I Love the '70s (British TV series)
I Love the '70s is a television mini-series produced by the BBC that examines the pop culture of the 1970s. It was broadcast in ten hour-long episodes, one dedicated to each year, with the first episode, I Love 1970, premiering on BBC Two on 22 July 2000, and the last, I Love 1979, premiering on 23 September 2000. On the original broadcasts, each episode was followed by the host introducing a film from that particular year. Repeat editions have often been edited down in length by featuring less items, typically to half an hour runtime.
The series proved successful and thus was followed by two similar series, I Love the '80s and I Love the '90s, both of which aired during 2001.
The "I Love..."-series spawned a US version, aired by VH-1. Part of the series was repeated in the spring of 2012 on BBC Two as part of a special season dedicated to the 1970s.
The episode 'I Love 1975" is the only episode that was interrupted due to a power failure on 30 June 2001, and as concluded as part of the years that BBC Two suffered problems (2000, 2001, and 2003).
Topics covered by year
1970
Host: Jimmy Savile. Opening titles: "Band of Gold" by Freda Payne.
- Raleigh Chopper
- Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
- Clangers
- The Goodies
- M*A*S*H
- Dubreq Stylophone
- 1970 FIFA World Cup
- Kes
- The Railway Children
- Midiskirt/maxiskirt
- Triumph Stag
- The Beatles break-up
- Diana Ross leaves The Supremes
- Simon and Garfunkel break-up
- The Jackson 5
PIF of 1970: Joe & Petunia
Flashback Commercial of 1970: Cresta - Singing Polar Bear (actually aired in 1972)
Note: Subsequent repeats of this episode did not feature Scooby-Doo, Where Are You, due to clearance rights only covering the original transmission of the episode.
Note: As a result of the 2012 revelations about Jimmy Saville's history of sexual abuse, this edition is very seldom repeated as a result.
1971
Host: Britt Ekland
1972
Host: David Cassidy
- David Cassidy & Donny Osmond
- Sweets
- The New Seekers
- Love Thy Neighbour
- Action Man
- Roller Skates
- Magpie (TV series)
- Mark Spitz
- The Harlem Globetrotters
- Cabaret
- The Joy of Sex
- Cosmopolitan
- Marc Bolan
PIF of 1972: Learn to Swim
1973
Host: Noddy Holder
- Slade
- Bruce Lee
- Kojak
- Mastermind
- Sweet
- Man About The House
- Mike Yarwood
- England failure to qualify for World Cup '74
- Uri Geller
Flashback Commercial of 1973: Vymura Wallpaper
Note: This edition acted as the original pilot for the series, originally serving as an in-house demonstration of how a typical episode would run, and as such features Noddy Holder in a 'typical 1973 home'. Although the idea of each edition reflecting a different household in each year was dropped in favour of a different relevant scenario for each year, the house setting was later revived for BBC Two's Back in Time for... series.
1974
Host: Roobarb & Custard. Opening titles: "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" by Bachman Turner Overdrive.
1975
Host: Dennis Waterman
1976
Host: Kermit the Frog. Opening titles: "Dancing Queen" by ABBA. Ending credits: "Young Hearts Run Free" by Candi Staton.
1977
Host: Carrie Fisher. Opening titles: "Star Wars Theme" by Meco.
1978
Host: Lynda Carter. Opening credits: "Blame It On the Boogie" by The Jacksons. Ending credits: "Teenage Kicks" by The Undertones.
- Grease
- The Boomtown Rats
- The Incredible Hulk
- Soda Stream
- Blake's 7
- Kate Bush
- Top Trumps
- Simon
- Hot Gossip
- Space Invaders
- Dean Friedman
- Wonder Woman
Flashback Commercial of 1978: Glenryck Pilchards
1979
Host: Bo Derek. Opening credits: Pop Muzik by M. Ending credits: After the Love Has Gone by Earth, Wind and Fire.
- 10
- Quadrophenia
- The Dukes of Hazzard
- Hot Gossip
- Holly Hobbie
- Monkey
- Picture & coloured vinyl discs
- Gary Numan
- Ska
- Madness
- The election of Margaret Thatcher
Flashback Commercial of 1979: Barbie