VIVA

Best of the Decade

The past decade has given the world some of the greatest pop, TV and films – and for the whole of January VIVA will be celebrating the best of the Noughties in Every Number One of the Decade and Greatest Song of the Decade. To celebrate the programmes this edition of the VIVA Mail takes a look back at some Noughties nostalgia!

Every decade has its cultural highs and lows, but since the advent of the new millennium the highs have been even higher with great films, TV and bands taking the globe by storm!

In the cinema it has been the decade of the franchise movie. The new instalments of the Star Wars franchise hit cinemas early in the decade, taking the box office by storm and breaking all records as ‘The Force’ took over the world once again. However, Hollywood didn’t rest on its laurels for long as Peter Jackson garnered even more stratospheric revenue, as well as a few Oscars into the bargain, with his Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Oh, and lest we forget, this was also the decade when a few kids’ movies came out – Harry Potter, High School Musical and Twilight, made superstars out of Daniel Radcliffe, Zac Efron and Robert Pattinson whilst simultaneously creating the ‘tween’ phenomenon.

It wasn’t only on the big screen that the Noughties were successful however; TV on both sides of the pond has been churning out great drama and comedy, but it has been reality TV which has dominated telly this decade. Big Brother, which started in 2000, has been a cultural phenomenon which has dominated the summer each year since. The show has spawned a variety of reality TV imitators, celebrity specials and created a very special brand of “celebrity”. The series created a host of ‘stars’ who captured the viewing public’s attention, albeit if only for their 15 minutes of fame; from Jade to Nasty Nick or Craig to Jon Tickle we loved and hated them with equal measure!

Add into the mix the resurgence in the talent show and it’s clear that the Noughties have been a big decade for telly. From Pop Idol to X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing to Fame Academy we have seen an explosion of shows that let both ordinary people, and celebrities, try their hand at being a star in a new way. And, of course, Sir Alan Sugar wasn’t shy to let participants in The Apprentice know what he thought of them…. But the reality shows have created some bona fide chart-topping stars. Popstars: The Rivals gave us the phenomenon that is Girls Aloud, whilst Pop Idol gave Will Young the break he needed to become the international star he is today. But Fame Academy wasn’t without its successes, for who can forget the long-lived career of David Sneddon…?

But more traditional TV hasn’t had its day yet – and some of the best dramas and comedies have had their premiere in the past ten years. In the UK we have seen some classic time travelling dramas with Life on Mars and the return of Doctor Who, great comedy with The Office, Spaced, Gavin and Stacey and Nighty Night as well the return of prime-time drama with Spooks and Hustle. Meanwhile, stateside there have been some era-defining dramas from The Wire to The West Wing and The O.C. to Gossip Girl – as well as two of VIVA’s own favourite shows, The Hills and The Osbournes! Not that we are biased at all, of course!

Let’s not forget music though! The Noughties is the era which gave us the iPod, and if you are looking for some great artists to put on it then the decade doesn’t disappoint. In the early part of the decade bands like Westlife and All Saints were ruling the charts, as well as a diverse collection of solo artists, from Craig David to… ummm, Bob the Builder?

More recently, pop fans have been treated to Girls Aloud taking over the country and moving from reality telly wannabes to the biggest girl band of the moment. If pop isn’t your thing (are you mad!) then bands like The Killers, Arctic Monkeys and Muse should give you a few choice tracks to get you moving! If you want to see them live then chances are they will be back at The 02, which has gone from being a massive white elephant to the top UK music venue over the course of the decade. And most recently, of course, the decade has all been about SuBo’s global takeover!

So wrap up warm throughout January as VIVA brings you the best of the decade that brought us Facebook, iPhones, the Wii… and, umm, George W Bush…?

Best Of The Decade is on VIVA throughout January including Every Number One Of The Decade.
There will also be Greatest Song Of The Decade which will be decided from an online vote
from December 20th on www.viva.tv/decade
Results will be shown on air on Sunday 31st January at 12pm.

Contact: Ross Lancaster, Premier PR, 91 Berwick St, London W1F 0NE. T - 020 7272 8330 E - Ross.Lancaster@premierpr.com