What happened in 1983? - UK
Rob Bogaerts, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
We look at events, new products, films and music from 1983 in the UK.
In the news
- 17 January - The BBC broadcast 'Breakfast Time' from 6.30 am. It was Britain's first regular breakfast television show. Frank Bough and Selina Scott hosted the show. (In 1980 BBC Scotland transmitted a one-week experimental breakfast show).
- 31 January - It became compulsory for drivers and front-seat passengers to wear seatbelts in the UK.
- 1 February - Breakfast television began on ITV. TV-am launched two shows: Daybreak and Good Morning Britain.
- 8 February - Thieves took the 1981 Derby-winner Shergar from his stables at Ballymany in the Republic of Ireland. The horse was never found.
- 11 February - Police charged Dennis Andrew Nilsen with the murder of Stephen Sinclair after a Dyna-Rod employee found human remains Nilsen's home in Cranley Gardens, Muswell Hill, North London. Nilsen would be convicted of six counts of murder and two of attempted murder. He is thought to have killed at least twelve men and boys between 1978 and 1983.
- 21 April - The Royal Mint issued one pound coins for the first time since the First World War
- 9 June - The Conservative Government under Margaret Thatcher returned to power with an increased majority despite a lower share of the popular vote compared to 1979. Labour and the Liberal-SDP Alliance between them polled more than half of the votes but were well behind in seats in the House of Commons.
- 26 July - Victoria Gillick lost her High Court case to stop doctors from prescribing the contraceptive pill to girls under the age of 16.
- 2 October - Neil Kinnock was elected the Leader of the Labour Party.
- 8 December - Peers voted to allow television cameras to film and broadcast Lords' debates. Debates in the Commons were not broadcast on television until 1989.
Rob Bogaerts / Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Facts about 1983
- The average wage for male workers was £164.70
- The average wage for female workers was £109.50
- The best-selling car of 1983 was the Ford Escort MkIII. See Britain's best selling cars from the 80s
- The best-selling cigarette of 1983 was Benson & Hedges (Maxwell International Estimates, September 1985)
- In 1983 98% of British households had a television set, 77% had a telephone and 64% had central heating.
- The best-selling pop record of 1983 was Karma Chameleon by Culture Club
- The BBC Sports Personality of the Year was the middle distance runner, Steve Cram
For more information see How much did things cost in 1983?
Films
The films that made the most money in the UK in 1983 were:
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
- Octopussy - James Bond film starring Roger Moore
- Superman III
- Never Say Never Again - James Bond film starring Sean Connery
- Gandhi
- E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (from 1982)
- An Officer and a Gentleman
- Tootsie
- Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
- Flashdance
1983 Top UK Box Office Movies on 25th Frame
Television
These British TV shows debuted in 1983:
- Breakfast Time (BBC1) - ground-breaking breakfast television show
- Daybreak (ITV) - ITV rival to the BBC's Breakfast Time
- Good Morning Britain (ITV) - ITV rival to the BBC's Breakfast Time
- Cheers (shown on Channel 4) - American sitcom about the Cheers bar in Boston
- Blockbusters (ITV) - teenage quiz show
- The A-Team (ITV) - adventure show featuring Mr T
- Blackadder (BBC1) - the first series of four period comedies starring Rowan Atkinson and friends
- The Bob Monkhouse Show (BBC2)
- SuperTed (BBC1) - animated television series
- The Old Men at the Zoo (BBC2) - post-apocalyptic drama
- Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (ITV) - comedy-drama about British construction workers in Germany
- Police Squad! (ITV) - American comedy crime drama
- Knight Rider(ITV) - American crime drama
- Sons and Daughters (ITV) - Australian soap
- Remington Steele (BBC1) - American TV series about a detective agency starring Pierce Brosnan
- T J Hooker (ITV) - American police drama starring William Shatner
- Just Good Friends (BBC1) - a sitcom about a couple, Vince Pinner and Penny Warrender, who meet again five years after Vince jilted Penny at the altar
- Henry's Cat (BBC1) - animated children's series
- Taggart (ITV) - series about a Scottish detective
Music
Image by Louise Palanker, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The best-selling pop records of 1983 were:
- Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
- Uptown Girl - Billy Joel
- Every Breath You Take - Police
- True - Spandau Ballet
- Only You - Flying Pickets
- Red Red Wine - UB40
- Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home) - Paul Young
- Down Under - Men At Work
- Baby Jane - Rod Stewart
- Give It Up - KC and the Sunshine Band
Source: UK Top 100 Singles by Paul Gambaccini, Tim Rice and Jonathan Rice, published by Guinness in 1993
Sport
The 1983 FA Cup Final was between Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion. The match ended 2-2. Manchester United won 4-0 in the replay.
Corbiere won the 1983 Grand National at Aintree ridden by Ben de Haan. The trainer was Jenny Pitman. She was the first woman trainer to win the Grand National.
Teenoso, ridden by Lester Piggott, won the Derby at Epsom.
Toys
Star Wars toys were Toy of the Year in 1983 (and in 1982).
Other toys and games launched in 1983 included:
- Rainbrow Brite - doll for young children
- Terrahawks Action Zeroid - robot toy
- Tomytronic 3D - portable electronic games
- Zoids - self-assembly futuristic mechanical toys
Cars
Some of the new cars launched for the UK market in 1983 were:
- Alfa Romeo 33
- Fiat Uno
- Ford Fiesta Mk2
- Ford Orion
- Honda Civic
- Land Rover Defender
- MG Maestro
- Peugeot 205
- Renault 25
- Volkswagen Golf Mk2
Read more: What were the best selling cars of the 1980s?
References
More on 1983
More on the 1980s
By Steven Braggs, December 2022
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