WHO REMEMBERS? The UK Nostalgia Podcast
A nostalgia trip for anyone in the UK who grew up on dial-up Internet, Findus Crispy Pancakes, and playground rumours that couldn't be fact-checked online. We're not historians — we don't do dates, and we barely do facts — this is about the moment something gets mentioned and you go "oh my god, I've not thought about that in years." Science says reminiscing gives your brain a dopamine hit, so think of us as your weekly dose of that exact feeling.
Expect hazy memories, childhood flashbacks, confidently misremembered events, and frequent arguments about who remembers things properly as we rummage through the UK's collective memory box.
WHO REMEMBERS? The UK Nostalgia Podcast
The Most-Watched UK TV Broadcasts (1980–1999): World Cups, Soaps & Live Aid
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Twenty-three and a half million people sat down to watch a Bond film on ITV. Thirty million watched Dirty Den deliver divorce papers on Christmas Day. If those numbers sound unreal in the age of streaming, that’s exactly why we wanted to dig into the most watched UK TV broadcasts of the 1980s and 1990s, year by year, and work out what was really going on in the living rooms of Britain.
If you love UK nostalgia, 80s television, 90s television, and the stories behind the viewing figures, hit play. Subscribe, share it with a mate and leave us a review with the one broadcast you remember the whole country watching together.
Welcome And A Mild Apology
SPEAKER_00Hello and welcome to Who Remembers the UK Nostalgia Podcast? And in this week's episode we are asking who remembers the most watched UK TV broadcasts of the eighties and nineties. Yeah, sometimes I have these written deh on and and I didn't that time. And I and I don't I just it could have gone forever though at that title.
SPEAKER_02We we have to start with an apology, but not a very sincere one. Um we didn't put out an episode and a new episode last week and it's the first time I mean to be fair, it's over a calendar year, which is why uh you know, yeah.
SPEAKER_00It's a shame, but it's more of a sorry, innit, than a really sorry about like you've you've had more than enough fun, aren't you, for this podcast? We've made a mistake, yeah. But yeah, so but if they're all obviously we've got a fair amount of newer listeners, and they might think, oh, these these two cowboys, they they just turn up when they want.
SPEAKER_02Like um I know we've been very consistent. Yeah, we're very consistent. Uh yeah with my mailer. We used to kind of it was seasonal, so we'd give ourselves a break every now and again, but yeah, we've just powered through this one. We've done an episode every week for over a year, which which I I know people might be thinking, well, that's not good enough. Well we'll do your own one then.
SPEAKER_00Do your own one. That's what love our starter just having a go straight away. People have not had a go. No one said anything. No one said, Oh, this is terrible. It's straight on the attack. Defensive, yeah.
SPEAKER_02We we've got the uh Argentina game
Why Viewing Figures Were Massive
SPEAKER_02tomorrow on the minds. We're ready for a fight, aren't we?
SPEAKER_00Well, yeah, because we all recorded, we know we recorded a week in uh before, but because my voice went, we'd not been able to do it. So this is actually being recorded the day, but you'll be hearing this probably on the morning of the Argentina game, unless you're listening later and then you'll know the score. And we thought, didn't we? What a great obviously England's semi-final against Argentina is going to become the most watched television broadcast of the year, I would have thought overall.
SPEAKER_02Well, yeah, you you were telling me that the the Mexico game was the most viewed T. Norway. Norway, yeah, Norway game. Yeah. And then and then I thought that's interesting, like you kind of I would imagine like some soaps and things would be it, and uh, yeah, that sent sent your brain down a rabbit hole of looking into what the most viewed we're only doing 80s and 90s because because it's a nostalgia podcast. Um it's possible we'll do we'll do the noughties at some point, but not too much.
SPEAKER_00Well, but then what we're gonna do is go by year rather than just saying all the top tens of this and da da da da da. We're gonna go from 1988 to 1999. There's some stuff we'll just probably skim through if there's not much to say. Um but I I'm looking forward to this because obviously we've got the list here, and there is some crazy things that were the uh most watched thing of the year. Do you want to do the 80s, Liam?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I can do, yeah. And and obviously, like for you know, if we do have anyone sort of under the age of 50 listening, um, must be some. This was an era when there was no streaming, there was four channels for the whole 80s and 90s, am I right in saying? I can't remember when channel four came along.
SPEAKER_00Channel five were about ninety-seven, I want to say, something like that.
SPEAKER_02So channel five was around for the end of it, but yeah, yeah, effectively, four free-to-air channels. Is that right? When was channel four live?
SPEAKER_0082 when we were born.
SPEAKER_02So yeah enough then, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And yeah, this is what you had to watch. You had to you got what you were given, basically, didn't you?
SPEAKER_00Some of the figures are incredible. Some of the figures are incredible for this, but anyway, go on.
Early 80s Event Movies On ITV
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so we're gonna start with 1980. Um I mean, uh, it's not worth it, is it? I was kind of gonna ask you to guess what you've sent me the list. So the highest viewed show on Terrestrian.
SPEAKER_00I'd never have got this, by the way. No way. I don't think anyone who's not seen this list would ever get what 1980 is most watched TV market.
SPEAKER_02I think if I could have asked you questions to narrow it down, I might have got there fairly quickly because it's a film. So if you've already had a guess for 1980, I'll I'll kind of narrow it down for you. So it's a film shown on ITV. I would say it was a Saturday night because the ones I remember were were shown on Saturday night. I don't know that for a fact.
SPEAKER_00Nah, 20th of January. Well we've got there, but yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, 1980. Uh, and it's the film Live and Let Die.
SPEAKER_00I once did that at karaoke, by the way. Um it's harder than you than it seems, actually. Yeah, well, obviously the bit uh it's a bit of a reggae bit, isn't there? Like about four seconds of a reggae bit. So I thought this is my this is my patch. Uh when what does he say when he goes uh what's it gotta matter to you? When you've got a job to do, you gotta do it well. You've got to give the other fella hell. Imagine writing that. You've got to give the other fella. But no one's gonna say to McCarthy, are they, mate? You that's ridiculous. But anyway, sorry, it's a great song. What's the movie like Lynn? So I've not seen it.
SPEAKER_02Good song. It is a yeah, it's a good one. Um so I remember Saturday nights in the 80s. I think there is there's at least one other Bond film coming anyway. But yeah, it was certainly uh Saturday night for me, it was a big part. My my mum and dad used to go out, grandma and granddad would come around and yeah, Colombo, Murder Shiro, or sometimes you'd get like a run of James Bond films, and I that that that would have been towards the end of the 80s, so there'd be reruns, but blockbuster movies on TV were genuinely special, I think, at the time.
SPEAKER_00Because you I I'm just reading a little bit here where I think it's like uh it used to come out like four or five years after or whatever that they come out, and obviously not everyone went to a cinema, you know, expensive or whatever, and people who aren't really that into films wouldn't have gone to a cinema. So people would like to stay in, like to watch these massive films. I mean, like say we're just looking at 23 and a half million watch Live and Let Die. That's crazy, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean that at the time, what would that be? That'd be well over half the population, I would think, wouldn't it? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I I don't know whether we're talking at least half the population, I think. Um sat down to watch Live and Let Die, which yeah, it's uh I I don't remember it too well.
SPEAKER_02It's um it's sort of set I don't know if it's like Creole or it's like uh I don't know if there's like an element of sort of voodoo to it. Um just don't know it's setting the Caribbean um Oh that's why there's a reggae bit in it, because it's in the Caribbean. Yeah, apparently there was some uh derogatory racial ep epithets uh like gangsters and pimpmobiles. Right, classic bond, innit?
SPEAKER_00Classic Bond.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, um I I mean I I don't remember too much about it, but I do remember it being a good song. Uh sorry, a good film with a good song. Uh yeah, I'm not gonna go through the plot right now because we should have done that before if we were gonna do it.
SPEAKER_00Well, we can't go through a plot of everything because there's quite a few films.
SPEAKER_02It's a good film. Uh I've seen it a few times since. I don't think it's one of my favourites, it's probably not one of my top ten, but I I did I used to like Roger Moore when I was younger, used to like quite like his sort of suaveness. I think I'm more of a a Connery Connery man these days. Not a laser. I like all like enjoy all the bonds.
SPEAKER_00All the bonds, all the bonds.
SPEAKER_02Right, let's move on. 1981. It's another film, it's ITV again. Guess what?
SPEAKER_00Hang on before you guess before you guess, everyone listening. I know that's uh fucking teenage muttering it. Go on, do the theme tune. That's better. That's much better. It's harder than it seems though. Yeah, that's very good. That's quite good. It's a bit like a Guinness advent, but yeah, it's Jaws anyway, isn't it, Liam? Oh, I was gonna I was gonna throw a spanner in the works.
SPEAKER_02Oh, sorry. It was uh Moonraker. No, yeah, it is Jaws. It's Jaws, it's a fantastic film, it is a classic. I I assume it's the first time it's shown on terrestrial TV. Yeah, it's at least six years. I mean six years. These days, some of the the garbage they churn out now. You can see it a couple of months later on uh streaming platforms. Six years people had waited to see this. Um yeah, it's a classic, it's a fantastic film, it stands up to the test of time. The special effects are a little bit poor, but still works now, and it's still the reason why uh Jody Mimas is is she says she's all going to see, but she's scared of sharks. Yeah, I mean definitely when she was younger, like really scared. I think your dad likes one of these issues. Where did she go abroad with sharks?
SPEAKER_00Is she on a like Blackpool Beach or what?
SPEAKER_02Chapel St. Leonard's, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Chapel St. Leonard's beach, Jaws.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, my dad's favourite ever film, though, but I mean it it did sort of put a real fear. I'm I mean, I think it's right to be scared of sharks, but yeah, it did put a lot of and I don't know whether that's fair to say there might be some animal lovers listening saying no, if you treat them with respect, you're fine. Um but this one anyway, you should be scared of this shark. This was a this was a nasty piece of work.
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah, big time, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Uh yeah, great film. Another one, 1982, it's another film, it's another Bond film. It was released five years earlier, this one, and this is The Spy Who Loved Me, which I believe is all ITV by the way, so far.
SPEAKER_00ITV seems to have got the monopoly on the uh on the films back in the 80s.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, well, and I think these are all the Saturday night ones. Well they had ad breaks, didn't they? So they I don't know whether that meant they could they could purchase the the films.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, good point.
SPEAKER_02I don't think a BBC doing that. Uh Spy Who Love Me is the one, isn't it? With the Alan Partridge intro.
SPEAKER_00Trangle langer, Trangle Langer, Langer Langer.
SPEAKER_01Nobody does.
SPEAKER_00Is it not? Right, yeah, that is my favourite bond song.
SPEAKER_01It makes me feel sad.
SPEAKER_00It's a brilliant song.
SPEAKER_01Nobody does it half as good as you, baby, you're the best.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Yeah, brilliant film. Uh I don't know if it starts with it starts. Well, again, I think I'm getting this from partridge, but I assume it's factually accurate. It starts with him skiing it. Yeah, I remember loving this. I mean, I certainly wouldn't have been watching it. Well, I weren't born. I wouldn't have been watching it right now, but later on when I saw it, incredible intro.
SPEAKER_00And and to be fairly on the next year, is it just as a dramatic,
Soaps Take Over With Big Storylines
SPEAKER_00weren't it? The next year's biggest uh TV moment.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, probably similar budget as well. So this is Coronation Street and it's the aftermath of the Mike and Deirdre affair being found out.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, which we spoke about, didn't we? We did we've obviously, if you go back to the episodes, we've done the free Deidre campaign and we spoke about this. And this is the first bit where I've I watched this back because I'm an absolute idiot and a nerd, and I watched this episode back, and it but the one we spoke about, Ken obviously it kicks Deidre out, and Deidre says, I'm gonna leave. And then Deidre asked for it, oh please, please take me back. So Ken says, Okay, then they go to Malta. Ken tells Mike Baldwin, he's like, Look, she's staying with me. He's not having it, Baldwin. He's just like, No, that's not happening, no way, I don't believe it. So then Deidre has to tell Baldwin himself, it's really dramatic, actually. She goes, I want to stay with what about that? That was a terrible accent. You're better at Deirdre. I want to stay with Ken. Yeah, um, yeah. And me and Bill, you know, people that weren't too bad, yeah. And and he's he's guttered Baldwin. And I don't know if they had an affair after this. I don't know if Baldwin and them uh and and Deidrey ever got back together after this, like, but anyway, but I don't know. I I have a feeling that they had a I'm not I'm not sure because like I said, this would be for our time. But Baldwin and Deidrew, like I don't know, they were always a bit of spark there, weren't they?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I think the end of the episode uh Baldwin jumps off the top of his return with a parachute and then nobody does.
SPEAKER_00But it does people shooting at him, he's like, stop it again shooting at him.
SPEAKER_02Um yeah, first soap appearance. I kind of thought soaps would dominate this, but this is 1983, the first time. 18.45 million viewers.
SPEAKER_00Ridiculous.
SPEAKER_02And it's you know, which by the way, is on TV.
SPEAKER_00That's more than the England Norway game, which I imagine almost everyone in the country watched.
SPEAKER_02Well, yeah, but I don't know how the view figures count for like obviously you went out and watched it with tons of other people, didn't you?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. Not Coronation Street.
SPEAKER_02Imagine that. Baldwin. That's not number, is it? 1984. So this is the Royal Variety performance. Um these were these were big, weren't they?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that is it a Christmas thing or is it is it not? I don't know.
SPEAKER_02November, 25th of November, this was. Right, end of year. So yeah, Barry Humphreys, Eric Sykes, Spike Milligan, Ro Roy Hood, Paul Daniels, a lot, and uh Ronnie Corbett.
SPEAKER_00Any of them to tickle your fancy, Leah? I know you're a Corbett man, aren't you?
SPEAKER_02I like Corbett. I don't mind a bit of Daniels. Um I find Hood quite irritating. Milligan's alright. I'm not a big fan of Sykes, really. Uh Barry Humphreys. Yeah. I mean it's alright, I'm sure they were bigger shit in the day.
SPEAKER_00I I watched the I watched the end of this um because it's the full performance is not on YouTube, and that's as far as my research goes. Such a different time. Obviously, all the Rolf Hambler in the audience, but it's such a like a proper old all the comments which you get in a lot of these videos, like this is when England were England, do you know what I mean? But it is very sort of old England, all like the show tunes and stuff, everyone on the stage at the end, and Max Bygraves is leading it. Do you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. And it's the first BBC appearance as well, so uh the first time they've got themselves on the scoreboard on the chart.
Live Aid And Christmas Day TV
SPEAKER_021985. I think this is one you could figure out if you thought about it, if if you sort of know your timeline. We've done an episode on the sort of modern version of this. So in the UK, 24 and a half million. Is that UK or England?
SPEAKER_00That's just you. Well, it says UK, UK is this what is you know obviously. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I mean, this is probably the the winner worldwide. I'd I would imagine this beats the Baldwin and Deirdre thing, because this had 1.9 billion people worldwide watching. Which is incredible, isn't it? And this is Live Aid.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, live aid.
SPEAKER_02I mean the BBC one. I mean, this it this one absolutely makes sense. There's there's other ones that you think, what really? This one absolutely sort of seems right. It's on uh yeah.
SPEAKER_00I mean, we've watched a couple of performances. Obviously, the Queen one's really uh famous. The Elton John performance is well overlooked on this. We might do an episode on Live Aid as a whole, so I don't want to go too intoo into it. But there's a bit where Collins is good. Oh, Phil Collins obviously is he does it do it in like three continents or something like that. It's flying around the world, isn't it? He's like flying round the world too with his drums. But yeah, this obviously the live we've got an episode on live eight. If you want to catch that, uh check check it out. This was obviously better, and I don't think that's just sort of but it's not nostalgia speaking because we can't remember it. It it is better.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, this this was much more iconic. Um I mean that that one actually watching it back live eight, it's not actually that good, is it? Whereas I think if you're doing that, it's still quite wild by it. Yeah, yeah. They're asking me to do it. Who is Ricky? Who's asking you to do it? Well, I can't hear anyone asking you to do it.
SPEAKER_00If you did it now though, I think now all they do is just say cunt and every go hey, woo!
SPEAKER_01Oh god, they're asking me to say it. I'm gonna have to say it.
SPEAKER_02Oh god, yeah, cunt. Anyway, 1986, East Enders, Dirty Den, uh, divorce papers. Incredibly iconic moment. Even if you're not a fan of East Enders, I would imagine you know of this moment. What is it? Um, my love or something like that. Sweet. My sweet.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he's brilliant at delivering it. I mean, whatever you think of Leslie Grantham, and he's he's had a few things. He you were arrested, weren't I? We certainly don't condone Leslie Grantham. We don't condone Leslie Grantham. Um but yeah, brilliant active from him here, where he's uh this is a letter from my solicitor. Merry Christmas, my and it's the 25th of December. I've got that, 25th of December, Christmas Day, 30 million. 30 million, yeah. This is the most watched programme in the UK, in UK history, discounting news and sports coverage. The most watched thing ever in UK history.
SPEAKER_02We're not including our numbers, are we? Because we're a podcast. Yeah, obviously. Yeah, we're a podcast.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so we're we're we're we can't include our numbers on this, but the 1966 World Cup final is the most watched thing ever in UK history, but this is the most watched thing that's not a news event or a sporting event. That is mad. Do you know how much well you obviously do know how much 30 million is? It's over 30 million, by the way. That's ridiculous. Christmas Dale is well.
SPEAKER_02Like I I mean, I can't kind of give you I don't know what that would be now. What's the population of London? Is that like and I'm including like greater London? Is that is that 30 million or oh I've no idea.
SPEAKER_00I mean it's it's it's it's half the UK now, isn't it? Yeah, it's it's absolutely and a lot of people will have been at other people's houses, so I reckon more people.
SPEAKER_02I never know how to factor that in though. Did he have to do that? Or is it literally this is how many TVs are watching?
SPEAKER_00I don't know. I really I don't know. Do you know what though, by the way, just to jump ahead, I'm gonna I'm gonna nick you, I know you're doing the 80s, but it's interesting that the most watched thing in 1987 was East Enders again from the 1st of January, which is the follow-on from this, if you know what I mean, and 28 million watched that. How big were this storyline? Yeah, it's not a direct continuation though, is it? A couple of episodes down the line, but it's that era still of you know from the December. I see what you mean, yeah.
SPEAKER_02I take your point. So yeah, we're only we're only a week later, aren't we? Six days later.
SPEAKER_00Six days later. I don't know how many days a week it was then. I'd say two or three or whatever.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, 60 million people, sort of the the modern population of England, watched these two the the 1998 six and the nineteen ninety-seven episodes. Yeah, wild.
SPEAKER_00I like the uh the sypnosis for this one is Pat gives Den some home truths about the way he treats Andre. And Dr. Leg follows Arthur up to the allotment and realises how much his health is deteriorating.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, this is when what were he getting with like dementia or Alzheimer's? I thought that was much later, but it was around Chris, yeah.
SPEAKER_00When he went, Ah, everyone's seen that scene where he's like smashing his house up, didn't I? But yeah, fair play to uh Arthur because I think he bounced back a little bit, and obviously you're married to the evil Pauline Fowler, as we now know from uh Major Charles.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, we'd have been five for this, and I I this is probably the first one that I would say that I remember, I think. And and not with a huge amount of detail, because because as I say, maybe maybe it is later the bit we're remembering, but I do remember Arthur starting to sort of smash things up and that.
SPEAKER_00I remember Ange sort of lying about that she had cancer, and I were really scared because she was like doing this really weird laugh. She's because she she lied that she had she had six months to live, and she's going, um like I've got six months to live, and then she laughs like in a really sort of sad way. And I remember a bit as a kid, even this I might have been a repeat maybe. I've been genuinely scared by this. I don't know, it would just really freak me out. Don't know why. I should have put on my uh things that scared me the most as a kid.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Well, we might we might do more of that. You might have another opportunity. Who knows what the future will bring? 1998. It's uh eighty-eight. Oh yeah, 1988. It's a hat trick for East Enders. Um that's mad by the way, that three. It's another sort of festive one, but it's a little bit later, so it's early in the calendar year, 7th January. Uh, Pat is summoned by Lou. I can't think who Lou is. I don't know who Lou is.
SPEAKER_00No. I could have been from Lou Carpenter.
SPEAKER_02Uh Colin, I can't remember who Colin is, intends to act on some helpful advice, and the Osmonds seek an expert opinion and their troublesome neighbour.
SPEAKER_00What's mad about this is that is the sypnosis that people have looked in their TV guide and said, and 24 over 24 million people have said, Yeah, we're watching that, obviously.
SPEAKER_01Summoned by Lou.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we've got to do this. Yeah, what's Colin up to? He's getting some advice from the Osman. What? Yeah, 24. That's it's crazy numbers there. It's crazy numbers.
SPEAKER_0224 million, yeah. So 1989, we're coming towards the end of the decade. So I I certainly remember watching this, although I don't think it's a good idea. It's literally the end of the decade. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um yeah, it couldn't get any later in the decade. Uh I mean it's it's actually right at the end of 1989 as well. So it's a Christmas Day film. So this is when you used to get a they still do it, but it's never quite the same now. You've seen it before now. But this is when everybody would have been waiting for this film. We would have been seven, so yeah, probably watched it. I I'm not sure whether this was the watched the rerun or whatever, but anyway, it's a fantastic film. It stars uh Paul Hogan. Uh it's got the famous line, that's not a knife. This is a knife.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um it's Batman.
SPEAKER_00I've never seen this. No, come on. I know you haven't seen it. I have I swear down, I've never seen Crocodile. I obviously know of it, I know uh uh you know I've seen the the see uh the big scenes from it, I've never actually seen it.
SPEAKER_02She wasn't one of the sort of lead female uh in it. I don't even know her name. She was she was stunning, but she never kind of really seemed to do anything else other than this that I'm aware of. Well, um Croc MB2.
SPEAKER_00Nineteen eighty nine, I was not one of the near twenty two million who tuned in for this. What why what was you doing? Uh nineteen eighty nine, what have they been doing, nineteen eighty nine? I don't think I'd have been watching this in nineteen eighty nine, mate. I've got b big things to do, I've got an allotment to run.
SPEAKER_01Daddy Lawrence the crocodile man, please.
SPEAKER_00No. No. You've got to go to you've got to go and do your you know, you've got to go to work. We're working, Werner, down at down pit at this this age. 1989. Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Big time. That's why um yeah, that's why I'm so strong these days. Anyway,
The Neighbours Mystery Of 1990
SPEAKER_00so 1990, I think this is the the maddest one of the lot this. And you questioned me about this, didn't you, in private when I put this list together.
SPEAKER_02I can't believe this is not Italian 90.
SPEAKER_00And so I've looked into this. So 1990, you would have thinking it's the 26th of February on a Sondorma. Yeah, you're thinking that. 21 million tuning in. It's not, it's a really random episode of Neighbours. And I've watched this episode, and Des Clark, you don't even remember, do you? I do remember him as a character. I can't think it does now. Death from uh Corey. Yeah, no, no. Des Clark becomes highly suspicious of his father's Malcolm's new girlfriend, Leanne Sterling, and warns him that she is up to no good. And I thought, I wonder if something's happened before or after nothing. And all the comments on like the YouTube video and stuff are like someone pulled like this is the most watched ever episode of 1990. And all the comments are like, why? No one can seem to understand why this episode got so many views. What date was it, Sean? 26th of February, 1990, on a Monday. And it came on about R5, didn't it, neighbours? Something like that. Er yeah, I can't quite remember. Was it R5 or six? But genuinely, Blue.
SPEAKER_02I think who he is, I don't remember him.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I remember his face. I don't know much about him. I thought when it were neighbours, I thought it would be the Charlene and what's his name, Jason Donovan Wedding. But it's not, and it's not even like when Harold like died and then obviously came back to it's not a big, it's just a nothing episode. And it got more than Italian United, it got more than England West Germany purely because and this is what might happen on the I think RTV and BBC have both got the semi-final today as this is going out. Because it's this is all taken on one obviously one programme. More people combined did watch West Germany and England, but because some watched it on RTV and some watched it on the BBC, it's not classed as the same broadcast because it isn't, because obviously you've got different pundits at half-time, different commentary team. It is a different different show, different titles.
SPEAKER_02I just first des Lineman started out uh shouldn't you be watching neighbours?
SPEAKER_00Imagine that. Should you be watching Des Clark? Yeah, and it's I mean it's crazy. Two things are crazy here. One is this neighbours thing, and two, who watches ITV when BBC and ITV have both got the game on? And I know we'll we're gonna do a Euros uh World Cup World special.
SPEAKER_02This year I think most people should do, but yeah, certainly traditionally.
SPEAKER_00Now you say that, but you don't think that because you you don't want Matterface in your World Cup zone final.
SPEAKER_02I will be watching the final on ITV.
SPEAKER_00You really?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, absolutely. I I've got because I'm I'm sort of institutionalised by Sky, I don't mind the ad breaks, they just mumble shite anyway at half time.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02I ain't got any problem with the ad breaks. I I prefer I I love the studio, I prefer the pundits. I think the pundits will get on too much. Yeah, well we'll discuss this in lot more detail, but I've I've I've become an ITV man.
SPEAKER_00Well, I I think ITV have had the better tournament until Gabriel Clark's. I prefer Karen Carney. Yeah, I like Karen Carney as well, to be fair. But anyway, neither ITV or BBC got it because you can understand that they obviously split the vote almost with that. Um but why this episode of Neighbours, I have no idea. How it got more than Correy, how it got more than East Enders, who knows? Answers on a post.
SPEAKER_02Like, don't get me wrong, you the description's terrible, we don't remember it, or I certainly don't. You've watched it. But what I love about your next one, like obviously tells what it is, but read the description of the most popular thing that happened in 1991 on TV.
SPEAKER_0025th of November 1991. It's another soap. 20 million, over 20 million, 20 million and a half. Coronation Street. Uh and the sypnosis, Betty and Liz are left to run the rovers when Bet, then in brackets Lynch, because for some reason they've got two characters called Bet, and we're both working a pub. Yeah, we're both working the same pub. Uh Bet Lynch takes a day off to spy Alec and Jack Faynes a bad back. The most watched I watched this again to see what we've missed. Is anything happening before? Nothing's happening in this again. This is just another random episode where it's just there's no follow-on. It's terrible, sort of like it's unbelievable.
SPEAKER_02Betty and Liz will have to run the rovers when Betty takes a day off.
SPEAKER_00That's it. Yeah, to spy Alec. I don't know what Alec has done. But Bet and Liz, what I found out while watching the episode is Betty and Liz A are not getting on with each other. So they've like they've been mean to work together, but it's not a big thing. They just I think Liz says, hey, but we'll have to get on, won't we? And Bet who talks exactly the same because ah, we will do ah better's a bit deeper, weren't you?
SPEAKER_02We try to get on, but I tell you what, don't put your hands anywhere near me up pot.
SPEAKER_00Why bad writing's that, by the way? I think Bet and Betty in the same I've like imagine that but it's like one of the like a what's his name? Leslie Nielsen thing. So Betty came in and bet like it would be amazing, wouldn't it?
SPEAKER_02Who's the who's the bet on first?
SPEAKER_00They should have brought they should have brought another character in called Bet. And then Jack Fane's a bad bike, and it is a funny scene. Jack's going, I can't come in today. And Vera's going, You're absolutely work shy, you you work shy. It's a classic, don't know if I'm wrong, it's a it's a funny episode. It does sound good as we're talking about it. Yeah. 20 million people looked at that 25th of November as well, just before Christmas, and just said, This I mean, this will be they must have thought this will be hilarious. This will be absolutely hilarious.
SPEAKER_02I think that would have been a great, a great time to be alive that day. I think you're just coming up to December, we would have been nine. All the excitement at Christmas come in. You've got you've got bet Betty and Liz trying to run the rovers. Yeah, yeah. I bet that would have been a great day, though.
SPEAKER_00But this must have been a great era for Coronation Street because the the biggest one of next year, '92, is in January, which is only a couple of months after. And again, same amount of people, over 20 million. And then and then this particular storyline, Alma Sedgwick, which I didn't know that were a second name, has made up her no has made up her mind to leave Weatherfield. How can Mike Baldwin stop her from going? And I'd watched this one as well. Well, I've flipped through them to be fair. I've not watched it all. Because there's some characters I can't remember, and I think I'm up with her about that. And Mike does stop her from going, Alma. Um, so yeah, it's a bit of a happy ending that Mike and Alma sort of get together.
SPEAKER_02We had uh PE teacher called Mr. Sedgwick, was uh a good man. He's passed away now, though.
SPEAKER_00So did Baldwin? I'd love that Baldwin would come into school as well.
SPEAKER_02Hey, have you been a hair a little bit like Baldwin?
SPEAKER_00He looked a bit like uh you know Ace Ring. It'd be amazing if he were Baldwin. Like imagine you don't I think we've spoken about this before, aren't we? You don't think Mike Baldwin exists? Oh no, you can't imagine him existing, sorry.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's it's hard to describe in a in a brief podcast.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I don't know if he was played by multiple actors. I don't know if he's always been shit conspiracy. Uh yeah, somewhere along the line, I when I see him, I think he doesn't look he don't look how I think he should look. It's it's kind of like the Mandela effect, but yeah, it's the Mike
Coronation Street’s Early 90s Run
SPEAKER_02Baldwin effect because it's it's not like a mass thing, it's just me.
SPEAKER_00It's just you every time you see him, you you once did an article. We obviously we keep saying we're gonna get a website over, but we haven't yet. Um but if we do, you've got uh you have sent me an article, aren't you? And I'm sure you've got it, and you've got like different images of Mike Baldwin, who to me looks exactly the same. And you're like, no, these are different people.
SPEAKER_02But I it's subtle, yeah. And I I don't know why they would do it. I'm I'm not I've I've not kind of figured out the reasons for it. I just think and even like now when I think, I know he doesn't look quite how I remember him, so I kind of prepare myself for it. And then even when I look at him, I think, no, that's still not right. That's not what I was expecting. Even expecting a wrong version of him, that's more wrong than I thought it should be.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, I'll stay tuned for you agree. Yeah, uh, and and 1993, Cory get their own bike because obviously East Ender's got a hat trick in the uh in the 80s, and Cory get a hat trick in the early 90s, uh, because 93 is Coronation Street again, uh, March 1993, and Gail is horrified when the police interview her over Carmel's accident. And I didn't know anything about this, so I looked into it, and Carmel pretended to be pregnant with Martin. Remember Martin Platt, um, his baby, um, and she said she lost it, and they had a scuffle after her and Gail had a scuffle, and then Carmel gets sectioned at the end of the episode. But Martin at the end of the episode's like, I can't believe you didn't trust me, Gail. And she goes, Oh, well, you know. She gets conned quite a lot, Gail though. But she's do you know what I mean? Like, yeah, obviously, what's his name? Are we like Nigel Havers? I can't remember the character he played when he'd give that. Oh, he sniffed her big time. He nicked her all the money, didn't he? He goes, There's no money left in your bank account. Absolutely amazing accent.
SPEAKER_02Well, he caught in here and a mum at the same time.
SPEAKER_00No, he liked Audrey, he wanted to get with Audrey.
SPEAKER_02I really liked Audrey who's just gonna be a big one.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but he got with Gail, yeah, and he was like saying, He goes, I am here in Tuscany. Like, and he took all the money and like retired to Tuscany. Absolutely amazing. Um 94.
Torvill And Dean Plus Diana’s Interview
SPEAKER_00This was massive, this Torval and Dean, which I don't think you get a nice. I don't think the Winter Olympics nowadays would be the biggest thing of the year. 1994, World Cup run '94, England didn't qualify. 24 million people watched this. BBC One, February. And it was Jane Torvald and Christopher Dean when they won the bronze medal um in the ice dance championship at the Winter Olympics in Norway. Uh despite. Yeah, apparently I haven't misremembered two different things.
SPEAKER_02I've heard two different versions of it. Two different versions. Well, I I thought this was going to be the bolero, but it's let's face the music and dance.
SPEAKER_00No, they won with the bolero, I think, didn't they, a couple of years earlier.
SPEAKER_01No, this is let's this is let's face the music and dance. Yeah. Oh, sorry. You sorry, yes.
SPEAKER_02It was the bolero, but sorry. So yeah, they didn't win it with this one, did they? Even though everyone said it was brilliant. I'm watching it and feeling completely robbed, even though I knew none of the scoring criteria.
SPEAKER_00No, everyone said the Russians. The Russian duo took gold and silver in this. Um, yeah, you're on about the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics. Uh sorry, gold. Yeah, they did. Yeah, the Russian, the two, the top two were Russian, both Russians.
SPEAKER_01Alright, interesting.
SPEAKER_02And the first one couples, though, not like two. So there were there were two Russian couples.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they didn't give them both medals. Imagine that. That'll have been him in this World Cup with Messi. Everyone's like saying like it's been fixed. They might give him like the third place playoff and like the runners-up medal.
SPEAKER_02Might just hang the trophy around his neck, you know, like Jules Rome.
SPEAKER_00Um, but yeah, so this were like um the they basically made a big comeback after winning, and it were a crowd favourite, but they got a two point two to three point deduct two point three-point deduction. I don't know how it scored in in skating, to be honest. Um and it yeah, it resulted in a bronze medal, much to the shock of the commentators. And it was very much from just like look looking back a little bit that I um read about it, very much the English sort of, oh, you've got to say that is not fair. Do you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, as I say, I I certainly thought I mean my mum and dad watch a lot of Olympic sports, and they they seem to think it was a robbery. I I did, but didn't quite know why. I just liked what I saw.
SPEAKER_00Cheats. This was massive. This 1995, Panorama, an interview with the Princess of Wales, Liam. Do you remember this? Our Queen of Hearts. Uh Queen of Hearts, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I remember the fallout from it. I I don't think I would have watched the interview live. I remember like the the sort of headlines that came from I don't know if you want to read it out, the famous quote from the whole thing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, 23 million watched this, and she basically broke Royal Protocol by speaking really honestly, and obviously the famous line of it says there was three of us in that marriage, so it was a bit crowded. Obviously, talking about the um Charles' affair with Camilla. Queen Camilla, we should say. Queen con what is it? Queen Queen Consert. What is it? Er Oh, you know what I mean. I do know what you mean. I don't know, whatever they call her. But this massively changed like the uh public's opinion on the royal family to the point where we did an episode obviously about I think this morning and when Diana died. Sorry. Queen Consort, sorry, that's it. And um, yeah, the people were phoned into this morning saying like the Queen's got to resign and stuff like that. It went it just. I know. Well, I suppose you can, you can abdicate the throne, can't you? I suppose so. Yeah, so um, yeah, so it basically damaged, massively damaged Charles's uh public sort of uh profile. And obviously they got divorced not so um long after. What I didn't know, and I should have probably known this, and I don't know if you did know this. In 2021, investigations revealed that Martin Bashir, who did the interview, used forged bank statements to gain Diana's trust and secure the interview. I didn't know that. How what does he mean? What he pretended he had loads of money. It must have been that, yeah. He forged bank yeah, he used forged bank statements to gain Diana's trust. I bet when he found out about this, Paul Borrell. There were three million in this interview. I don't know. I don't know. Maybe he like said he were gonna pay her more. I don't know. I don't I don't know. Um imagine when he found out though, Paul Burrell. Oh god, I can't believe it. I don't I don't believe this has happened.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, he's good. We should probably do some little borrel.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but Martin Bashir obviously later stitched up Michael Jackson, didn't I? Uh yeah, well I watched something on that fairly recently, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so not you know, maybe I don't you don't really see him anymore, do you, Bashir?
SPEAKER_02Trying to think what was this like a oh yeah, in fact it says it in and out, so I was just wondering, was it like a panorama? Was it part of a panorama, yeah. Yeah, massive massive interview. Was the panorama just the interview, or was this part of a documentary?
SPEAKER_00No, they were just the interview panorama. I mean, I I didn't watch it, I will never watch it,
Only Fools, Diana’s Funeral, Football
SPEAKER_00but it was big. Uh and also what was big, and something I did watch on the 29th of December 1996, 24 and a half million almost were tuned in. Only Fools and Horses, Liam. Alright, Rodders. Uh says it like that. You fucking can't Rodders!
SPEAKER_02These are like XFM things for anyone who thinks Time in our hands.
SPEAKER_00So this were originally. I thought it was much later than this. Yeah, this was gonna be obviously the the final episode ever, and it should have been the final episode ever. I think everyone in the world can agree with that. Do you agree? Well, I'm asking one person I'm with here. Do you agree? I can speak for a nation. Yeah, we we should have finished it on this.
SPEAKER_02It's a perfect ending. Yeah, that's right. I'm I mean, obviously they want to catch in on it. I'm sure some of the later ones were still huge viewing figures, but if if you kind of wanted to end the story in the proper way, yeah, this was absolutely the moment. Really well written. Brilliant. Um yeah, just just just seemed to uh end it all very nicely, and then obviously they brought it all back and brought them back down a few pegs, in it. Yeah, never the same again.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. We talk about this, we've just released an um an old maidly episode where we talk about finales. This didn't actually make the court, but we do mention it in passing, so check that out. 1997. Two two years ago, she was saying there was three people in her marriage, and now she was only two again. Yeah, she's dead because print it's the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, which only got I say only, it's a lot, 19 and a half million, which I thought that were a lot more. That were like six million less than fools and horses. So that's if David Jason dies, expect a bigger crowd, is what I'm saying, for his funeral. Goodbye, England's rose. Well, to be fair, worldwide estimates to you were about Live A being the biggest one. This actually got more. Yeah, two to two point five billion people watched some part of this funeral, and obviously the biggest thing well, maybe not the biggest thing, but the most the most iconic thing was Candle in the Wind by uh the late great Elton John. I don't remember anything else about the day, if I'm honest. Uh ingling. He said it's the most nervous he's ever been. Um well, I would be put 2.5 billion people watching it. Imagine that. Go on, Elton, just 2.5 billion people watching you out there. I fucking want to know how many people are watching you four on. And obviously he released it a couple of days after, didn't he? Um the and it would it's still the biggest selling single actually. I think, wouldn't it? Yeah, but he uh a lot of people stagged him off, didn't he? Because he did it as a double A side with the something about the way you love tonight. Amazing scene from the couple. So good. So that would technically that is technically the best selling song of all time. Something about the way. But yeah, this was massive. Um but I'm really surprised that it's one of the lowest ones actually in the 90s of all the things that we've got. In fact, it is the lowest. That episode of Neighbours got more than Diana's Fumeral in the UK.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, was it would that potentially have been a multiple?
SPEAKER_00Could have been an REB BBC. That's a fantastic shout, that Liam. That is a fantastic shout. This is the BBC one, yeah. So, yeah, fair play. 998. This was only on REV because it was only the second round, and we spoke about it last week. England, Argentina, and it's a nice little tight end, obviously, because we're playing them as this episode's going out.
SPEAKER_02Um, on the first day of release, you'll be getting ready for this game this evening, so yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, 24 million 29 years ago, 24 million tuning into RTV. And there's a lot of things, obviously, we didn't speak about last week. There's obviously the famous commentary of uh Kevin Keegan. Do you think he'll score Kevin? Yes. Oh, and he hasn't! So like happy how he says it, Brian Moore. And he hasn't.
SPEAKER_02Well after ending the game. I mean, hopefully you're you're listening to this after we beat an Argentina and you've not got that sort of stress on your mind. But yeah, I'm I'm I'm getting slightly stressed out about it already.
SPEAKER_00Well, I might try and promote this episode by saying if you're stressed about this game, um listen to this to take your mind off it. But then we're obviously gonna pretty much end with England Argentina. But the ending of the decade in 1999 was actually another coronation street. Uh Sharon and Ian's wedding. Any idea? No, is that it's like you pick people from other soaps?
SPEAKER_02Because I was thinking, oh yeah, Shar Sharon. No, she didn't marry Ian Beale.
SPEAKER_00No, Sharon and Ian's wedding, and Rita Sullivan confronts Natalie Barnes about her affair with Ian Bentley and betraying Sharon Gaskell. No, I know obviously Rita Sullivan. I think I remember Natalie Barnes. Uh Natalie claims she didn't know Ian was engaged. This is brilliant, this is the same now says. Tyrone tells Curly to shove off. Shove off, Curly. Hang on, Curly. Curly Watts confusing you. I'm thinking of Lofte of East Enders. Curly, uh Reg Holzworth and uh Yeah. Why is that part of the thingy? Oh, what's it called?
SPEAKER_02I'm just looking who Natalie Barnes was. Was she anything to do with Des Barnes?
SPEAKER_00It must have been. Mind you, they've got a better betty in the pool, aren't they? So it might have just been two Barnes. Denise Welsh. Oh, of course it is!
SPEAKER_02Denise! Yeah. Denise Welsh. I didn't know that was I thought she had an affair with Kevin, didn't she? Who's she had an affair with Welsh?
SPEAKER_00Uh she's having an affair with Ian, whoever Ian is. We don't know who Ian is. Ian. She'll just have a go at anyone, uh, old Denise. Um, but
Final Stats, World Cup Hopes, Get In Touch
SPEAKER_00yeah. So to conclude everything there, Liam, Coronation Street tops this period with five annual ratings winners. 1983, 91, 92, 93, 99. East End has uh uh achieved three consecutive years, um, but sort of Coronation Street. BBC won 11 of the 19 years with ITV getting the other eight. Um and yeah, before streaming and widespread multi-channel TVs, 20 to 30 million people were watching UK's.
SPEAKER_02What would you guess England Argentina tomorrow gets? Well tonight, depending on when you're listening.
SPEAKER_00Uh let's have a look at the uh viewing figures of so I'm just looking at England Norway viewing figures. 18 million for England Norway. I think Goldbridge gets one now, don't I? Oh, did you see his bar? We're a brilliant Goldbridge, by the way. We should probably talk about this next week. We do like say we did a World Cup thing. But um his reaction like for the second goal is absolutely amazing. He's like a proper he like does the body motion, you know, like he's like is he tapping it in? Yeah, I think I've seen it, yeah. Unbelievable. Well, that is what people were watching 20, 30, 40 years ago.
SPEAKER_02Oh, it's 40 years ago, can it? Um well yeah, I suppose. Oh, it's crazy, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, 40 years ago and 30 years ago. And you know, this is what we're gonna see tonight, if you're listening on the Wednesday, is a long tradition of the most watched. Let's hope it's not the most watched, because I imagine the final will be more watched if um yeah, if we get there. So let's hope tonight is not the most watched TV event of the year and it's actually Sunday.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_00And we will see you on the other side. Yeah. Our next episode, the World Cup will be over. We're gonna do a round up, aren't we?
SPEAKER_02I don't know if that'll be a normal episode or a special, but we are gonna do a World Cup roundup. We've got special guests lined up.
SPEAKER_00We've got a special guest lined up for that. All good. Um yeah, uh yeah, and I'll see you on the other side, Liam. Come on, England. Let's what is that? What he says, uh come on England, score a goal, meet sausage rolls, whatever it is.
SPEAKER_02Check out if you haven't heard it, the uh Jed Spence that was shared in the group chat. Do you know the chance somebody's made a phone?
SPEAKER_00Oh uh total eclips of the heart, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, phenomenal.
SPEAKER_00Anyway, see you later, Leo! See you later. Thank you for listening to Who Remembers. If you want to get in touch with us, you can find us at WhorremembersPod at outlook.com. If you are a right wing fascist, you can find us on Twitter at Who Remembers Pod. Or if you're a wokener, you can find us on Blue Sky at Who RemembersPod. Once again, thank you for listening, and we'll see you next time for more remembering.