1990 – A Year in Review

Top Selling Singles

1. “Unchained Melody” — The Righteous Brothers.
2. “Nothing Compares 2 U” — Sinéad O’Connor.
3. “Sacrifice” / “Healing Hands” — Elton John.
4. “Ice Ice Baby” — Vanilla Ice.
5. “Killer” — Adamski (feat. Seal).
6. “Show Me Heaven” — Maria McKee.
7. “Dub Be Good to Me” — Beats International.
8. “Vogue” — Madonna.
9. “World in Motion” — New Order (England).
10. “The Power” — Snap!.

Christmas No.1: Cliff Richard – Saviour’s Day

Top Selling Albums

1. …But Seriously — Phil Collins.
2. The Immaculate Collection — Madonna.
3. In Concert — The Three Tenors (Pavarotti, Domingo, Carreras).
4. The Very Best of Elton John — Elton John.
5. Soul Provider — Michael Bolton.
6. The Essential Pavarotti — Luciano Pavarotti.
7. Only Yesterday / Their Greatest Hits — The Carpenters.
8. Sleeping with the Past — Elton John.
9. Serious Hits… Live! — Phil Collins.
10. Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 — George Michael.

At the Box Office

1. Ghost
2. Pretty Woman [clip]
3. Honey I Shrunk the Kids
4. Total Recall
5. The Little Mermaid
6. Look Who’s Talking
7. Gremlins 2: The New Batch
8. Back to the Future Part III
9. Die Hard 2: Die Harder
10. Days of Thunder

Cost of Living

Average house price	£57,726
Average salary	£12,353
Average car price	£4,600 (Ford Fiesta)
Petrol	40p/litre
Pint of beer	£1.20
Packet of 20 Cigarettes	£1.68
Pint of milk	30p

In the News

• Prime Minister – Margaret Thatcher (Conservative) until 28 November, John Major (Conservative) from 28 November
• Glasgow begins its year as European Capital of Culture
• The Official Secrets Act 1989 comes into force
• 37 people are arrested and 10 police officers injured in Brixton, during rioting against the new Community Charge (Poll Tax)
• The ambulance crew dispute ends after six months when workers agree to a 17.6% pay rise
• Chancellor John Major delivers the first budget to be broadcast on television
• There was a 25 day riot and rooftop protest at Strangeways Prison in Manchester – riots later broke out at prisons in Cardiff and Bristol
• Aldi opens its first store in Britain, in Stechford, Birmingham.
• Poundland opens its first store at Burton-upon-Trent
• Customs and Excise officers seize parts of an Iraqi supergun in Middlesbrough
• Stephen Hendry, 21, becomes the youngest ever world snooker champion.
• Inflation was at 9.4% – the highest level for eight years
• An IRA bomb explodes at Stock Exchange Tower, the base of the London Stock Exchange.
• Agriculture Minister John Gummer publicly feeds a hamburger to his five-year-old daughter to counter rumours about the spread of Mad Cow Disease and its transmission to humans.
• England’s hopes of World Cup glory are ended by a penalty shootout defeat in the semi-final against West Germany after a 1–1 draw in Turin.
• We had a heatwave in the UK – temperatures peaked at 37.1 °C
• Irish hostage Brian Keenan is released in Beirut, Lebanon, after being held a hostage there for more than four years.
• The BBC launches Radio 5, its first new station for 23 years.
• The UK joined the European Exchange Rate Mechanism
• Polly Peck enters administration following an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office. The Chief Exec, Asil Nadir, is later sentenced to imprisonment for theft
• The CBI confirms that the whole of Britain is now in recession, with every region now reporting a fall in output.
• Channel Tunnel workers from the United Kingdom and France join up 40 metres beneath the English Channel
• Storms on Christmas Day leave more than 100,000 British homes without power.

On the Telly

• Debut of:
• Mr. Bean on ITV, starring Rowan Atkinson
• Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles
• One Foot in the Grave on BBC1, starring Richard Wilson
• Baywatch, starring David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson
• MasterChef on BBC1, presented by Loyd Grossman
• Stars in Their Eyes on ITV, a series presented by Leslie Crowther
• Drop the Dead Donkey
• The Simpsons
• Children’s series Rosie and Jim
• Have I Got News For You on BBC2, presented by Angus Deayton
• Keeping Up Appearances on BBC1,
• Vic Reeves Big Night Out
• Art Attack
• The final episode of Bob’s Full House is broadcast on BBC1
• Steve McFadden and Ross Kemp make their first appearance as the EastEnders Mitchell Brothers
• The final episode of Blankety Blank presented by Les Dawson is broadcast on BBC1
• BSB Launches – remember the Squarial?
• Countdown celebrates its 1000th edition

Top Selling Christmas Toys

• Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles Action Figures
• Sega Mega Drive console
• Mouse Trap / classic board games & LEGO sets / Polly Pocket

Top Gadgets for 1990

• Sega Game Gear
• HP LaserJet printers
• Hubble Space Telescope launched