There may be hundreds of new TV channels, shows and streaming services to watch nowadays but you can't beat a classic 80s TV show. That's why we've dived into the archives to resurface all those brilliant TV shows you may have enjoyed in the 1980s to give you a blast from the past.
The Sooty Show
July 24 1955 – November 30 1992
Remember these guys? Created by Harry Corbett, a children's entertainer and magician, The much-lovedSooty Show focused on the mischievous adventures of the glove puppet character of the same name, alongside his friends Sweep and Soo, and their handler.
Sooty continues to be enjoyed by children to this day, spanning a whopping 70 years. It even entered the Guinness Book of Records as the longest-running children's TV programme in the world.
Interceptor
July 19 1989 to January 1 1990
Although it only lasted one series, in this British game show, contestants competed for £1,000 of cash of which was stored in a backpack worn by one of them, while looking out for a black helicopter containing the 'Interceptor.'
Happy Days
January 15 1974 to July 19 1984
Although the first two series of this popular American sitcom focused on the dilemmas of teenager Richie Cunningham, the spotlight soon turned to previously minor character Fonzie (Henry Winkler) when ratings started to drop.
Challenge Anneka
September 8 1989 to October 15 1995
Shown on BBC1, presenter Anneka Rice was challenged to do seemingly impossible random acts of kindness, such as restore a Romanian orphanage into a home for 600 children in just one week.
Mini Pops
February 8 to March 15 1983
Aimed at younger kids, Mini Pops aired music performances on a brightly coloured set featuring preteen children (made to look like the original performers) singing then-contemporary pop music hits and older classics.
Red Dwarf
February 15 1988 to April 5 1999
This British science fiction comedy enjoys cult popularity and follows the low-ranking technician Dave Lister, who awakens after being in suspended animation for three million years to find he is the last living human, with no crew on board the mining spacecraft Red Dwarf other than a hologram of his deceased bunkmate, and a life form which evolved from his pregnant cat.
Although the original run ended in 1999, the revival of Red Dwarf which began in 2009 still continues to this day!
The Bill
August 15 1983 to August 31 2010
Originating from a one-off drama, Woodentop, broadcast in August 1983, The Bill was a British police procedural television series that focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers.
In April 2021, reports emerged that The Bill could be make a comeback in 2022. We'll be sure to keep you updated!
'Allo 'Allo!
December 30 1982 to December 14 1992
Spanning nine series, this BBC show focuses on the life of a French café owner in Nouvion, during the German occupation of France in the Second World War, who has to deal with problems caused by a dishonest German officer, a local French Resistance leader, a stolen painting, and a pair of trapped British airmen, while concealing from his wife the secret affairs he is having with his waitresses.
3-2-1
July 29 1978 to December 24 1988
Presented by Ted Rogers, the objective of the game show was to survive elimination through to part three of the show, and try to unravel a series of cryptic clues in order to win the star prize.
One of the clues, however, referred to Dusty Bin who was the show's booby prize. If the contestants ended up with Dusty at the end of the show, all they got was a brand new dustbin.
Are You Being Served?
September 8 1972 to April 1 1985
Set in London, Are You Being Served? follows the misadventures and mishaps of the staff of the retail ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments in the flagship department store of a fictional chain called Grace Brothers.
Murder, She Wrote
September 30 1984 to May 19, 1996
This American crime drama television series starred Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher, averaging more than 30 million viewers per week in its prime. Angela was nominated for ten Golden Globes and 12 Emmy Awards, winning four Golden Globe awards.
Only Fools and Horses
September 8 1981 to December 25 2003
Set in Peckham in south-east London, Only Fools and Horses stars David Jason as ambitious market trader Derek "Del Boy" Trotter and Nicholas Lyndhurst as his younger brother Rodney Trotter. It follows the Trotters' highs and lows in life, in particular their attempts to get rich.
Blackadder
June 15 1983 to November 2 1989
In this series of four BBC One pseudohistorical British sitcoms, each series was set in a different historical period, with the two protagonists (Rowan Atkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's dogsbody, Baldrick) accompanied by different characters.
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