1986

Top Selling Singles

1. The Communards – Don’t Leave Me This Way
2. Diana Ross – Chain Reaction
3. Boris Gardiner – Want To Wake Up With You
4. Billy Ocean – When The Going Gets Tough (The Tough Get Going)
5. Berlin – Take My Breath Away (Love Theme From ‘Top Gun’)
6. Chris De Burgh – The Lady In Red
7. Madonna – Papa Don’t Preach
8. Doctor & The Medics – Spirit In The Sky
9. Sinitta – So Macho / Cruising
10. Falco – Rock Me Amadeus

Christmas No.1: Jackie Wilson – Reet Petite

Top Selling Albums

1. MADONNA – TRUE BLUE
2. BON JOVI – SLIPPERY WHEN WET
3. PAUL SIMON – GRACELAND
4. JANET JACKSON – CONTROL
5. TOP GUN SOUNDTRACK
6. BEASTIE BOYS – LICENSED TO ILL
7. METALLICA – MASTER OF PUPPETS
8. GENESIS – INVISIBLE TOUCH
9. CHRIS DE BURGH – INTO THE LIGHT
10. THE POLICE – EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE

At the Box Office

1. Top Gun
2. Rocky IV
3. Out of Africa
4. Crocodile Dundee
5. Clockwise
6. Poltergeist II: The Other Side
7. Aliens
8. Fright Night
9. Mona Lisa
10. Police Academy 3: Back In Training

Cost of Living

Average house price	£48,000
Average salary
Average car price
Petrol	£1.79 Gallon
Pint of beer	82p
Packet of 20 Cigarettes	£1.34
Pint of milk	19p

In the News

• Michael Heseltine resigns as Defence Secretary over the Westland affair.
• The United Kingdom and France announce plans to construct the Channel Tunnel,
• Heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures affected most of Britain during the month.
• The Sun newspaper alleges that comedian Freddie Starr ate a live hamster
• Buckingham Palace announces the engagement of Prince Andrew to Sarah Ferguson; they will be married later this year.
• Gary Lineker becomes the most expensive British footballer ever in a £2.75 million move from Everton to FC Barcelona.
• Estate agent Suzy Lamplugh vanishes after a meeting in London, her body has still not been found and the case remains unsolved to the present day.
• The Phantom of the Opera opens at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London.
• The world’s first heart, lung and liver transplant is carried out at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire
• The Government floats British Gas shares on the Stock Exchange
• NASA’s Space Shuttle Challenger spacecraft disintegrates shortly after take-off

On the Telly

• The game show Catchphrase begins on ITV hosted by Roy Walker along with the computer generated character Mr. Chips
• First episode of medical drama serial Casualty airs on BBC One. It will still be running on television more than thirty years later.
• BBC1 launch the comedy drama series Lovejoy with Ian McShane
• Debut of the ITV private detective series Boon, starring Michael Elphick
• Top of the Pops introduces its new theme tune The Wizard by Paul Hardcastle.
• Channel 4 announces the introduction of its red triangle to “indicate certain late-night feature films for which special discretion may be required”
• Moonlighting – Bruce Willis & Sybil Shepherd
• We were also watching: Bread, The Golden Girls, Brush Strokes, Neighbours, Strike It Lucky, The Equalizer, London’s Burning, Blackadder II, The Russ Abbot Show

Top Selling Christmas Toys

• Lazer Tag – £34 
• Lego Airport – £24.96
• My Buddy and Kid Sister – £18.72
• My Pet Monster – £19.96 
• Power Wheels Jeep – £112.32

Gadgets

• Sinclair Specturm 2+ 128K (Currys) £159.99

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