Back to NOW!

How do you begin to describe 1992?

Well, Her Majesty called it her Annus horribilis, for a number of reasons. Quite possibly including the three weeks Boyz II Men spent at number one, possibly not. But whatever the reason, we can safely say that the twelve months of glittering pop culture that we call '92 were definitely diverse and, quite frankly, bonkers.

As we've ascertained in this pop parish before, that post-Baggy, pre-Britpop (to throw in some 'labels') landscape was a bit of a hinterland. Genres blurred, one hit wonders came and went, Wet, Wet Wet spent a third of a year at No1 and Right Said Fred even existed. But do not be fooled, listeners! There is plenty to rediscover amongst the decade's shrapnel and 1992 is the place to be in this episode's 90s scene!

And our special guest here is comedian, author and podcast host Josh Widdicombe.

Josh co-hosts the hugely popular podcast Parenting Hell with Rob Beckett, which has somehow become so successful that they undertook a live arena tour in 2023 and released a book which topped the Sunday Times Bestseller Charts. He also presents the football podcast, QUICKLY KEVIN: WILL HE SCORE? And on TV, amongst others, Josh co-hosts in the multi-award-winning Channel 4 series The Last Leg, and, lest we forget, triumphed on the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special in 2024.

And now in 2026, Josh sees the launch of a new podcast - MUSEUM OF POP CULTURE - where he takes us through the wildest and most entertaining stories of unhinged genius, world dominating success and shaming failure.

Join us we re-explore 1992 and the 3rd NOW album of that very year - it's only NOW23 everyone!
In 45 minutes more hit-filled than Noel's House Party (possibly), we celebrate Tasmin Archer, Dr. Spin, Bjorn Again and others! We wonder why '92 was so full of old songs, remixed songs, Satellite football channel related songs (well, one actually) and explore important cultural questions such as what is an indent nobble, what was the KLF's greatest track, does Mick Jagger remember the 90s, who would win in a fight between Longpigs & All saints and how many songs in the history of recorded music really feature the word BOOM?

And, AND, once again do nothing for international relations with Jon Secada.

Buckle up, this is 1992 baby!

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Welcome to the utterly swingorilliant Autumn 1987! Frightwigs ahoy! Pass around the rock’n’roll mouthwash because the Ver Kids knew that pop was back, Back BACK!

Actually, what this all really means is that in 1987 the nation’s favourite fortnightly pop magazine and the nation’s favourite compilation series had - quite literally - come together and created the greatest album in the world EVER (possibly).
NOW/Smash Hits of the 80s (subtitled 32 swingorilliant hits of the 80s) arrived in our records shops - complied and conceived by the wonderful team at Ver Hits no less!

There was even, EVEN a pull out lyrics booklet in the magazine too! Huzzah!

But looking back from our futuristic space stations in 2026 back nearly 40 years, how does this mid 80s compilation of 80s hits stand up? Tune in listeners for an hour celebrating the likes of Adam and the Ants, Haircut 100, Duran Duran, Mel and Kim and many other to find out!

And joining me for this episode is the author of Into the Groove: The 1980s: The Ultimate Decade in Music History, and all round pop fanatic, Justin Lewis.

Discover how this album was compiled, revisit the wonderful Smash Hits sleevenotes, argue with us about the sequencing and the missing tracks, and marvel at how bonkers the world in 1987 really looked, especially when it was looking back on that most eclectic of decades, the 80s!

Down the dumper? Not a bit of it!
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Welcome to a special festive episode of Back to Now.

We first revisited Now - The Christmas Album in 2020. You remember 2020, don’t you? It was a Christmas that needed some light to overpower some rather dark shades.

We did a track by track commentary. We shared thoughts on the classic Christmas songs. The sequencing, the rediscoveries. We shared personal - often emotional - memories. And of course there were plenty of interesting facts and anecdotes.

And now in 2025, this iconic Christmas collection is 40 years old. So what better time to revisit and celebrate this classic album, that has not only stood the test of time, it has gone on to shape our seasonal listening and an ever increasing selection of compilation perennial presents!

And joining me, is the guest from that first Christmas episode, it’s the ghost of Christmas past, present and quite probably future - pop music’s very own Ian Wade!

Like a carefully mulled fine wine, NOW’s commitment to Christmas has matured and developed wonderfully into a new set of albums - CDs, coloured vinyl and SLEEVENOTES! The team have sprinkled festive cheer over this iconic branch of the world famous compilation series and reset it back in the canon of Christmas, exactly where it should be.

So, not a retread of the first 1985 album. Consider this your special bonus disc.
This new episode for 2025 is more a new pair of winter boots, an updated wintry landscape to explore, some new party guests to invite in and share an eggnog with. A festive bonus cracker, an extra chocolate in the Quality Street box, an undiscovered Christmas episode of Top of the pops on the iPlayer!

Grab yourself a festive refreshment then and join us we discuss a smorgasbord of Christmas musical delights. How the albums have evolved over the years, what is Christmas adjacent, Cher, sleeper track legacy, George Thorogood (!), The HITS Christmas album that never was, the emotional pull of certain songs and the hope of what a Jesus & Mary Chain Christmas album could sound like (yes, really!)

Merry Christmas Everyone.

And Thank You.
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Gonna use my…imagination.

1980 saw the UK chart taking some incredible leaps forward into the new decade. As the 1970s biggest superstars, Pink Floyd, stepped aside as the last chart topper of that decade and ushered in something fresh, new and suitably brassy. As always, the pop landscape would continue to be varied, diverse, sometime a bit bonkers but of course nothing short of fascinating. Would we have it any other way?

Welcome to the eighties. And as viewed through the lens of the ultimate compilation collections of NOW - the yearbook, extra volume and vault, it’s a fascinating opportunity to revisit that iconic year 1980. A year of punk, pop, disco, funk, new wave and electronica. Could there possibly be a more transitional and eclectic year?

Special guests and pop aficionados Mark Wood and Andrew Harrison turn the clock back to explore an amazing twelve months of pop culture. The new decade was exploding into a world of new possibilities, new technology, new trends. And whether it was through TV, film, magazines or of course music, this is a year you really need to return to.

Let’s take a chance and fly away, somewhere….
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Welcome to the 21st Century!

Or did you call it Y2K? And if so, can I ask WHY?

Yes, pop fans and curators of variously compiled pop, we had survived the End of the Century. The millennium bug turned out to be nowhere near as life threatening as as we were told. No planes fell from the sky, no computer meltdowns and no return to the dark ages overnight. In fact the most terrifying thing about December 31st 1999 was the turgid TV schedules as we watched the Royal Family trying to join hands with Tony Blair, or worse - the cost of drinks and cloakroom queues in the nightclubs.

So, as we entered the third millennium - with Cliff Richard still intact and fresh from his (nearly 4th) Festive chart topping prayer - how was the pop world faring?
Despite the seeming lack of guitars (SO NINETIES), the charts were bursting with new, fresh and mostly young shiny talent!

And Bryan Adams.
And Tom Jones.
And John Lennon.

BUT, apart from these ‘legacy artistes’, pop was back, Back, BACK. NOW 45 was here!

Scandinavian superstar producers were serving up Britney, Backstreet, Aqua and, er, Lene for our delectation.
Steps, S Club and Atomic Kitten were waving the Brit flag in their crop tops and combats (even H). Solo Spice was blossoming quicker than the viewing figures for Castaway (not hard) with Mel C and Geri leading the way.
RnB and Garage was freshening up the charts.

And of course EVERYONE was queuing in the airport terminals for another summer of dance and there is plenty of that on these two shiny discs.

Bu t there is SO much more to this dazzling 45th volume of variously compiled pop. And taking us through it is GENUINE CONTRIBUTOR to the album - electronic producer and musician John Matthews aka Ricardo Autobahn aka the Cuban Boys! Yes, the Hamster Dance song as featured here!

Join us as we climb aboard our futuristic Y2K hoverboards and not only revisit NOW45, discover the full story of how The Cuban Boys topped John Peel’s Festive Top 50 and almost toppled the might Cliff and Westlife in the final Official Chart of the millennium. All from their bedroom.
You couldn’t make it up!

All of this and Daphne and Celeste!

Ooh (and quite literally) Stick You!
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