The Brixton riots, the miners’ strike and the Falklands War were among the decade’s biggest events.
But there were many joyous occasions too, which united the nation.
Below are nine of the most unforgettable moments during the 80s, which were memorable for the right reasons, from sporting triumphs to big weddings, concerts and major TV milestones.
How many of these occasions do you remember and what was your personal highlight of the 1980s?
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1. Royal wedding - 1981
We did not know the heartbreak that lay ahead but at the time this royal romance had the nation, or most of it anyway, gripped. When Prince Charles and Princess Diana tied the knot on July 29, 1981, huge crowds gathered to celebrate. It remains one of the most watched events ever on British TV, attracting an audience of 28.4 million, while an estimated 750 million people worldwide tuned in for the royal wedding. | Doug McKenzie/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Photo: Doug McKenzie/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
2. Charlene and Scott get married - 1988
They were the dream couple, and millions tuned in to watch Charlene (Kylie Minogue) and Scott (Jason Donovan) get married when their big day was finally screened in the UK on November 8, 1988. Fiction spilled over into reality as the couple dated in real life, and they performed the chart-topping duet Especially For You together. Kylie has gone on to enjoy a hugely successful pop career since leaving Neighbours, while Jason Donovan's debut album, Ten Good Reasons, was the highest-selling album in the UK in 1989, and he also won acclaim for his performance in the award-winning musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. | Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Photo: Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
3. EastEnders Christmas special - 1986
Dirty Den remains one of the greatest villains in British TV history, and he was at his most dastardly on Christmas Day in 1986. That was when, in surely the greatest 'doof doof' moment in EastEnders history, Den Watts (played by Leslie Grantham) served his wife Angie (Anita Dobson) with divorce papers. A record television audience of 30.15 million tore themselves away from the Yuletide festivities to watch - proof, if proof were needed, that revelling in other people's misery is a national pastime on a par with queueing. | Dave Hogan/Getty Images Photo: Dave Hogan/Getty Images
4. First national breakfast TV show launches - 1983
It's how millions of people start their day, yet breakfast TV has only been around since the 1980s. It was in January 17, 1983 that Breakfast Time, the UK's first national breakfast television programme, first aired on BBC One. The first hosts Frank Bough, Selina Scott and Nick Ross set the tone for breakfast TV as we still know and love it, ditching suits for more casual clothes and presenting from the comfort of the sofa as they delivered the now familiar mixture of hard news and light entertainment. The commercial rival TV-am launched just two weeks later on ITV. | John Minihan/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Photo: John Minihan/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images