What was in in the 1970s

Largely a British phenomenon, glam rock peaked in the early 1970s, and was made famous by artists such as Marc Bolan and T.Rex, David Bowie, Queen, Roxy Music, Brian Eno, Slade, Gary Glitter, Sweet, Mott The Hoople, Alvin Stardust, Mud, and The Glitter Band. Glitter, make-up and platform boots became the unofficial uniform of 'the children of the revolution' and the three-minute power beat of glam rock was heard on radios everywhere as teenagers worshipped the gender-bending stars.

Although BBC2 broadcasted colour tv as early as 1967, many people didn’t actually have colour tv sets to receive it in the 1960s and it wasn’t until the 1970s that colour tv made an impact. Although tales of overheating and unreliability still put off many potential purchasers, the falling price of sets meant that the number of colour televisions had rapidly increased and in 1976 colour sets outnumber black-and-white sets for first time.

If you were a child in the 1970s, it is not unlikely that you had a childhood haunted by longing for a Chopper bike. Enticingly garnished with chrome, the Chopper was just the kind of bike that parents thought unsuitable, and certainly one had to be supple when swinging a leg over the raised metal hoop at the back of the seat to ensure future fertility was not jeopardised. The design of the bike was inspired by the customisation or "chopping" of motorbikes in post-war America.

Star Wars was released on May 25, 1977, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. It introduced the audiences to a new galaxy far, far away, where a Rebellion, confronted with the deadly battle station the Death Star, where a new hope was found in Obi-wan Kenobi, a Jedi Master, and his new apprentice, Luke Skywalker. Dozen of plastic toys were produced as a spin-off, cashing in on the Star Wars film success. Just as it seemed there couldn't be a single thing left to exploit from the film, the sequel The Empire Strikes Back was released.

The Reliant Robin was first introduced in November 1973. A large part in the huge success of this three-wheel car played the fact that due to a technicality, you could drive them with a motorbike licence. Its popularity received a further boost when HRH The Princess Anne brought a Robin Super Saloon when she was living at Sandhurst Royal Academy. Reliant Robin went out of production in 1981 only to reappear in 1989.

Flares evolved from the radical bellbottom style that had been promoted by hippies. Often made of synthetic fibres, such as polyester or Nylon, they tended to come in all sorts of patterns. Tight at the crotch, they were usually worn together with shirts with huge collars and jackets with wide lapels. However, as punk came along in the late 1970s, the trouser bottoms narrowed considerably.

Space Hoppers, rubber balls with handles which allow one to sit on it without falling off, were described in the promotional advertisements as the 'amazing inflatable riding ball'. They first appeared in the UK in 1969 and for much of the early 1970s they became a popular toy with children, bouncing up and down in the parks. Original Space Hoppers were of bright orange colour with a face (supposedly of a kangaroo) drawn on them, although blue ones - now rare - were made too.

Sales of freezers took off in the 1970s and by the mid seventies, a number of specialist freezer shops sprang up selling only frozen food, such as Bejam (now Iceland). And that’s how a nation’s growing love affair with frozen food began. The 70s reached £1billion annual sales with room for even greater potential, driven by development of ever more versatile 'value-added' products: ready meals, pizza, coated and flavoured poultry, gateaux and the McCain Oven Chip produced initially for its convenience and later for its health benefits.

Trainers were the big hit in the 1970s, instantly becoming popular with school children who no longer had to keep their patent leather uppers clean. The Nike ‘swoosh’ design was created in 1971. The waffle sole was created by accident when the inventor left a rubber plimsol on a hot waffle-iron. Other popular brands were Adidas and Puma.

Best loved British comic creation, irascible Torquay hotel owner Basil Fawlty, played by John Cleese, with his domineering wife Sybil first hit the TV screens in 1975. Only 2 series of 6 episodes were ever filmed, but almost all are now regarded as classics - the most famous being "The Hotel Inspector", "The Germans" and the “Waldorf Salad”. Inspired by a real experience in a hotel as a Monty Python, Cleese’s portrayal of the slightly mad hotel owner has certainly found a place in the heart of the nation.

Skateboards were the most popular must-have gift for children in the late 1970s. Developed in the 1950s in California, the originally wooden boards with roller skate wheels attached to them developed into fibre-glass boards with urethane wheels. Kids with skateboards took to the streets and started to use 1960s and 70s concrete street architecture as skate parks. Complaints about skateboarders endangering pedestrians were numerous, however kids loved to weave through shopping centres on their new boards.

By the end of the 70s the flares went out of fashion and Punk, one of the most shocking youth movements, took over. The gurus of London punk fashion were Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, who opened a Teddy Boy revival shop which finally transformed into the famous ‘SEX’. In October 1976 Sex Pistols released their first single Anarchy in the UK and a generation of youths with studs, pierced faces, torn jackets and Mohican hairstyles had arisen.