10 things we miss from the '80s

‘You’ve got big dreams – you want fame. Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying… in sweat.’ Yes Lydia Grant, dance teacher extraordinaire at the famous New York City High School of the Performing Arts, we all wanted fame! We were glued to it on our TV screens from 1982 to 1987. And while we’re at it, we miss the legwarmers too.

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10 things you'll remember if you went to school in the '80s
Our favourite films from the 1980s
Can you recognise these '80s tunes?

Internet you say? Who needed the Internet with these nifty Ceefax pages on our TV screens? Launched by the BBC in the ‘70s it had its heyday in the ‘80s. So what if half the letters regularly disappeared off the page, this was breaking news … as … it … painstakingly… updated …

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10 things you'll remember if you went to school in the '80s
Our favourite films from the 1980s
Can you recognise these '80s tunes?

‘And all because the lady loves Milk Tray…’ Milk Tray man skied down towering mountainsides, dodged avalanches, jumped from high cliff tops, and swam with sharks, all because the lady loved Milk Tray. Stealing stealthily into her boudoir, he left the famous purple chocolate box, along with his calling card. And all because the lady – well, you get the message.

Watch the ad here

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10 things you'll remember if you went to school in the '80s
Our favourite films from the 1980s
Can you recognise these '80s tunes?

The original ‘girl power’ group hit our TV screens while the Spice Girls were still in school uniforms. The show, featuring the mismatched New York City police duo – career-minded single girl v married working mother – ran from 1982 to 1988 and scooped all the gongs going for TV drama. We still miss it to be honest.

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10 things you'll remember if you went to school in the '80s
Our favourite films from the 1980s
Can you recognise these '80s tunes?

THE sweet of the 1980s as far as we’re concerned. Remember - ‘melt in your mouth, not in your hand’ - with a delicately white-gloved hand demonstrating. For those of you unlucky enough to sample these tasty chocolate sweets, think M&Ms But better. Peanut filled Treets came in the yellow bag, toffee in the blue and chocolate in the red. Made by Mars, they were sadly discontinued in 1988.

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10 things you'll remember if you went to school in the '80s
Our favourite films from the 1980s
Can you recognise these '80s tunes?

That theme tune, the shooting, those Stetsons. Could there have been any more tension as we waited to find out who shot JR Ewing? Not to mention how on earth Bobby was suddenly found showering one morning. After dying …

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10 things you'll remember if you went to school in the '80s
Our favourite films from the 1980s
Can you recognise these '80s tunes?

The band was Kajagoogoo but really, we just remember Limahl. That hair. The cute smile. Formed in 1982, their first record was produced by Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran and went to number one in early 1983. (Rather embarrassingly, before any of Duran Duran singles had done so.) All together now, ‘Cause you’re too shy, shy …’

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10 things you'll remember if you went to school in the '80s
Our favourite films from the 1980s
Can you recognise these '80s tunes?

What wonder was this? You could listen to music while outside and walking around – and nobody else could hear it. Surely, some magic ….

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10 things you'll remember if you went to school in the '80s
Our favourite films from the 1980s
Can you recognise these '80s tunes?

Could you do it? A couple of times, two sides looked within our grasp, but sadly only one was ever possible.

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10 things you'll remember if you went to school in the '80s
Our favourite films from the 1980s
Can you recognise these '80s tunes?

It didn’t matter how important you were, or what sort of suit you wore to work, if you had to make a phone call, you stepped into a box to do it, just like the rest of us.

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10 things you'll remember if you went to school in the '80s
Our favourite films from the 1980s
Can you recognise these '80s tunes?

You can still buy the soap – what we miss is that classic ad. Remember - the family in the luxury bathroom. Mum says ‘Tahiti looks nice’, Dad picks up the phone and relays the message and suddenly, the bathroom tilts and they are revealed to be on a plane. Oh the luxury of it. The utter glamour. And you too could have this with a simple bar of Imperial Leather soap in your bathroom…

Relive the luxury here

Liked this? You'll love:
10 things you'll remember if you went to school in the '80s
Our favourite films from the 1980s
Can you recognise these '80s tunes?