Matt Wilkinson's Blog

The new BT Gizmo

I wrote not long ago about modern day resurgence of interest in the 1980s. The main indicator is seen from the world of film. Just recently Indiana Jones came back from the scorpion-infested depths to uncover another long lost artefact in ‘The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull’. The A-Team is set to storm the silver screen, and no sooner has Terminator 3 been released but the fourth is also due for release within the next year.

I wonder if you have noticed another Eighties film star or perhaps that should be stars that have crawled their way back into our current lives. I’m not talking about the big screen either but the world of advertising. The individuals in question have been popping up on billboards around town, posters on the train and even in the middle of Coronation Street! I am of course talking about Gremlins.

The advertisements for BT involve the green critters alongside Peter Jones – him off of Dragons Den. What he’s doing there in the first place is anyone’s guess (though the fact that for once he’s not handing out the cash but on the receiving end of a bundle from BT may have something to do with it).

As a child of the Eighties I remember not technically being allowed to watch Gremlins the film but staying up late one Christmas to do just that. I loved it – it was probably the first ‘scary film’ I saw. What’s more the subsequent sequel was even better when the Gremlins could talk and even wore sunglasses! I remember seeing both films again just a few months ago and being thoroughly disappointed! They were not even remotely chilling anymore. It was quite funny that the first film, despite being a ‘15’ when released, was shown at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon!

The current love of the Eighties is not confined to the world of Hollywood either. I can tell from your texts every night that you love the decade and so I like to reflect that by playing you an hour of songs from that time on Absolutely 80s (Monday to Thursday on the Evening show at 8pm and Sunday’s for three hours from 7pm).

See you for some more tonight!

M x

Posted by Matt Wilkinson on June 17, 2008 at 19:36PM

back to blog index