Win the Wombles!

Well-established British heroes, The Wombles were known for helping the environment by collecting and recycling rubbish in useful and clever ways.They were really just hoarders rather than folks consumed by the guilt of their Carbon Footprint, but thinking of these burrowing fellows as pioneers can't do any harm! The good news is that you can seek inspiration for your 'green' activities with a brand new box set featuring 60 episodes of the classic series. Released on the 12th May 2008 priced £14.99 The Complete Wombles features 300 minutes of outstanding animation.

We're giving two lucky winners the chance to scoop up this fabulous box set themselves. To enter, simply recommend DYR to your family and friends. All participants will be submitted into a free draw.
The Winner will be drawn 30th May 2008.

The best (and worst) of 1999

Here are the biggest news, sport and entertainment stories of 1999…

The UK prepared to celebrate the new millennium in style with the Queen's official opening of the £758m Millennium Dome. It was well over budget and had received bad reviews but was still much anticipated. Unfortunately, the Millennium Wheel must have fallen foul of the Millennium Bug as its opening was delayed due to technical faults. The Millennium Bug in general turned out to be a big fuss about nothing as the nation’s toasters and hairdryers managed to cope with the change in date and not spontaneously combust! As for the people, lots went to large organised events in city centres, many went to pubs and clubs, some went to street parties, and others simply opened a bottle of bubbly at home.

Another reason for many to celebrate in ’99 was the government’s introduction, for the first time ever, of a legally-binding minimum rate of pay for all workers in the UK. Set at £3.60 an hour, about two million people benefited from the move; their wage packets being increased by up to a third.

On the darker side of the year, London suffered 3 nail-bomb attacks in 2 weeks and was, for a time, gripped in fear. Fortunately, the police quickly tracked down the perpetrator (who claimed he was a Nazi) and sentenced him to life in prison. Another sentenced to life in prison was Tony Martin, the farmer who shot a burglar who was in his house. Given the circumstances, many saw his punishment to be unfair and huge campaigns were set-up to free a man who people felt was a victim, not a criminal.

Lawrence Dallaglio was another one not celebrating the millennium after being stripped of the captaincy of the English national rugby team. Tabloid newspapers alleged that the clean cut, saviour of the game had took and dealt drugs whilst at university and the unwelcome publicity was enough for the Rugby Association to act; something they may have regretted when a lack of evidence (surely they should get this before publishing stories?!?) led to him being cleared of the charges. Football wise, Manchester United won the premier league for the 5^th time in the 90s, making them the new undisputed heavyweights of the domestic game.

In the entertainment world, the leader of the Staines Massive, Ali G, launched his career as part of the 11 O’Clock Show on Channel 4. Masquerading as a simple, streetwise ‘gangster’ (who lived with his Gran), Sacha Baron Cohen made fools of political figures by asking questions about drugs, violence and sex and getting them to show how out of touch they were. Over on the BBC, the licence money was well spent on the big-budget natural history programme ‘Walking With Dinosaurs’; viewers being fascinated to see genuinely realistic looking computer generated dinosaurs roaming the earth.

The British film industry got back to business with Guy Ritchie’s ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’. The mix of professional actors with real East End villains (even football hard man Vinnie Jones got involved) was a success and the box office took millions as people went to see the story of a group of London lads desperately trying to come up with the £500,000 they owed. Another movie hit of 1999 was ‘Fight Club’ featuring Brad Pitt (that’s all I can say about that though as the first rule of fight club is that you don’t talk about fight club!).

For a full rundown of the of the best selling 1999 music…

…alternatively, 90s music charts for every year of the decade.

The best (and worst) of 1998

Here are the biggest news, sport and entertainment headlines of 1998…

Politically, there was real progress in Northern Ireland when, after 30 years of violence and nearly two years of intensive peace talks, an agreement was reached. The ‘Good Friday Agreement’, as it was called, laid down a future of friendship and harmony and led to British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Republic of Ireland's leader, Bertie Ahern, receiving acclaim from all corners.

The much talked about ‘Human Rights Act’ received royal assent, meaning that the UK had to fall in line with the ‘European Convention on Human Rights’. Amongst other things, it gave a legal right to life, a fair trial and freedom of expression; prohibiting discrimination, torture, and the death penalty. Some saw it as necessary for a civilized society whilst others saw it as yet more interfering European bureaucracy.

Another arrival from Europe causing debate was the 43^rd Eurovision Song Contest. This year’s competition was held in Birmingham and hopes were high for UK entry Imaani and her song ‘Where Are You?’. She pulled off an admiral 2^nd place behind Israel’s entrant, male-to-female transsexual Dana International. The winner attracted much post-contest hype and publicity, then everyone remembered that it was only the Eurovision song contest anyway. As for Imanni, the fact you don’t even recognise the name tells you all you need to know about her subsequent music career.

Also giving hope to the UK (well, the English part of it anyway) was World Cup 98 in France. As always, fans were hoping / praying / begging that this would indeed be the year and, as near always, things went a little bit wrong. England were the victims of penalties again (this time to Argentina) and, new face on the block David Beckham was the victim of his own temper. Having been sent off for a silly kick at one of the Argies, Beckham got blamed for everything and was hated by everyone (including, probably, Victoria).

No doubt Jim, Barbara, Anthony, Dave and Denise, of the Royle family, would have been watching the World Cup from the comfort of their sofa in their council house in Manchester. Who would have thought that a TV show about other people watching TV would be such a success? Actually, they didn’t just watch TV, they also smoked cigarettes, made cups of TV and broke wind! It’s doubtful whether Jim Royle would have been impressed with American cult import ‘South Park’ but the rest of the UK certainly got into it; millions tuning in every week to see “Who killed Kenny?” (many more may have tuned into find out who had killed Beckham!)

The cinemas saw a swing back to America for the big successes of the year with no noticeable UK films coming out in 1998. The bloody ‘Saving Private Ryan’ was a second world war hit starring Tom Hanks; the story involving a group of soldiers with orders to safely take home a Private James Ryan to his mother, whose other 3 sons have already been killed. A lot less bloody and a lot more singing and dancing was the re-release of ‘Grease’. The high school love story coming back to the big screen 20 years after its original release (this time with enhanced colour and digital sound).

For a full rundown of the of the top selling 1998 music…

…alternatively, a guide to the best 90s music for every year of the decade.

The best (and worst) of 1997

Here are the biggest news, sport and entertainment stories of 1997…

Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash in Paris having apparently being pursued at high speed by photographers on motorbikes. It was thought that the driver of her car was drunk at the time but that was disputed by many; some believing that the whole event was a conspiracy plot involving MI5 and the Royal Family. Whatever the true cause of her death; the UK united in paying tribute to her and, after an unprecedented week of mourning, millions watched her funeral on TV.

Also causing much debate was the announcement of the birth of the world’s first successfully cloned mammal. Scientists in Scotland were responsible for the birth of Dolly the sheep and media around the world heralded it as one the most significant scientific breakthroughs of the decade. For some though, it raised moral dilemmas amid fears that the technique could be used to clone humans; church and animal rights groups stirring up most of the ethical controversy.

Politically, the Conservative Party finally fell after 18 years in power following a landslide general election victory by the Labour Party; Tony Blair becoming the youngest British prime minister of the century at 43.

One of the first changes the new government made was to ‘stub’ out tobacco sponsorship in the sports world; resulting in snooker, darts and cricket losing out on substantial amounts of advertising money. Formula One racing looked like being the biggest casualty but, a week after implementing the ban, Tony Blair specifically exempted that one sport from the new law (Anything to do with the £1 million Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone had donated to the Labour Party before the general election?).

Elsewhere in sport, a lone yachtsman, Tony Bullimore, miraculously survived for five days at sea after his boat capsized in the Southern Ocean. He sheltered in the upturned hull of his yacht and survived on chocolate and water until he was randomly spotted by a passing Australian navy ship.

Entertainment wise, 1997 belonged to the Teletubbies; Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po saying “eh-oh” to the nation for the first time. Made for toddlers, the show soon became cult viewing for children, students and adults alike; people finding much amusement in multi-coloured aliens running around in a dome. Such was its success that is also produced a chart topping single!

The cinemas saw another homegrown film take centre stage; low budget ‘The Full Monty’ being the big box office hit. The story told of a group of ex-steelworkers from Sheffield who transformed themselves into strippers in order to make money during hard times. It was equally popular on both sides of the Atlantic and was nominated for four Oscars.

For a full rundown of the of the top selling 1997 music…

…alternatively, a guide to 90s music for every year of the decade.

The best (and worst) of 1996

Breaking 1996 down into the biggest news, sports and entertainment events; here’s what happened…

Two tragedies hit the hearts of Britons in 1996, the nation’s sympathies going out to the people of Dunblane and Manchester. In Dunblane, a crazed gunman went on a shooting spree in at a local infant school, killing an entire class and their teacher. Later in the year, as a direct response to those ill-fated events, the Government announced that it would be outlawing almost all handguns in the UK.

In Manchester, a huge bomb devastated its busy central shopping area just as it was filling up with eager Saturday shoppers. Police managed to start an evacuation before it blew up but scores of people were still killed or injured in the blast. Such was the damage caused, that the episode led to a total regeneration of Manchester city centre.

Also hitting the news in ’96 was the introduction of the first genetically modified (or GM) food to go on sale in British supermarkets. Modified tomato puree was the cause of all the fuss with some critics dubbing it a "Frankenstein food".

The world of sport was dominated by England’s hosting of the European football championships (Euro ’96). The England v Scotland group stage match drew much attention with Gazza’s wonder goal eventually stealing the win for the home team. Cheered on by home support, the ‘Three Lions’ made it all the way to the semi-finals, the nation going football crazy as it looked as if England were really going to win a major tournament for the first time since ’66, then, as really should have been expected, they lost on penalties to Germany.

Entertainment wise, carrot topped Chris Evans re-invented the chat show format with his hit show ‘TFI Friday’. Presenting celebrity gossip, the hippest bands and lad friendly guests, this unscripted, chaotic program briefly made Evans the most sought after man on TV. Over on the BBC, a group of thirty-something lawyers were gaining huge ratings; ‘This Life’ being a bit like the American ‘Friends’ but with much more ‘bad’ behaviour and saucy goings on.

The big screen was blessed with one of the jewels of the British film-making crown, ‘Trainspotting’. Despite featuring heroin, needles, vomit and disgusting toilet bowls, this was the coolest thing of the year and took Ewan McGregor from nowhere to ‘Star Wars’. The more family friendly film of 1996 was ‘Toy Story’; it being the first feature length movie ever to be animated entirely by computer. The results were quite stunning and people flocked to see ‘Woody’ (a pull-string cowboy) and ‘Buzz Lightyear’ (a high-tech space ranger) battle it out to become little Andy’s favourite toy.

For a full rundown of the of the top selling 1996 music…

…alternatively, a guide to 90s music for every year of the decade.

The best (and worst) of 1995

Breaking 1995 down into the biggest political, sports and entertainment news; here's what happened...

Britain’s oldest bank merchant bank, ‘Barings’, collapsed due to the dodgy dealings of the so called ‘rogue trader’ Nick Leeson who somehow managed to hide £860m in a secret ‘error account’ without anyone noticing. Also collapsing was the moral standards of Brixton’s youths; hundreds of whom took to attacking police, ransacking shops and burning cars in riots in South London.

The royal family was again under the spotlight; this time a result of Diana, Princess of Wales, openly speaking on TV (in front of 15 million viewers) about her affair with her riding instructor, James Hewitt. Unsurprisingly the Queen wasn’t happy; she may have been equally unhappy that the letter she wrote to her son Charles, Prince of Wales, telling him to get a divorce from Diana was leaked to the press.

In the sports world, Eric Cantona’s infamous kung-fu style kick received much attention; the hot-headed Frenchman taking his anger out on a Crystal Palace fan having just been sent off. Getting less attention, but deserving of more, was British mountain climber Alison Hargreaves who became the first woman to climb Mount Everest without oxygen or assistance.

On UK TV screens, the nation fell in love with the inhabitants of the imaginary Irish parish of Craggy Island, and its gathering of dysfunctional priests (Father Ted, Father Dougal and the Drunken Father Jack). Whilst that offered good surreal family comedy, Britons also showed their thirst for some literary action by tuning-in in large numbers to productions of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Sense and Sensibility’. The Jane Austen classics kicking off a craze for period dramas in future years.

The hit movie of the year was the interesting mix of a Scottish story, an American director and an Aussie actor; cue Mel Gibson running about without any trousers shouting at medieval English folk in an incomprehensible accent. In contrast to that big screen sensation was one of the most expensive box office flops ever made, ‘Waterworld’. Set in the future, where global warming has seen all countries emerged in water, it tried to emulate the previous years success ‘Titantic’ but instead sunk like it!

For a full rundown of the best selling 1995 Music…

…alternatively, a guide to 90s music for every year of the decade.

The best (and worst) of 1994

Here are the biggest news, sport and entertainment stories of 1994…

English and Welsh people welcomed a change in the law meant that meant they could go shopping on Sundays. Since 1950 they had not been able to do so due to a law prohibiting shops opening at all on the traditionally holy day. Church groups opposed the move but both the people and the Government agreed that it was an outdated concept.

Britain’s first ever national lottery was launched to mixed reactions; some feeling that it was wrong to promote gambling and others simply loving the chance to win some easy money. The fact that a sizable amount of money each week would be going to charities was enough to sweeten enough of the doubters though and, having got the go-ahead, the first draw was a massive success; the jackpot reaching over £7m.

Someone who won a personal lottery was the man to be given a ‘bionic’ heart. The media taking a keen interest in the pioneering operation, led by UK doctors in Cambridgeshire, which saw the world’s first battery-operated heart being implanted.

In the political world, people finally dared to hope for peace in Northern Ireland following ceasefire announcements by both the IRA and the Loyalists; the Conservatives negotiating at last seeming to have paid off. Despite that, it wasn’t a great year for John Major and company, though maybe they didn’t realize it at the time, as the little known, fresh-faced Tony Blair was brought in as the new leader of the opposing Labour Party; bringing with him talk of ‘change’ and a modernising agenda.

Sports wise, Britain missed out on the World Cup fun in the USA; the first time since 1938 that no British representatives had been at the event. Brazil won that competition, eventually overcoming Italy in the final on penalties, but much attention was still focused on Argentina’s Diego Maradona who had been banned mid-tournament after being caught taking illegal, performance-enhancing drugs. With no home-countries football matches having any importance, it was an ideal opportunity for rugby union’s 5 nations to take centre stage. Wales dominated the tournament but were prevented from sealing a ‘grandslam’ by defeat to England in their final game.

Britain’s TV screens were lit up by two familiar faces in new guises on BBC 2. Steve Coogan’s creation of the socially-inappropriate Alan Partridge being a big hit, viewers cringing as Partridge humiliated and vilified his guests on the fictional chat show program ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’. The second BBC triumph being ‘The Fast Show’; created by Harry Enfield regular Paul Whitehouse, the program revitalised the tired sketch show format and launched a variety of catchphrases.

On the big screen, this was the year that saw Hugh Grant become a household name as a result of his starring role in ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’; the same film also responsible for promoting the much loved / hated ‘Wet Wet Wet’ song ‘Love Is All Around’. The hippest movie of the year was Quentin Tarrantino's gangster flick ‘Pulp Fiction’. Telling the intertwining tales of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits, this was all about violence and redemption.

For a rundown of 90s hits for every year of the decade…alternatively download 90s music here.

The best (and worst) of 1993

Here are the biggest news, sport and entertainment stories of 1993…

Britain’s longest recession since the 1930s was officially over as the economy grew during the first three months of the year. The Conservatives claimed credit for the upturn in fortunes but critics claimed it was luck more than anything else. However it was achieved, it was welcomed by the nation’s people who could now look forward to spending again.

One new place they could spend at being Buckingham Palace; the public being allowed inside for the first time ever during the summer of ‘93. With the entrance fee being set at £8, it wasn’t cheap, but that did nothing to hold back demand; within a week of going on sale, all advance group booking slots to visit Buckingham Palace had been filled for the next three years.

Other news included an oil tanker carrying running aground near the Shetland Islands (resulting in 84,700 tonnes of crude oil being spilled into the North Sea and a major ecological catastrophe); and anti-racist demonstrations being held across London in response to criminal charges being dropped against two youths accused of murdering black teenager Stephen Lawrence.

In the world of sport, horse racing’s big event ‘The Grand National’ (with a worldwide audience of 300 million people) ended in ‘chaos’ after many of the riders had failed to realise a false start had been called and had set off around the racetrack. The Jockey Club was forced to declare the race void; meaning bookmakers had to re-pay the £75 million in bets that had been placed on the race (and miss out on their biggest pay-day of the year!).

On a personal mission to resolve alien related ‘chaos’, were FBI agents ‘Mulder & Scully’; their popular US series ‘X-Files’ coming across the Atlantic to UK screens. Motivated by the belief that Mulder’s sister had been abducted by little green men, they set about trying to find the ‘truth’. One place where the truth definitely wasn’t was on ‘Beavis & Butthead’s sofa. These boys spent ’93 becoming world famous for flicking between TV channels and playing football with frogs.

With Britain itself still struggling to come up with any blockbuster movies of it’s own, ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Indecent Proposal’ were the major films to hit cinemas during the year. ‘Jurassic Park’ involved dinosaurs (really quite scary-looking, genuine ones!) running riot around a theme park created by an eccentric millionaire. ‘Indecent Proposal’ was another tale to involve a rich man (this time a billionaire played by Robert Redford); this guy offering a couple, who had just lost a fortune in Las Vegas, $1m to spend the night with the wife.

For a guide to 90s music for every year of the decade…alternatively buy 90s music here.