Golden Hour: The 2010s
Welcome to the QuizPrep Golden Hour guide to the 2010s. Designed for radio presenters, quiz hosts and anyone running a “Guess the Year” feature, this quick-reference page brings together major UK singles, landmark albums, films, political figures, memorable events, television, streaming, technology, sport and cultural talking points from every year between 2010 and 2019.
Use the links below to jump directly to a particular year. The facts are displayed openly so presenters and quiz hosts can scan the page quickly while preparing a feature.
Chart note: Historical chart and sales rankings are based on the best available published data and may vary slightly between sources.
Golden Hour: 2010 – UK Hits, Films, News & Events
A quick-glance guide to the music, films, political figures, technology, culture and memorable events associated with 2010.
⭐ 2010 at a Glance
- FIFA World Cup: South Africa – Winners: Spain
- Premier League Champions: Chelsea
- UK Prime Minister: Gordon Brown; David Cameron
- US President: Barack Obama
- Best-Selling UK Single: Love the Way You Lie – Eminem featuring Rihanna
- Film Highlight: Toy Story 3
Top 10 Best-Selling UK Singles of 2010
- Eminem featuring Rihanna – Love the Way You Lie
- Matt Cardle – When We Collide
- Bruno Mars – Just the Way You Are (Amazing)
- Rihanna – Only Girl (In the World)
- Usher featuring will.i.am – OMG
- Owl City – Fireflies
- B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams – Airplanes
- Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg – California Gurls
- Yolanda Be Cool vs D-Cup – We No Speak Americano
- Tinie Tempah – Pass Out
Five Landmark Albums Released in 2010
- Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
- Katy Perry – Teenage Dream
- Eminem – Recovery
- Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
- Rihanna – Loud
Five Major Films Released in 2010
- Toy Story 3 – voices including Tom Hanks and Tim Allen
- Inception – Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 – Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson
- The Social Network – Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield
- Alice in Wonderland – Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska
UK Prime Minister(s)
- Gordon Brown (Labour) – 1 January–11 May 2010
- David Cameron (Conservative) – from 11 May 2010
Major News and Events of 2010
- 12 January: A devastating earthquake struck Haiti.
- April: The eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano caused widespread disruption to European air travel.
- 6–11 May: The UK General Election produced a hung Parliament, followed by the formation of a Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition.
- 13 October: All 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for 69 days were brought safely to the surface.
- 16 November: Prince William and Catherine Middleton announced their engagement.
📻 More Quick-Glance Facts – 2010
- New on TV: Downton Abbey | Sherlock
- Popular Video Game: Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Eurovision Winner: Lena for Germany – Satellite
- Wimbledon Singles Champions: Rafael Nadal (Men’s) | Serena Williams (Ladies’)
- Champions League: Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2–0
- FA Cup Winners: Chelsea
- Scottish Cup Winners: Dundee United
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year: AP McCoy
- The Open Champion: Louis Oosthuizen – St Andrews
- Grand National Winner: Don’t Push It
Notable Passings – 2010
- Malcolm McLaren – music manager and cultural figure; associated with the Sex Pistols
- Norman Wisdom – English comedian and actor
- Tony Curtis – American actor
🎙️ Radio Presenter Talking Points
- Gazza Back on the News: Potentially unsuitable for broadcast. Live news reports say that Gazza has turned up at a breaking-news scene after arriving by taxi with some chicken, tiger bread, four cans of lager and a fishing rod.
- The iPad Arrives: Apple’s first iPad launches and helps turn tablet computers into an everyday piece of technology.
- One Direction is Created: Five solo X Factor contestants are put together as a group — then finish only third behind Rebecca Ferguson and winner Matt Cardle.
- Instagram Begins: The photo-sharing app launches on iPhone in October. Facebook will buy it less than two years later for around $1 billion.
- The Vuvuzela Summer: South Africa’s World Cup gives television viewers a new soundtrack — the unmistakable continuous drone of thousands of plastic horns.
- End of The Bill: ITV’s police drama finally clocks off after 26 years and more than 2,400 episodes.
Golden Hour: 2011 – UK Hits, Films, News & Events
A quick-glance guide to the music, films, political figures, technology, culture and memorable events associated with 2011.
⭐ 2011 at a Glance
- Premier League Champions: Manchester United
- UK Prime Minister: David Cameron
- US President: Barack Obama
- Best-Selling UK Single: Someone Like You – Adele
- Film Highlight: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Top 10 Best-Selling UK Singles of 2011
- Adele – Someone Like You
- Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera – Moves Like Jagger
- LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock – Party Rock Anthem
- Jessie J featuring B.o.B – Price Tag
- Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris – We Found Love
- Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer – Give Me Everything
- Bruno Mars – Grenade
- Ed Sheeran – The A Team
- Adele – Rolling in the Deep
- Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull – On the Floor
Five Landmark Albums Released in 2011
- Adele – 21
- Ed Sheeran – +
- Lady Gaga – Born This Way
- Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto
- Florence + the Machine – Ceremonials
Five Major Films Released in 2011
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 – Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson
- The King’s Speech (in the UK) – Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter
- The Inbetweeners Movie – Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison and Joe Thomas
- Bridesmaids – Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph
- The Hangover Part II – Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis
UK Prime Minister(s)
- David Cameron (Conservative) – 1 January–31 December 2011
Major News and Events of 2011
- 11 March: A powerful earthquake and tsunami struck Japan.
- 29 April: Prince William married Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey.
- 2 May: Osama bin Laden was killed during a US operation in Pakistan.
- 10 July: The News of the World published its final edition amid the phone-hacking scandal.
- August: Rioting and looting spread from London to several other English cities.
📻 More Quick-Glance Facts – 2011
- New on TV: Mrs Brown’s Boys | Black Mirror
- Popular Video Game: Minecraft – full official release
- New App: Snapchat
- Eurovision Winner: Ell & Nikki for Azerbaijan – Running Scared
- Wimbledon Singles Champions: Novak Djokovic (Men’s) | Petra Kvitová (Ladies’)
- Champions League: Barcelona beat Manchester United 3–1
- FA Cup Winners: Manchester City
- Scottish Cup Winners: Celtic
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year: Mark Cavendish
- The Open Champion: Darren Clarke – Royal St George’s
- Grand National Winner: Ballabriggs
Notable Passings – 2011
- Amy Winehouse – English singer-songwriter
- Steve Jobs – Apple co-founder
- Elizabeth Taylor – British-American film star
🎙️ Radio Presenter Talking Points
- The iPhone 5 That Never Was: “iPhone 5” becomes one of Britain’s fastest-rising Google searches — but Apple’s big phone launch is actually the iPhone 4S.
- Minecraft — Officially: People had been playing development versions for years, but Minecraft finally receives its full official release in November.
- The Footballer Nobody Could Name: A Premier League footballer’s identity is protected by a court injunction, but spreads across Twitter anyway. MP John Hemming then uses parliamentary privilege to name Ryan Giggs in the House of Commons while newspapers are still legally restricted from doing so.
- The Royal Wedding Goes Digital: William and Catherine’s wedding is not only a huge television event but is also streamed online and followed through social media.
- News of the World Closes: The phone-hacking scandal brings down Britain’s 168-year-old Sunday newspaper. Its final front page signs off with the headline “THANK YOU & GOODBYE”.
- Planking: The internet briefly decides that lying face-down and rigid in strange places constitutes entertainment. Naturally, millions join in.
- The Last Space Shuttle Comes Home: Space Shuttle Atlantis lands for the final time, bringing NASA’s 30-year Space Shuttle programme to an end after 135 missions.
- McIlroy’s First Major: Rory McIlroy wins the US Open aged just 22 — his first major title and the youngest US Open champion since 1923.
Golden Hour: 2012 – UK Hits, Films, News & Events
A quick-glance guide to the music, films, political figures, technology, culture and memorable events associated with 2012.
⭐ 2012 at a Glance
- Olympic Games: London Summer Olympics
- UEFA European Championship: Poland/Ukraine – Winners: Spain
- Premier League Champions: Manchester City
- UK Prime Minister: David Cameron
- US President: Barack Obama
- Best-Selling UK Single: Somebody That I Used to Know – Gotye featuring Kimbra
- Film Highlight: Skyfall
Top 10 Best-Selling UK Singles of 2012
- Gotye featuring Kimbra – Somebody That I Used to Know
- Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
- Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe – We Are Young
- David Guetta featuring Sia – Titanium
- James Arthur – Impossible
- PSY – Gangnam Style
- Nicki Minaj – Starships
- Jessie J – Domino
- Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa – Payphone
- Flo Rida featuring Sia – Wild Ones
Five Landmark Albums Released in 2012
- Mumford & Sons – Babel
- Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
- Lana Del Rey – Born to Die
- Taylor Swift – Red
- Rihanna – Unapologetic
Five Major Films Released in 2012
- Skyfall – Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem
- Avengers Assemble – Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson
- The Dark Knight Rises – Christian Bale and Tom Hardy
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen
- The Hunger Games – Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson
UK Prime Minister(s)
- David Cameron (Conservative) – 1 January–31 December 2012
Major News and Events of 2012
- June: Major celebrations marked Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.
- 4 July: CERN announced the discovery of a new particle consistent with the Higgs boson.
- 27 July: The London Olympic Games opened at the Olympic Stadium.
- 6 August: NASA’s Curiosity rover successfully landed on Mars.
- 14 October: Felix Baumgartner made his record-breaking stratospheric freefall jump.
📻 More Quick-Glance Facts – 2012
- New on TV: Call the Midwife | Line of Duty
- New App / Game: Candy Crush Saga
- Eurovision Winner: Loreen for Sweden – Euphoria
- Gone from the High Street: Comet | JJB Sports
- Wimbledon Singles Champions: Roger Federer (Men’s) | Serena Williams (Ladies’)
- Champions League: Chelsea drew Bayern Munich 1–1 and won 4–3 on penalties
- FA Cup Winners: Chelsea
- Scottish Cup Winners: Heart of Midlothian
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year: Bradley Wiggins
- The Open Champion: Ernie Els – Royal Lytham & St Annes
- Grand National Winner: Neptune Collonges
Notable Passings – 2012
- Whitney Houston – American singer
- Neil Armstrong – first person to walk on the Moon
- Donna Summer – American singer, the “Queen of Disco”
🎙️ Radio Presenter Talking Points
- The World Doesn’t End: 21 December arrives amid internet predictions surrounding the Maya calendar. Humanity survives.
- Gangnam Style: PSY’s horse-riding dance goes global and Gangnam Style becomes the first YouTube video to reach one billion views.
- Raspberry Pi: The inexpensive British-designed computer launches with the aim of getting a new generation interested in programming.
- Savile Exposed: Potentially unsuitable for broadcast. ITV’s Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile airs on 3 October, shocking viewers as allegations overturn the public image of one of Britain’s most familiar television personalities.
- The Queen Meets Bond: Daniel Craig’s 007 collects the Queen from Buckingham Palace for the Olympic opening ceremony — before the pair appear to parachute into the stadium.
- Murray’s Breakthrough Year: Andy Murray loses the Wimbledon final to Roger Federer, then returns to Centre Court weeks later to beat Federer for Olympic singles gold before winning the US Open.
- Wiggins Makes History: Bradley Wiggins becomes the first British rider to win the Tour de France — then just ten days later wins Olympic time-trial gold at London 2012.
- Royal Baby on the Way: On 3 December, William and Catherine announce they are expecting their first child. Prince George will arrive the following July.
Golden Hour: 2013 – UK Hits, Films, News & Events
A quick-glance guide to the music, films, political figures, technology, culture and memorable events associated with 2013.
⭐ 2013 at a Glance
- Premier League Champions: Manchester United
- UK Prime Minister: David Cameron
- US President: Barack Obama
- Best-Selling UK Single: Blurred Lines – Robin Thicke featuring T.I. & Pharrell
- Film Highlight: Despicable Me 2
Top 10 Best-Selling UK Singles of 2013
- Robin Thicke featuring T.I. & Pharrell – Blurred Lines
- Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams – Get Lucky
- Avicii – Wake Me Up
- Passenger – Let Her Go
- Naughty Boy featuring Sam Smith – La La La
- Katy Perry – Roar
- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz – Thrift Shop
- P!nk featuring Nate Ruess – Just Give Me a Reason
- OneRepublic – Counting Stars
- Justin Timberlake – Mirrors
Five Landmark Albums Released in 2013
- Arctic Monkeys – AM
- Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
- Beyoncé – Beyoncé
- Lorde – Pure Heroine
- Drake – Nothing Was the Same
Five Major Films Released in 2013
- Despicable Me 2 – voices including Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen
- Frozen – voices including Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel
- Iron Man 3 – Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow
- Gravity – Sandra Bullock and George Clooney
UK Prime Minister(s)
- David Cameron (Conservative) – 1 January–31 December 2013
Major News and Events of 2013
- 13 March: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope and took the name Francis.
- 17 July: The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act received Royal Assent in England and Wales.
- 22 July: Prince George was born at St Mary’s Hospital in London.
- June: Edward Snowden’s disclosures revealed extensive US and UK intelligence surveillance programmes.
- November: Typhoon Haiyan devastated parts of the Philippines.
📻 More Quick-Glance Facts – 2013
- New on TV: Broadchurch | Peaky Blinders
- New on Streaming: House of Cards | Orange Is the New Black
- New Consoles: PlayStation 4 | Xbox One
- Eurovision Winner: Emmelie de Forest for Denmark – Only Teardrops
- Gone from the High Street: Blockbuster UK
- Wimbledon Singles Champions: Andy Murray (Men’s) | Marion Bartoli (Ladies’)
- Champions League: Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund 2–1
- FA Cup Winners: Wigan Athletic
- Scottish Cup Winners: Celtic
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year: Andy Murray
- The Open Champion: Phil Mickelson – Muirfield
- Grand National Winner: Auroras Encore
Notable Passings – 2013
- Margaret Thatcher – former UK Prime Minister
- Nelson Mandela – former President of South Africa
- Sir David Frost – British broadcaster and interviewer
🎙️ Radio Presenter Talking Points
- Selfie Becomes Official: Oxford Dictionaries chooses selfie as its Word of the Year. Taking your own photograph is no longer just something tourists do badly.
- Doctor Who Turns 50: Matt Smith and David Tennant join forces for The Day of the Doctor as the programme celebrates half a century.
- GTA V Needs More Memory: Grand Theft Auto V arrives with an 8GB mandatory install on Xbox 360 — awkward news for anyone with the 4GB model. Rockstar’s solution? Add a USB flash drive of at least 16GB.
- Short-Form Video: Vine pioneers the short-form video craze with looping six-second clips — a format later taken to a much bigger audience by other social-media platforms.
- The Harlem Shake: Offices, sports teams and groups everywhere begin uploading bizarre 30-second dance videos.
- Console Wars Reloaded: PlayStation 4 and Xbox One both reach Britain within days of each other.
- Murray Ends the 77-Year Wait: Andy Murray beats Novak Djokovic to become the first British man to win the Wimbledon singles title since Fred Perry in 1936.
- Fergie’s Final Whistle: Sir Alex Ferguson retires after 26 years at Manchester United, having just won his 13th Premier League title.
- A Meteor Explodes Over Russia: A meteor explodes over Chelyabinsk — and thanks to Russia’s widespread use of dashcams, the extraordinary event is captured from multiple angles and quickly seen around the world.
Golden Hour: 2014 – UK Hits, Films, News & Events
A quick-glance guide to the music, films, political figures, technology, culture and memorable events associated with 2014.
⭐ 2014 at a Glance
- FIFA World Cup: Brazil – Winners: Germany
- Premier League Champions: Manchester City
- UK Prime Minister: David Cameron
- US President: Barack Obama
- Best-Selling UK Single: Happy – Pharrell Williams (released 2013)
- Film Highlight: The Lego Movie
Top 10 Best-Selling UK Singles of 2014
- Pharrell Williams – Happy (released 2013)
- Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne – Rather Be
- John Legend – All of Me (released 2013)
- Mr Probz – Waves
- Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud
- Ella Henderson – Ghost
- Sam Smith – Stay with Me
- Meghan Trainor – All About That Bass
- Pitbull featuring Kesha – Timber (released 2013)
- George Ezra – Budapest (released 2013)
Five Landmark Albums Released in 2014
- Ed Sheeran – ×
- Sam Smith – In the Lonely Hour
- Taylor Swift – 1989
- Coldplay – Ghost Stories
- Royal Blood – Royal Blood
Five Major Films Released in 2014
- The Lego Movie – voices including Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen
- Paddington – Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins
- Guardians of the Galaxy – Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldaña
- Interstellar – Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway
UK Prime Minister(s)
- David Cameron (Conservative) – 1 January–31 December 2014
Major News and Events of 2014
- 8 March: Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
- July–August: Glasgow hosted the Commonwealth Games.
- August: The World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
- 18 September: Scotland voted 55.3% to 44.7% against independence, on an 84.6% turnout.
- 12 November: The Philae lander made the first successful soft landing on a comet.
📻 More Quick-Glance Facts – 2014
- New on TV: Happy Valley | Inside No. 9
- New on Streaming: BoJack Horseman
- Popular Video Game: Destiny
- Eurovision Winner: Conchita Wurst for Austria – Rise Like a Phoenix
- Gone from the High Street: Phones 4u
- Wimbledon Singles Champions: Novak Djokovic (Men’s) | Petra Kvitová (Ladies’)
- Champions League: Real Madrid beat Atlético Madrid 4–1 after extra time
- FA Cup Winners: Arsenal
- Scottish Cup Winners: St Johnstone
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year: Lewis Hamilton
- The Open Champion: Rory McIlroy – Royal Liverpool
- Grand National Winner: Pineau De Re
Notable Passings – 2014
- Robin Williams – American actor and comedian
- Rik Mayall – English comedian and actor
- Richard Attenborough – English actor and film director
🎙️ Radio Presenter Talking Points
- Flappy Bird — Wrong Year?: The game everyone remembers from 2014 was actually released in 2013. It goes viral in early 2014 before its creator suddenly removes it from sale.
- Ice Bucket Challenge: Millions tip freezing water over themselves for ALS/MND fundraising — and immediately nominate three friends to suffer next.
- The Oscars Selfie: Ellen DeGeneres squeezes a ridiculous collection of Hollywood stars into one photograph and creates one of the era’s defining celebrity selfies.
- Frozen Won’t Let It Go: The film was released in 2013, but Frozen, Elsa costumes and Let It Go seem virtually inescapable throughout 2014.
- Bake Off Gets Promoted: The Great British Bake Off moves from BBC Two to BBC One. Competitive cake-making is now serious prime-time television.
- We Land on a Comet: After a ten-year journey through space, Philae becomes the first spacecraft ever to land softly on a comet — although its harpoons fail and the little lander bounces twice before finally settling.
Golden Hour: 2015 – UK Hits, Films, News & Events
A quick-glance guide to the music, films, political figures, technology, culture and memorable events associated with 2015.
⭐ 2015 at a Glance
- Premier League Champions: Chelsea
- UK Prime Minister: David Cameron
- US President: Barack Obama
- Best-Selling UK Single: Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (released 2014)
- Film Highlight: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Top 10 Best-Selling UK Singles of 2015
- Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk (released 2014)
- OMI – Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)
- Hozier – Take Me to Church (released 2013)
- Ellie Goulding – Love Me like You Do
- Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth – See You Again
- Adele – Hello
- Major Lazer featuring MØ & DJ Snake – Lean On
- James Bay – Hold Back the River (released 2014)
- Justin Bieber – What Do You Mean?
- Justin Bieber – Sorry
Five Landmark Albums Released in 2015
- Adele – 25
- Justin Bieber – Purpose
- Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
- The Weeknd – Beauty Behind the Madness
- Tame Impala – Currents
Five Major Films Released in 2015
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Harrison Ford
- Spectre – Daniel Craig and Christoph Waltz
- Jurassic World – Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard
- Inside Out – voices including Amy Poehler and Phyllis Smith
- The Martian – Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain
UK Prime Minister(s)
- David Cameron (Conservative) – 1 January–31 December 2015
Major News and Events of 2015
- 7 May: The Conservatives won an overall majority in the UK General Election; the SNP won 56 of Scotland’s 59 Westminster seats.
- 2 May: Princess Charlotte was born in London.
- 14 July: NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft made humanity’s first close flyby of Pluto.
- 13 November: Coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris killed 130 people.
- 12 December: The Paris climate agreement was adopted by 195 nations.
📻 More Quick-Glance Facts – 2015
- New on TV: Poldark | Humans
- New on Streaming: Narcos | Making a Murderer
- Popular Video Game: Fallout 4
- Eurovision Winner: Måns Zelmerlöw for Sweden – Heroes
- Wimbledon Singles Champions: Novak Djokovic (Men’s) | Serena Williams (Ladies’)
- Champions League: Barcelona beat Juventus 3–1
- FA Cup Winners: Arsenal
- Scottish Cup Winners: Inverness Caledonian Thistle
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year: Andy Murray
- The Open Champion: Zach Johnson – St Andrews
- Grand National Winner: Many Clouds
Notable Passings – 2015
- Cilla Black – English singer and television presenter
- Leonard Nimoy – American actor; Spock in Star Trek
- Lemmy – Motörhead singer and bassist
🎙️ Radio Presenter Talking Points
- The Dress: Is it white and gold or blue and black? One photograph divides the internet. For the record, the actual dress is blue and black.
- Marty McFly Day: On 21 October, reality finally catches up with the future date visited in Back to the Future Part II. Hoverboards remain disappointingly earthbound.
- A King Leaves the Car Park: Three years after his remains were discovered beneath a Leicester car park, Richard III is finally reburied at Leicester Cathedral — more than 500 years after his death.
- Clarkson Leaves Top Gear: Jeremy Clarkson’s BBC contract isn’t renewed following his altercation with a producer; Richard Hammond and James May subsequently leave too.
- Apple Reaches Your Wrist: Apple Watch launches and suddenly charging your phone every night isn’t enough — your watch would like a charger too.
- Adele Says Hello: After several years without a new album, one word announces one of the decade’s biggest musical comebacks: “Hello.”
- Trump Runs for President: Donald Trump descends the golden escalator at Trump Tower and announces his first presidential campaign. Many initially treat the reality-TV star’s candidacy as a joke or publicity stunt — the following year, he wins the presidency.
- And Then There Were Four: Zayn Malik quits One Direction on 25 March, saying he wants the chance to be a “normal 22-year-old”. Directioners take the news about as calmly as you would expect.
Golden Hour: 2016 – UK Hits, Films, News & Events
A quick-glance guide to the music, films, political figures, technology, culture and memorable events associated with 2016.
⭐ 2016 at a Glance
- Olympic Games: Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics
- UEFA European Championship: France – Winners: Portugal
- Premier League Champions: Leicester City
- UK Prime Minister: David Cameron; Theresa May
- US President: Barack Obama
- Best-Selling UK Single: One Dance – Drake featuring Wizkid & Kyla
- Film Highlight: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Top 10 Best-Selling UK Singles of 2016
- Drake featuring Wizkid & Kyla – One Dance
- Lukas Graham – 7 Years
- Sia – Cheap Thrills
- Mike Posner – I Took a Pill in Ibiza
- Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna – This Is What You Came For
- Zara Larsson – Lush Life (released 2015)
- The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey – Closer
- Justin Bieber – Love Yourself (released 2015)
- Rihanna featuring Drake – Work
- Justin Timberlake – Can’t Stop the Feeling!
Five Landmark Albums Released in 2016
- David Bowie – Blackstar
- Beyoncé – Lemonade
- Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool
- Bruno Mars – 24K Magic
- The 1975 – I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It
Five Major Films Released in 2016
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Felicity Jones and Diego Luna
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Eddie Redmayne and Katherine Waterston
- Bridget Jones’s Baby – Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey
- Finding Dory – voices including Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks
- Deadpool – Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccarin
UK Prime Minister(s)
- David Cameron (Conservative) – 1 January–13 July 2016
- Theresa May (Conservative) – from 13 July 2016
Major News and Events of 2016
- April: The Panama Papers leak exposed millions of documents relating to offshore companies and financial arrangements.
- 23 June: The UK voted to leave the European Union, by 51.9% to 48.1%.
- 13 July: Theresa May became Prime Minister following David Cameron’s resignation.
- August: The Summer Olympic Games were held in Rio de Janeiro.
- 8 November: Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the US presidential election.
📻 More Quick-Glance Facts – 2016
- New on TV: Fleabag | The Night Manager
- New on Streaming: Stranger Things | The Crown
- Popular App / Game: Pokémon GO
- Eurovision Winner: Jamala for Ukraine – 1944
- Gone from the High Street: BHS | Austin Reed
- Wimbledon Singles Champions: Andy Murray (Men’s) | Serena Williams (Ladies’)
- Champions League: Real Madrid drew Atlético Madrid 1–1 and won 5–3 on penalties
- FA Cup Winners: Manchester United
- Scottish Cup Winners: Hibernian
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year: Andy Murray
- The Open Champion: Henrik Stenson – Royal Troon
- Grand National Winner: Rule The World
Notable Passings – 2016
- David Bowie – English singer-songwriter
- Prince – American singer-songwriter and musician
- George Michael – English singer-songwriter
- Muhammad Ali – three-time world heavyweight boxing champion
- Sir Terry Wogan – Irish-British broadcaster
- Alan Rickman – English actor
🎙️ Radio Presenter Talking Points
- Boaty McBoatface: The public is asked to name a £200m polar research ship. The internet responds exactly as the internet would. The vessel eventually becomes RRS Sir David Attenborough.
- Pokémon GO: Parks and landmarks suddenly fill with people staring at their phones while hunting creatures nobody else can see.
- Tim Peake Comes Home: After 186 days aboard the International Space Station, British astronaut Tim Peake returns to Earth — having even run the London Marathon while in space.
- Ed Balls Goes Gangnam Style: Former Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls becomes an unlikely Strictly Come Dancing star, with his Gangnam Style routine becoming one of the show’s most memorable performances.
- England’s Iceland Nightmare: England crash out of Euro 2016 with a 2–1 defeat to Iceland — a country with a population of around 330,000. Roy Hodgson resigns immediately afterwards.
- Chewbacca Mom: Candace Payne tries on a Chewbacca mask during a Facebook Live video and her uncontrollable laughter becomes the real attraction.
- The New Fiver: Britain’s first polymer £5 note enters circulation, featuring Winston Churchill — the beginning of the end for the familiar paper fiver.
- Brangelina Splits: Angelina Jolie files for divorce from Brad Pitt in September, bringing one of Hollywood’s most famous celebrity relationships to an end after more than a decade together.
Golden Hour: 2017 – UK Hits, Films, News & Events
A quick-glance guide to the music, films, political figures, technology, culture and memorable events associated with 2017.
⭐ 2017 at a Glance
- Premier League Champions: Chelsea
- UK Prime Minister: Theresa May
- US President: Barack Obama; Donald Trump
- Best-Selling UK Single: Shape of You – Ed Sheeran
- Film Highlight: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Top 10 Best-Selling UK Singles of 2017
- Ed Sheeran – Shape of You
- Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber – Despacito (Remix)
- Ed Sheeran – Castle on the Hill
- French Montana featuring Swae Lee – Unforgettable
- Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
- Ed Sheeran – Perfect
- Clean Bandit featuring Zara Larsson – Symphony
- Rag’n’Bone Man – Human (released 2016)
- The Chainsmokers & Coldplay – Something Just Like This
- Jax Jones featuring RAYE – You Don’t Know Me (released 2016)
Five Landmark Albums Released in 2017
- Ed Sheeran – ÷
- Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.
- Lorde – Melodrama
- Dua Lipa – Dua Lipa
- Taylor Swift – Reputation
Five Major Films Released in 2017
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill
- Beauty and the Beast – Emma Watson and Dan Stevens
- Dunkirk – Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy and Mark Rylance
- Paddington 2 – Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville and Hugh Grant
- Thor: Ragnarok – Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston
UK Prime Minister(s)
- Theresa May (Conservative) – 1 January–31 December 2017
Major News and Events of 2017
- 20 January: Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States.
- 29 March: Theresa May formally triggered Article 50, beginning the UK’s withdrawal process from the European Union.
- 22 May: A bombing at Manchester Arena killed 22 people after an Ariana Grande concert.
- 8 June: The UK General Election resulted in a hung Parliament.
- 14 June: A fire at Grenfell Tower in west London killed 72 people.
📻 More Quick-Glance Facts – 2017
- New on TV: Taboo | Blue Planet II
- New on Streaming: 13 Reasons Why | Mindhunter
- New Video Game: Fortnite
- Eurovision Winner: Salvador Sobral for Portugal – Amar pelos dois
- Wimbledon Singles Champions: Roger Federer (Men’s) | Garbiñe Muguruza (Ladies’)
- Champions League: Real Madrid beat Juventus 4–1
- FA Cup Winners: Arsenal
- Scottish Cup Winners: Celtic
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year: Mo Farah
- The Open Champion: Jordan Spieth – Royal Birkdale
- Grand National Winner: One For Arthur
Notable Passings – 2017
- Sir Bruce Forsyth – English entertainer and television presenter
- Sir Roger Moore – English actor; James Bond
- Keith Chegwin – English television presenter
🎙️ Radio Presenter Talking Points
- And the Oscar Goes to… Oops: La La Land is announced as Best Picture and its team begins accepting the award — before everybody discovers Moonlight actually won.
- Fidget Spinner Fever: A small bearing surrounded by plastic becomes the year’s playground obsession. Schools respond in the traditional manner: bans.
- Nintendo Switch: Nintendo launches a console that works on the television and as a handheld — solving the age-old problem of having to stop playing because somebody wants the TV.
- Fortnite Begins: Fortnite launches, followed by Battle Royale in September. Its takeover of popular culture is still to come.
- Ed Sheeran Breaks the Chart: All 16 tracks from ÷ enter the UK Top 40 at once. The Official Charts rules are then changed, limiting a lead artist to three tracks in the Top 100.
- Theresa May’s Speech from Hell: Her Conservative conference speech goes spectacularly wrong — a prankster hands her a P45, she struggles through a coughing fit, and letters start falling off the slogan behind her.
- Harry and Meghan: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce their engagement on 27 November. The wedding is set for Windsor the following May.
Golden Hour: 2018 – UK Hits, Films, News & Events
A quick-glance guide to the music, films, political figures, technology, culture and memorable events associated with 2018.
⭐ 2018 at a Glance
- FIFA World Cup: Russia – Winners: France
- Premier League Champions: Manchester City
- UK Prime Minister: Theresa May
- US President: Donald Trump
- Best-Selling UK Single: One Kiss – Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa
- Film Highlight: Avengers: Infinity War
Top 10 Best-Selling UK Singles of 2018
- Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa – One Kiss
- Drake – God’s Plan
- George Ezra – Shotgun
- Keala Settle & The Greatest Showman Ensemble – This Is Me (released 2017)
- Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore & Dan Caplen – These Days
- Ed Sheeran – Perfect (released 2017)
- Drake – Nice for What
- George Ezra – Paradise
- Ariana Grande – No Tears Left to Cry
- Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (released 2017)
Five Landmark Albums Released in 2018
- Ariana Grande – Sweetener
- Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
- Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – A Star Is Born
- Florence + the Machine – High as Hope
- Post Malone – Beerbongs & Bentleys
Five Major Films Released in 2018
- Avengers: Infinity War – Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and Josh Brolin
- Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again – Amanda Seyfried, Lily James and Meryl Streep
- Bohemian Rhapsody – Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton
- Black Panther – Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan
- A Star Is Born – Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
UK Prime Minister(s)
- Theresa May (Conservative) – 1 January–31 December 2018
Major News and Events of 2018
- February–March: The ‘Beast from the East’ brought severe winter weather and widespread disruption across Britain.
- 4 March: Sergei and Yulia Skripal were poisoned in Salisbury.
- 19 May: Prince Harry married Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
- 25 May: The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect.
- July: Twelve boys and their football coach were rescued from the flooded Tham Luang cave in Thailand.
📻 More Quick-Glance Facts – 2018
- New on TV: Bodyguard | Killing Eve
- New on Streaming: The Haunting of Hill House
- Popular Video Game: Red Dead Redemption 2
- Eurovision Winner: Netta for Israel – Toy
- Gone from the High Street: Toys “R” Us UK | Maplin | Poundworld
- Wimbledon Singles Champions: Novak Djokovic (Men’s) | Angelique Kerber (Ladies’)
- Champions League: Real Madrid beat Liverpool 3–1
- FA Cup Winners: Chelsea
- Scottish Cup Winners: Celtic
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year: Geraint Thomas
- The Open Champion: Francesco Molinari – Carnoustie
- Grand National Winner: Tiger Roll
Notable Passings – 2018
- Stephen Hawking – English theoretical physicist
- Aretha Franklin – American singer
- Avicii – Swedish DJ and producer
- George H. W. Bush – former US President
- Jim Bowen – English comedian and Bullseye presenter
🎙️ Radio Presenter Talking Points
- Fortnite Takes Over: Released the previous year, Fortnite becomes a full-blown cultural phenomenon, complete with dances being attempted in playgrounds everywhere.
- GDPR Inbox Apocalypse: Every company you’ve ever given your email address to suddenly wants to tell you how much it values your privacy.
- YouTubers Become Boxers: KSI and Logan Paul take their online rivalry into Manchester Arena, demonstrating just how enormous YouTube celebrity has become.
- England Win a Shoot-Out: England beat Colombia to record their first-ever World Cup penalty shoot-out victory. Somewhere, the ghosts of 1990, 1998 and 2006 finally relax.
- A Welshman Wins the Tour: Geraint Thomas becomes the first Welshman to win the Tour de France — and only the third British winner after Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.
- Love Island Summer: The ITV2 show becomes a genuine cultural phenomenon, generating catchphrases, celebrities and a sudden national interest in personalised water bottles.
- Alexa Moves In: Smart speakers become increasingly commonplace and Britain gets used to talking to small cylinders sitting on the kitchen worktop.
Golden Hour: 2019 – UK Hits, Films, News & Events
A quick-glance guide to the music, films, political figures, technology, culture and memorable events associated with 2019.
⭐ 2019 at a Glance
- Premier League Champions: Manchester City
- UK Prime Minister: Theresa May; Boris Johnson
- US President: Donald Trump
- Best-Selling UK Single: Someone You Loved – Lewis Capaldi
- Film Highlight: Avengers: Endgame
Top 10 Best-Selling UK Singles of 2019
- Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
- Lil Nas X – Old Town Road
- Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care
- Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
- Calvin Harris & Rag’n’Bone Man – Giant
- Ava Max – Sweet but Psycho (released 2018)
- Stormzy – Vossi Bop
- Tones and I – Dance Monkey
- Mabel – Don’t Call Me Up
- Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello – Señorita
Five Landmark Albums Released in 2019
- Billie Eilish – When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
- Lewis Capaldi – Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent
- Harry Styles – Fine Line
- Lana Del Rey – Norman F***ing Rockwell!
- Ed Sheeran – No.6 Collaborations Project
Five Major Films Released in 2019
- Avengers: Endgame – Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson
- The Lion King – voices including Donald Glover and Beyoncé
- Joker – Joaquin Phoenix and Robert De Niro
- Frozen II – voices including Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel
- Toy Story 4 – voices including Tom Hanks and Tim Allen
UK Prime Minister(s)
- Theresa May (Conservative) – 1 January–24 July 2019
- Boris Johnson (Conservative) – from 24 July 2019
Major News and Events of 2019
- 29 March: The UK’s planned departure from the European Union was postponed as the Brexit process continued.
- 10 April: Scientists unveiled the first-ever image of a black hole.
- 15 April: A major fire severely damaged Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
- 24 July: Boris Johnson became Prime Minister, succeeding Theresa May.
- 12 December: The Conservatives won a large Commons majority in the UK General Election.
📻 More Quick-Glance Facts – 2019
- New on TV: Chernobyl | Years and Years
- New on Streaming: Sex Education | The Witcher
- Popular Video Game: Apex Legends
- Eurovision Winner: Duncan Laurence for the Netherlands – Arcade
- Wimbledon Singles Champions: Novak Djokovic (Men’s) | Simona Halep (Ladies’)
- Champions League: Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2–0
- FA Cup Winners: Manchester City
- Scottish Cup Winners: Celtic
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year: Ben Stokes
- The Open Champion: Shane Lowry – Royal Portrush
- Grand National Winner: Tiger Roll
Notable Passings – 2019
- Keith Flint – The Prodigy singer/dancer
- Doris Day – American actor and singer
- Gary Rhodes – English celebrity chef
- Gordon Banks – England’s 1966 World Cup-winning goalkeeper
🎙️ Radio Presenter Talking Points
- Greggs Goes Vegan: Greggs launches a vegan sausage roll and somehow manages to turn pastry into one of Britain’s biggest talking points.
- TikTok Takes Off: Launched earlier, TikTok increasingly breaks into mainstream culture through short videos, challenges, memes and dances.
- FaceApp Ages Everyone: Social-media feeds suddenly fill with disturbingly convincing photographs of what everybody might look like in old age.
- Storm Area 51: Millions engage with a joke Facebook event proposing a mass raid on America’s mysterious military base. Thankfully, most settle for the memes.
- An Egg Beats Kylie Jenner: An ordinary photograph of an egg sets out to become Instagram’s most-liked post — and succeeds.
- Baby Yoda: The Mandalorian introduces “The Child”. The internet immediately calls him Baby Yoda, despite the inconvenient fact that he isn’t Yoda.
- Wagatha Christie: Coleen Rooney reveals an elaborate Instagram sting and publicly accuses Rebekah Vardy’s account of leaking private stories to The Sun. The internet promptly gives the saga its unforgettable nickname.
- Tiger Roll Does What Only Red Rum Had Done: Tiger Roll wins a second consecutive Grand National, becoming the first horse in 45 years to win back-to-back Nationals.
- A Story Nobody Knew Was Coming: On 31 December, the World Health Organization is alerted to a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown cause in Wuhan, China. The name COVID-19 will not be announced until 2020.
Editorial and source note
Album sections are curated selections of prominent releases and use each album’s original release year. Film sections use the generally recognised release year; where UK release timing determines placement, “(in the UK)” is shown. “New on TV” refers to the programme’s initial UK broadcast, while “New on Streaming” refers to the original streaming-series premiere rather than the year a show later became popular.
Sporting, political, cultural and technology dates have been compiled from established published records. This remains an editorial draft for on-site review before the decade is treated as final.