * Coronation Street 25th anniversary

Music
Chart debuts: Pet Shop Boys
 * Biggest selling singles: Jennifer Rush - The Power of Love, Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson - I Know Him So Well, Madonna - Into the Groove, Paul Hardcastle - 19 (full list)
 * Biggest selling albums: Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms, Phil Collins - No Jacket Required, Madonna - Like A Virgin. (full list).
 * Debut albums: Midge Ure - The Gift, Propaganda - A Secret Wish, (full list)
 * eponymous debut albums: Whitney Houston, Fine Young Cannibals
 * Wham! become the first Western group to perform and sell records in China.
 * Dire Straits album Brothers in Arms released and becomes the first compact disc to sell over 1,000,000 copies

Films
UK general release.
 * Ghostbusters, Starman, The Breakfast Club, A View to a Kill, The Bride, Letter to Breshnev, St Elmo's Fire, Back to the Future.

Births

 * Keira Knightley (26 March), Leona Lewis (03 April). Lilly Allen (02 May), Bruno Mars (08 October), Wayne Rooney (24 October), Gary Cahill (19 December)

Birthdays

 * 20: Sean Lennon,
 * 30: Howard Jones, Phil Oakey, Janice Long, Mike Smith, Billy Idol
 * 40: Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Ken Livingstone, Helen Mirren, Bryan Ferry,
 * 50:
 * 60: Margaret Thatcher
 * 70:

Deaths

 * Noele Gordon (14 April), Jock Stein (10 September), Rock Hudson, Orson Welles, Yul Brynner, Arthur Negus, Wilfrid Brambell