Jun 9
Thatcher Wins Landslide
Boosted by the Falklands victory, Thatcher won a massive 144-seat majority. Labour under Michael Foot suffered its worst defeat since 1918. Gerald Kaufman called Labour's manifesto 'the longest suicide note in history.'
🇬🇧United Kingdom · 80s
Thatcher's Landslide
Thatcher won a landslide, Michael Foot wore a donkey jacket, and a £5 watch changed Britain.
What happened
5 milestones of 1983
Nov 26
Brink's-Mat Robbery
Armed robbers stole £26 million in gold bullion from the Brink's-Mat warehouse at Heathrow — the biggest robbery in British history. The gold was melted down and laundered through property. Much of it was never recovered.
Apr
Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp
30,000 women formed a human chain around the Greenham Common airbase to protest US cruise missiles. The camp had existed since 1981 and would continue until 2000. Women's peace activism at its most visible.
Jan 17
Breakfast Television Arrives
BBC Breakfast Time launched, followed by TV-am weeks later. Frank Bough, Selina Scott, and a sofa. Britain could now watch TV with its toast. David Frost and Anna Ford struggled on the rival channel.
Sep 25
IRA Escape from Maze Prison
38 IRA prisoners escaped from the Maze Prison — the largest prison escape in British history. Using smuggled guns, they hijacked a food lorry. 19 were recaptured, but the rest disappeared.
The Troubles — present factually
What was playing
70% local · 30% international
What was in cinemas
Return of the Jedi
Richard Marquand — Star Wars trilogy completed. Ewoks divided opinion. UK box office smash.
Local Hero
Bill Forsyth — Burt Lancaster in Scotland. Mark Knopfler's soundtrack. Magic.
Educating Rita
Lewis Gilbert — Michael Caine and Julie Walters. Open University comedy-drama.
Flashdance
Adrian Lyne — Jennifer Beals danced and welded. 'What a Feeling.'
The Meaning of Life
Terry Jones — Monty Python's final film. 'Every Sperm Is Sacred.'
What was on TV
Breakfast Time / TV-am
1983 — Morning television arrived. Sofas and weather forecasts.
Blackadder
1983-1989 — Rowan Atkinson. First series in medieval England. Better ones followed.
The Thorn Birds
1983 — Mini-series sensation. Richard Chamberlain as a forbidden priest.
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
1983-2004 — Geordie builders in Germany. Tim Healy, Jimmy Nail. Working-class hit.
Roland Rat
1983 — A puppet rat saved TV-am from the ratings abyss. Only in Britain.
How much things cost
Currency: GBP
Pint of milk21p
Loaf of bread39p
Pint of bitter63p
Average house£26,471
Swatch watch£25
Cinema ticket£1.80
Inflation: 4.6%
Inflation finally falling. The Falklands effect boosted confidence. Recovery beginning — but unevenly.
Then vs. Now
Inflation-adjusted values
Pint of milkONS
1983 (GBP)
21p
→
Today's value (£)
--
Loaf of breadONS
1983 (GBP)
39p
→
Today's value (£)
--
Pint of bitterBBPA
1983 (GBP)
63p
→
Today's value (£)
--
Average houseONS
1983 (GBP)
£26,471
→
Today's value (£)
--
Swatch watchSwatch
1983 (GBP)
£25
→
Today's value (£)
--
Cinema ticketBFI
1983 (GBP)
£1.80
→
Today's value (£)
--
Technology
Compact discs
CD players and discs becoming available in UK shops.
Swatch watches
Cheap, colourful, collectible — fashion meets technology.
Mobile phones
First mobile phone networks being tested — bricks with aerials.
Home computers
ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, Commodore 64 — the computer war raged.
Cruise missiles
US nuclear missiles arrived at Greenham Common — technology of destruction.
Pop Culture
Fashion
New Romantic and New Wave styles coexistingPower dressing beginning — shoulder pads arrivingCasual sportswear culture growing — trainers as fashion
Slang
Ace— Excellent
Naff— Uncool
Brill— Brilliant
Behavior
- Thatcher's landslide meant her revolution would accelerate
- Women at Greenham Common challenged nuclear policy peacefully
- Breakfast TV changed morning routines — the sofa became a studio
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