Christmas Through the Decades

Take a trip back in time to see what Christmas and the holiday season were like in America not too long ago as we reveal how many of today’s popular holiday celebrations and traditions had their start in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s. With experts and cultural icons offering their own insight and personal memories, we reveal how your favorite holiday films, fads, television specials, songs and toys are still part of your holiday celebrations today.

The Nineties

Hit rewind and explore the most iconic moments and influential people of The Nineties, the decade that gave us the Internet, DVDs, and other cultural and political milestones.

Big World Cafe

Big World Café was a music show on British television. Broadcast on Channel 4 in 1989, it was presented by Mariella Frostrup, Eagle Eye Cherry and Jazzie B. It was produced by Andrea Wonfor, who had previously worked on The Tube. During the programme's second series, Andy Kershaw was recruited to report on world music. Artists who appeared on the show included Les Négresses Vertes, New Order, Prefab Sprout and Wet Wet Wet.

Die ZDF-Hitparade

The ZDF-Hitparade, or Hitparade for short was one of the most popular and most well-known music television series presenting mostly German Schlager.

流星ワゴン

I Love the '70s

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. 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 suffered technical problems, and as concluded as part of the years that the BBC suffered problems.

Video Mods

Video Mods was a television series that aired on MTV2. This show turned video game characters into musicians. It was created by Tony Shiff of Big Bear Entertainment in 2003. A pilot aired in Dec 2003, having been underwritten by Electronic Arts. It was a form of branded entertainment, as the pilot featured characters from their games SSX3, Sims, and Need for Speed. In 2004 MTV2 Head of Programming Alex Coletti commissioned four new episodes which aired that Fall. The pilot and all 2004 episodes were produced and directed by Shiff, with Animation Director Kris Renkewitz. In 2005, additional episodes were animated by IBC Digital. Although fans wished to see the videos on DVD, MTV never cleared the music rights for any purposes beyond their television airings. Many of the videos however, are available to see on YouTube.

I.R.S. Records Presents The Cutting Edge Volumes I & II

I.R.S. Records Presents The Cutting Edge is a music program that aired on MTV from March 1983 to September 1987, on the last Sunday of every month. The first year of the show featured a variety of hosts including Jools Holland, Jeffrey Vallance, and Wazmo Nariz before settling on Peter Zaremba, the lead singer of The Fleshtones. Interviews with musicians and performances were videotaped in clubs, recording studios and private homes. In 1986, the name of the show changed to The Cutting Edge Happy Hour and was videotaped at a single location, the Hollywood Holiday Inn.

太阳与蝴蝶

When a group of boys uncovers a long-buried secret in an old warehouse, it sparks a nostalgic journey through youth and growth. Years later, Cai Xiaoxiao returns to her alma mater as a student teacher, realizing that while time moves on, the memories of school days remain forever vivid.

The Pop Years

The Pop Years was a British television show that reviewed pop music of a certain year from 1980 to 1999. It was first shown on Sky1 in 2003 and was later repeated on Sky3. The programme featured archive clips relating to the particular year that it was reviewing, e.g. music videos or live performances. It also featured interviews with famous singers from that year and talking heads who enjoyed that year's music. The show ran for a single series of 20 episodes and was narrated by Scott Mills and Edith Bowman.

Eisenbahn-Romantik

Railway-related documentary covering modern railway systems, museum railways and their facilities as well as items on model railway layouts. Politics and criticism is not left out; the series reports on closures, controversial model ideas, delays to reconstruction plans or smart commuter transport concepts.

The Bell Telephone Hour

“The Bell Telephone Hour” was a musical variety show that aired on “NBC” TV from 12 January 1959 to 14 June 1968 that showcased the best in Broadway, Classical, Concert, Jazz and Popular music each week. The series had its’ own house band appropriately named the “Bell Telephone Orchestra”. The show also had its’ own theme song being the “Bell Waltz” composed by “Donald Voorhees” who was also the show's Orchestra conductor. Some of the greatest violinists of the 1960’s performed on this show that aired in the old “Black & White” format. Some of these great violinists included “Erica Mornin”, “Isaac Stern", "Michael Rabin", "Ruggiero Ricci", "Yehudi Menuhin" and "Zino Francesacatti". From time to time some of the great singers and bandleaders of the 1960’s would perform on the show as well. Some of these were “Bing Crosby”, “Gordon MacRae”, “John Gary”, “Leslie Uggams”, “Mary Martin”, “Nelson Eddy”, “Patti Page” and “Roy Rogers”. The TV show followed on the heels of its’ predecessor with the same name on “NBC” radio that aired from 29 April 1940 to 1958 on Monday nights at 8 PM. The name of the show was derived from its’ Major sponsor “Bell Telephone Laboratories”. The TV version began airing on Friday nights at 8:30 PM once a month. It later was given it’s same time slot now airing every other week alternating with another show on the other weeks such as News shows and specials. The show time slot changed quite often over the years. In September 1960 it aired at 9 PM and in September 1961 it moved to 9:30 PM. In October 1963 it moved to Tuesday nights at 10 PM, September 1965 it moved to Sunday night at 6:30 PM and in September 1967 it made its' final move back to Friday night at 10 PM.

The Timex All-star Swing Festival

The Holiday Movies That Made Us

Unwrap the real stories behind these iconic Christmas blockbusters, thanks to insider interviews and behind-the-scenes peeks.

Dans la télé de...

I Love the '80s Strikes Back

I Love the '80s Strikes Back is a miniseries on VH1 in which various music and TV personalities reminisce about 1980s popular culture in a mostly humorous manner. The series premiered on October 20, 2003 and is a sequel to I Love the '80s. The sequel designation is in reference to The Empire Strikes Back.

Britain's Favourite Toys

The iconic toys that shaped childhoods across the country.

The Grind

The Grind was a dance music show broadcast on the cable television station MTV between 1992 and 1997. It replaced Club MTV, and featured people dancing to music tracks in a studio, linked by various hosts, including Eric Nies and DJ Jackie Christie. While Club MTV was mostly Dance, House and Freestyle, The Grind featured Hip-Hop and Rap with an occasional Dance hit. The show spawned a number of aerobics and workout videotapes. When MTV moved to its current location at 1515 Broadway, they lost the studio where Club MTV and The Grind were originally taped and episodes were taped on the roof of the building. The new space was small and inclement weather prevented taping. Noise ordinances prevented playing loud music while taping outdoors, so the show had to be taped without music and dubbed in later. Other installments went to Zuma Beach in California, Brooklyn, Miami and Hawaii. Nies was replaced in 1995 by various guest hosts. In the summer of 1998 until it was cancelled it was rebranded, revitalized with a sleeker look as The Daily Burn and was taped on the New Jersey Shores. Michael Bergin and Tsianina Joelson co-hosted with DJ Skribble as the DJ.

The 70s

The 70s is a British documentary television series about the 1970s. It is broadcast on BBC Two in four episodes and is presented by Dominic Sandbrook.

Cette année-là

A culture show set hosted by Marc Labrèche and his collaborators, Simon Boulerice, Émilie Perreault and Fred Savard. Each week, based on a significant year in history, they revisit a cultural event of a previous era and compare it with today’s yardstick. The hosts and their guests examine subjects that link the chosen year to what’s hot in cultural circles right now.