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The New Romantics: A Fine Romance

Magenta Devine narrates a programme focusing on the music of the New Romantics, a movement born from the London club scene at the beginning of the 80s.

Culture Club, Spandau Ballet, Visage, Marilyn, Adam and the Ants, Duran Duran, ABC... At the dawn of the 80s, a whole host of strangely dressed men in make-up burst forth onto the music scene brandishing synthesisers and kicking against the visual ugliness of punk.

They came mainly from the London club scene, led by gender-bending host Steve Strange and pioneering electronic DJ Rusty Egan, and conquered the charts with classic tracks such as Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, To Cut a Long Story Short, Kings of the Wild Frontier, Planet Earth, Fade to Grey, Calling Your Name and Poison Arrow.

Magenta Devine narrates this gay and colourful behind-the-scene documentary of sex and drugs and frocks and hair-rollers, which includes interviews with Boy George, Gary Kemp, Adam Ant, Nick Rhodes, Steve Strange, Rusty Egan, Marilyn, Jonathan Ross, Caryn Franklin, Fiona Bruce and Robert Elms.

45 minutes

Last on

Fri 17 Feb 2023 23:05

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:00

    Lena Horne

    A Fine Romance 

  • 00:00

    Adam and the Ants

    Prince Charming 

  • 00:01

    David Bowie

    Boys Keep Swinging

  • 00:02

    David Bowie

    Starman

  • 00:03

    Sex Pistols

    Pretty Vacant 

  • 00:03

    Sex Pistols

    Pretty Vacant

  • 00:03

    Adam and the Ants

    Prince Charming

  • 00:03

    The Specials

    Ghost Town

  • 00:04

    David Bowie

    'Heroes'

  • 00:06

    The Human League

    Mirror Man 

  • 00:06

    The Specials

    Ghost Town

  • 00:07

    David Bowie

    'Heroes'

  • 00:07

    Kraftwerk

    The Model 

  • 00:08

    Spandau Ballet

    The Freeze 

  • 00:08

    Adam Ant

    Ant Rap 

  • 00:08

    Duran Duran

    Careless Memories 

  • 00:08

    The Human League

    Mirror Man

  • 00:10

    Japan

    Quiet Life 

  • 00:11

    Adam and the Ants

    Kings Of The Wild Frontier

  • 00:12

    Depeche Mode

    Just Can't Get Enough

  • 00:13

    David Bowie

    Ashes to Ashes

  • 00:13

    Japan

    Quiet Life (7" Version)

  • 00:14

    Depeche Mode

    Just Can't Get Enough

  • 00:15

    Visage

    Fade To Grey

  • 00:17

    Depeche Mode

    Everything Counts 

  • 00:18

    Visage

    Fade To Grey

  • 00:18

    Spandau Ballet

    To Cut A Long Story Short 

  • 00:21

    Ultravox

    ³Õ¾±±ð²Ô²Ô²¹Ìý

  • 00:23

    Culture Club

    It's A Miracle 

  • 00:23

    Ultravox

    Vienna

  • 00:24

    Adam and the Ants

    Goody Two Shoes 

  • 00:24

    Adam Ant

    Goody Two Shoes

  • 00:25

    Culture Club

    It's A Miracle

  • 00:25

    ABC

    The Look Of Love

  • 00:27

    Spandau Ballet

    To Cut A Long Story Short

  • 00:28

    ABC

    The Look Of Love

  • 00:29

    Adam and the Ants

    Ant Music 

  • 00:29

    Adam and the Ants

    Antmusic

  • 00:29

    Spandau Ballet

    To Cut A Long Story Short

  • 00:31

    Duran Duran

    Planet Earth 

  • 00:33

    Depeche Mode

    New Life 

  • 00:33

    Duran Duran

    Planet Earth

  • 00:34

    Soft Cell

    Tainted Love

  • 00:35

    ABC

    Poison Arrow 

  • 00:35

    Depeche Mode

    New Life

  • 00:36

    Classix Nouveaux

    Is It A Dream 

  • 00:36

    A Flock of Seagulls

    Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)

  • 00:37

    Culture Club

    Time (Clock of the Heart) 

  • 00:37

    Culture Club

    Time

  • 00:37

    ABC

    Poison Arrow

  • 00:38

    Culture Club

    Do You Really Want To Hurt Me 

  • 00:39

    A Flock of Seagulls

    Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)

  • 00:42

    Soft Cell

    Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

  • 00:39

    Marilyn

    Calling Your Name 

  • 00:43

    Spandau Ballet

    Chant No. 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On)

  • 00:45

    Gary Numan

    Please Push No More 

  • 00:43

    Culture Club

    Victims

  • 00:48

    Culture Club

    Karma Chameleon

  • 00:48

    Culture Club

    Karma Chameleon

Credits

Role Contributor
Narrator Magenta Devine
Producer Sharon Walker
Director Sharon Walker

Broadcasts

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