Under Pressure
Dominic Sandbrook looks at a dynamic decade. By the mid-80s, Britain felt like an embattled nation, struggling to establish its identity on the global stage.
The second episode sees mid-1980s Britain wrestling with two contradictory impulses - the rise of a strong nationalist sentiment and the emergence of an increasingly globalised world.
By the middle of the decade, Britain felt like an embattled nation, facing threats from enemies within as well as out - a nation struggling to establish an identity on the global stage, and also trying to re-establish what it means to be British. This was the period that forever marked the 80s as a decade of conflict and division. But not all those conflicts were obvious. Some were fought with bullets, others with money, some were fought in our homes, others in our heads.
This episode examines everything from the invasion of the Falkland Islands to the invasion of the home computer and the moral panic surrounding 'video nasties', from the Americanisation of our popular culture to the picket line skirmishes playing out nightly on our televisions, and from the spectre of Aids and the threat of the IRA to immigration and identity politics.
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Test your knowledge on music, politics and power in the 80s.
Clips
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Video Nasties
Duration: 01:45
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Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ computers
Duration: 01:53
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Daley Thompson
Duration: 01:58
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AIDS - The Government response
Duration: 01:50
Music Played
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The Cars
Shake It Up
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Spandau Ballet
Chant No. 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On)
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Adam and the Ants
Stand And Deliver
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New Order
Blue Monday
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Alphaville
Big In Japan
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Giorgio Moroder & Philip Oakey
Together In Electric Dreams
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Berlin
Take My Breath Away (Love Theme From "Top Gun")
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Bronski Beat
Smalltown Boy
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Erasure
A Little Respect
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Tears for Fears
Mad World
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Thompson Twins
Hold Me Now
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Talk Talk
Talk Talk - Extended Mix
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Alphaville
Forever Young
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Dominic Sandbrook |
Writer | Dominic Sandbrook |
Executive Producer | Chris Granlund |
Series Producer | Alexander Leith |
Producer | Jacqui Farnham |
Director | Jacqui Farnham |
Broadcasts
- Thu 11 Aug 2016 21:00
- Wed 12 Oct 2016 02:05Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two except Scotland
- Thu 5 Oct 2017 21:00
- Thu 5 Jul 2018 00:30
- Mon 10 Feb 2020 21:00
- Tue 1 Dec 2020 20:00
- Fri 11 Dec 2020 02:10
- Sat 20 Mar 2021 19:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two except Scotland
Remembering the 80s - get the playlist
Selected tracks from all the episodes
Try our 80s Quiz
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