1983 in television: The Black Adder debuts

In the news this week are actors Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson, since both have been honoured as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours list. However, the media have been somewhat amused at the news that it is Robinson who has received a knighthood, becoming Sir Tony (or, as some tabloids had it, 'Sir Baldrick') while Atkinson has been awarded with a 'mere' CBE.

Rowan Atkinson was already well-known to UK television viewers as part of the team behind the topical comedy sketch show 'Not The Nine O'Clock News', when he came up with the historical comedy series 'The Black Adder', which he co-wrote with Richard Curtis (with 'additional dialogue by William Shakespeare', added to the credits). He played the title role, with the series being set in the 15th century just after the events of the Battle of Bosworth field.  The series diverges from actual history in the first episode, showing King Richard III (portrayed by guest star Peter Cook) to have won the battle, only to be killed by Edmund (Atkinson) in a case of mistaken identity. In the aftermath, Richard IV (Brian Blessed) becomes King and Edmund spends the remainder of the series trying to win favour, as he is the less-favoured of Richard IV's two sons.

The series established the character of Blackadder, as well as Baldrick (played by Tony Robinson), seen here in his original guise. Subsequent versions of Baldrick were portrayed as unintelligent, but this version is actually as cunning as he claimed through his 'cunning plans'. Also established is Lord Percy (Tim McInnerny), Blackadder's sidekick throughout this series.

The original series was produced by the BBC in association with Seven Network of Australia and boasted a large budget, allowing for a great deal of location filming. However, criticism of the series was largely focused on it not being as funny as hoped, and it would be three years before the BBC went ahead with the follow-up series, Black Adder II, on a much-reduced budget and with much more studio-based filming. Also brought in was writer Ben Elton, to work alongside Curtis and beef up the humour content. Set in the Elizabethan era, it reunited  Atkinson, Robinson and McInnerny as descendants of the original triumvirate.

Seen here is the original closing theme to 'The Black Adder':

1983 in music: Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams come true

1983 was a breakthrough year for the Eurythmics, a duo comprised of singer Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart (then known simply as Dave Stewart), who handled multiple instruments. The pair had split from previous band The Tourists in 1980, releasing their debut as Eurythmics 'In The Garden' to only limited success the year later. All that would change for them with their second album, 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)'; released at the beginning of 1983 the record spawned two hits in this year, the title track and 'Love Is A Stranger'.

The band's synth-heavy music (at least during this period) fitted in well with the era, alongside Lennox's soulful vocal. With the importance of promotional videos growing, thanks to the still-new MTV channel, they embraced that medium fully, producing memorable videos for their singles. Lennox, with her closely-cropped hair dyed bright orange, and dressed in a suit, made a memorable impression in the video for 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)'. They took it a stage further for the 'Love Is A Stranger' video; Lennox playing the role of a high-class hooker in furs, glamorous make-up and in a blonde wig is chauffered by Stewart, removes the wig to reveal (once again) a style of short, dyed orange hair, the video ended with her once again dressed in a suit. Her frequent changes of image were reminiscent of David Bowie, and helped ensure the band were featured in magazines and on television. The album was a success, reaching number 3 on the UK album chart, and a follow-up album ('Touch', released June 1983) soon followed.

The 'Touch' album was recorded in just three weeks, and its lead-off single 'Who's That Girl' was another smash hit single. Once again, Lennox was exploring the gender roles in the video to that song, playing both a male and female. She was seen as a female nightclub singer and also as a male member of the audience, and the video included numerous cameos from pop stars of the day, including all of Bananarama, Cheryl Baker and Jay Aston of Bucks Fizz, Kiki Dee, and notably 'gender-bender' pop star Marilyn (aka Peter Robinson) whose appearance in this clip helped his own music career, also in this year.

A further single, the poppier 'Right By Your Side' followed in autumn of 1983 and by this time Eurythmics were one of the UK's biggest bands. They went on to enjoy a string of hits throughout the decade, slowly moving on from their synth-orientated sound to include other instrumentation. Their biggest hit came in 1985 with the gospel-influenced number 1 hit 'There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)', featuring Stevie Wonder on harmonica. They eventually called it a day in 1990 after seven albums and went their separate ways; Lennox would score more hit singles as a solo artist while Stewart became known as a renowned producer and respected guitarist. The pair made one final album together in 1999 ('Peace') before splitting once and for all.

From the Eurythmics' golden year of 1983, here is 'Who's That Girl'

1983 in music: The Police's final album 'Synchronicity' released

Within the space of about five years, power trio The Police had become one of the world's biggest bands. Comprising bassist/vocalist (and chief songwriter) Gordon 'Sting' Sumner, guitarist Andy Summers and American drummer Stewart Copeland, they'd enjoyed a string of hit singles and albums on both sides of the Atlantic. By 1983, the strain was taking its toll as the individual members began to drift apart, but the band reconvened at AIR Studios in Quebec at the end of 1982 in order to record what would become their biggest-selling album to date.

Reportedly the band members recorded their parts in separate rooms, ostensibly in order to obtain the best sound for their respective instruments, but as the album's co-producer Hugh Padgham admitted, it was also for 'social reasons'. Overdubs took place in early 1983 at Le Studio, Quebec, Canada - again with the band members adding their overdubs separately. The volatile relationship between Sting and Stewart Copeland boiled over with the two coming to blows, almost resulting in Hugh Padgham walking from the project.

When the album was released in June 1983 it was an instant success, topping both UK and US album charts - even dislodging the all-conquering Michael Jackson for a period whose 'Thriller' album ruled the year. The album spawned several hit singles, most notably 'Wrapped Around Your Finger' and 'Every Breath You Take', a chart-topper both sides of the Atlantic.  The band won three Grammy awards the following year for 'Synchronicity', but despite the enormous success, the strain proved too much in the end and following a tour, the band finally splintered with Sting going on to solo success two years later with his solo album 'Dream Of The Blue Turtles'.  A comeback was attempted in 1986, with a compilation album being released (featuring a re-recorded 'Don't Stand So Close To Me'), but this soon faltered, with Copeland suffering a broken shoulder rendering him unable to play drums.

It wasn't until 2007 that the band finally got back together for a tour, despite the lengthy hiatus interest was massive and the group sold out huge venues the world over. That tour ended in 2008, grossing a reported $358m. Since then the members have continued with their respective solo projects.

'Every Breath You Take' has become a signature song, its distinctive guitar riff being sampled by hip-hop artists Puff Daddy (later P. Diddy), Faith Evans and 112 for their tribute to deceased fellow rapper Notorious B.I.G., 'I'll Be Missing You' in 1997.

Shown is the memorable video to 'Wrapped Around Your Finger', very much of its time!

1983 General Election

For yours truly, 1983's General Election was especially significant. First of all, as I had turned 18 that year I had the vote for the first time ever, and up until this year my local Member of Parliament was none other than former Prime Minister Sir Harold Wilson. He had served as MP for the Huyton constituency for 33 years, including all his time as Prime Minister, but by 1983 he had announced his intention to stand down as an MP, and was later created as Lord Wilson of Rievalux. 

For the 1983 Election, the Conservative government of the day introduced a number of constituency boundary changes and one of those meant the abolition of Wilson's old Huyton constituency. The newly-created Knowsley South constituency replaced it, with a new candidate in Sean Hughes standing for the Labour party in what would still be considered an extremely safe seat. Indeed, Hughes won the seat comfortably in 1983 with a majority of 11,769.

However, nationally it was the Conservative government led by Margaret Thatcher who romped the election with a landslide win, helped in part by her role in reclaiming the Falklands the year before but also by a split in the opposition vote, as many senior Labour figures had defected from the party in the two years previous, in order to join the new Social Democratic Party. The new party, headed by former Labour minister Dr David Owen, formed an alliance with the Liberal party in order to fight the election and despite gaining 25 percent of the popular vote (only a few thousand fewer than Labour) they won few seats in Parliament. Labour's vote fell by over 3 million, as they suffered from a 4 percent swing to the Conservatives, who eventually won with an increased parliamentary majority of 144 seats. Labour, led by veteran firebrand Michael Foot, came under media criticism, mainly for its manifesto pledging unilateral nuclear disarmament (described as 'the longest suicide note in history' by one of his own MPs, Gerald Kaufman) and also for its selection of an ageing leader whose public image contrasted badly against the more telegenic and dynamic Thatcher.

Labour would spend the next 14 years in opposition, as Thatcher consolidated her grip on power and set about changing the country for good. Foot resigned as Labour leader shortly after the election defeat as the party licked its wounds, eventually choosing the much younger Neil Kinnock as its leader.

As for Margaret Thatcher, her term as Prime Minister was defined partly by the Falklands conflict and also for her tough, uncompromising stance against unions, culminating in a bitter battle against Arthur Scargill's miners' union who opposed her plans for the industry. Although Thatcher prevailed in that battle, the scars remain to this day and were in evidence once again in April 2013, when her passing was mourned by some, yet joyfully celebrated by others who had not forgotten the bitter disputes three decades earlier.

The constituency of Knowsley South continued to be represented by Sean Hughes until his premature death in 1990, after which he was succeeded by Eddie O'Hara, in the safest Labour seat in the country. Further boundary changes in 2010 saw the constituency abolished and the new Knowsley constituency (taking in the old Huyton one), was represented by George Howarth who held it for Labour with an overwhelming majority of 25,690.

Wilson is commemorated today with a statue situated in Huyton town centre, sculpted by the local artist Tom Murphy.

1983 in film: Trading Places

The 1980s have gone down as the 'greed is good' decade, a time when aspiration, achievement and monetary gain were what everyone was striving for. A hugely-successful film which satirised that ethos, came out in the summer of 1983. 'Trading Places', directed by John Landis, starred comedians Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy as the two protagonists. Both had been regulars on the US television comedy programme 'Saturday Night Live' and had broken through into films in the early 1980s. Aykroyd had scored a hit when he teamed up with John Belushi in 'The Blues Brothers' while Murphy's starring role opposite Nick Nolte in '48 Hours' established his movie career.

In 'Trading Places', Aykroyd played the well-to-do Louis Winthrope III, a managing director of a successful brokerage firm owned by brothers Randolph and Mortimer Duke (played by Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche, respectively) while Murphy was cast as street hustler Billy Ray Valentine.  Following a chance encounter between the two, resulting in an arrest for Billy Ray, the Duke brothers decide to conduct a little experiment. They frame Louis for theft and have him arrested, while bailing out Billy Ray, and have Louis fired from his highly-paid job and removed from his plush town-house. Billy Ray is installed in Louis's place, and soon becomes immersed in the brokerage business. However, when Billy Ray overhears a conversation between the Duke brothers he realises both he and Louis have been set up for a wager of just $1. Following this, he tracks down Louis who is by now homeless, and staying with Ophelia (Jamie Lee Curtis), a local prostitute who took pity on him. Once they settle their own differences, the two team up and use their respective skills to turn the tables on the Dukes and put them out of business.

The film's plot owes much to the Mark Twain novel 'The Prince and The Pauper' as well as Mozart's 'The Marriage of Figaro' in which characters are switched in a similar manner. Music from 'The Marriage of Figaro' is used as background while the audience is introduced to Louis Winthorpe and his life of privilege, before it is all taken away from him. 'Trading Places' went on to become the fourth highest-grossing film of the year, taking $90.4 million during its run in US cinemas. It was nominated for several awards including an Oscar, two Golden Globes and three BAFTAs. Jamie Lee Curtis won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress while veteran British actor Denholm Elliot (who played Coleman, butler to Louis Winthorpe III) won another BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor.

Here is the trailer for 'Trading Places':

 

Legendary jockey Lester Piggott wins record-breaking ninth Epsom Derby with Teenoso

Lester Piggott was a household name in Britain, by some distance the best-known jockey in horse racing. At the time he was Champion Jockey, having won the title for the eleventh time in 1982 at the age of 47. He had many wins in 'Classic' races to his name too, and was seeking a record ninth win this year.

For the 1983 renewal, Piggott was partnered with Teenoso, an American-bred colt trained in Britain by Geoff Wragg. With Piggott on board, the horse was sent off as favourite at 9/2. He was up with the leaders from the early stages, going clear as the field hit the straight and was never headed from there on in, winning by three lengths from nearest challenger Carlingford Castle. The ground was the heaviest in years, resulting in a slow time for the winner, clocking in at 2:49.07 - the slowest time of the 20th century.

With that victory, Piggott took the record for most wins in the race, which he holds to this day. He never won another Derby but at that year's Epsom meeting he had another win in the Coronation Cup on board Be My Native, coincidentally also his ninth win in that race. He would continue as a jockey until 1985, after which he went into training, sending out 34 winners before that career was cut short, in a well-publicised trial for tax fraud he was convicted and imprisoned, serving 366 days. That conviction also cost him his OBE, awarded in 1975. Following his release, in 1990 he elected to return to riding, and famously won the Breeders' Cup in the USA on board Royal Academy. He continued until 1995 when he retired once and for all from the saddle.

As for Teenoso, the horse did not win again in 1983 but went on to win several more races in the following year, most notably he won his final race, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, partnered again by Piggott.

Lester Piggott, even after being retired for many years, remains a household name in horse racing and one of British sport's best-known figures.

Here is the 1983 Epsom Derby in full:

1983 in rock: US Festival

The second US Festival, held in San Bernadino, California in May 1983 is remembered today as the event which brought Metal music to wider public attention. The event was held over the weekend of Memorial Day, 28th/29th/30th May 1983 with each day being given over to a themed genre of music. (A fourth day, held a week later, was devoted to country music)

The first day was designated New Wave day, with British acts such as A Flock of Seagulls, The (English) Beat, and The Clash featured, while the Monday was 'Rock Day', with mainstream rock artists including Stevie Nicks, Joe Walsh and David Bowie appearing. However, the 'Metal Day', held on the Sunday, has gone down in hard rock folklore. With a stellar bill including Mötley Crüe, Quiet Riot, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne and headliners Van Halen, the attendance for that single day was a reported 375,000. Crüe vocalist Vince Neil described that day as "the day that new wave died and rock and roll took over" in the band's autobiography 'The Dirt'.

Mötley and Quiet Riot went on to have enormous success that year, the former with their second album 'Shout At The Devil' while Quiet Riot, fronted by the ever-controversial Kevin DuBrow, hit the big time with their album 'Metal Health', featuring a cover of 'Cum On Feel The Noize', which became a smash hit for the band, ten years after Slade had huge success with the same song in their native UK. Meanwhile, the veteran German rockers the Scorpions would enjoy several years of US success off the back of this appearance, as would British Metal stalwarts Judas Priest, while Van Halen were to go on to have a huge hit album with '1984', released at the end of 1983.

Despite the huge attendances, at least half of which were attributed to Metal Day alone, the event, plus the earlier 1982 festival, cost main backer Steve Wozniak (then of Apple Computers)  a reported $20 million. This was put down to the fees commanded by the acts who performed; Van Halen were rumoured to have been paid up to $1.5 million to perform and David Bowie also commanded a $1 million appearance fee.


Here are some clips from the Metal Day of US Festival:

Van Halen 'Running With The Devil':

Mötley Crüe 'Knock Em Dead, Kid':


Ozzy Osbourne 'Mr Crowley':


Judas Priest 'Living After Midnight':
 

Scorpions 'No-One Like You':