1990

Top Selling Singles

1. THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS – UNCHAINED MELODY
2. SINEAD O’CONNOR – NOTHING COMPARES 2 U
3. ELTON JOHN – SACRIFICE/HEALING HANDS
4. VANILLA ICE – ICE ICE BABY
5. Adamski – Killer
6. MARIA MCKEE – SHOW ME HEAVEN
7. BEATS INTERNATIONAL – DUB BE GOOD TO ME
8. Madonna – Vogue
9. ENGLAND/NEW ORDER – WORLD IN MOTION
10. Snap! – The Power

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

Top Selling Albums

1. PHIL COLLINS – BUT SERIOUSLY
2. MADONNA – THE IMMACULATE COLLECTION
3. THE THREE TENORS IN CONCERT
4. ELTON JOHN – THE VERY BEST OF ELTON JOHN
5. MICHAEL BOLTON – SOUL PROVIDER
6. LUCIANO PAVAROTTI – THE ESSENTIAL PAVAROTTI
7. CARPENTERS – ONLY YESTERDAY / THEIR GREATEST HITS
8. NOW SERIES (UK) NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL MUSIC!
9. ELTON JOHN – SLEEPING WITH THE PAST
10. PHIL COLLINS – SERIOUS HITS … LIVE!

At the Box Office

1. Ghost
2. Pretty Woman
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
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

Gadgets

• Sega Game Gear
• HP LaserJet printers