LOSE YOURSELF IN 1980

BEACH EXCURSION

Brighton got a new, if rather transitory, tourist attraction when the MS Athina B washed up on its beach. The Greekflagged vessel was bound for Shoreham-on-Sea with a cargo of pumice, but a storm prevented her from entering the harbour, and the crew had to be rescued by the local lifeboat when her engines broke down. The Athina B drifted before finally running aground close to Brighton’s Palace Pier on 21 January. The cargo was removed by crane and the ship was refloated on 21 February before being towed away for dismantling. Today, her anchor is displayed on Brighton seafront.

YES MINISTER

British politics these days may be a tragicomedy, but few things have made us laugh at those who lead us as much as Yes Minister, which debuted on 25 February. It starred Paul Eddington as the often out-of- his-depth Minister of Administrative Affairs, Jim Hacker, continuously at odds with his permanent secretary

Sir Humphrey Appleby, played with ingratiating oiliness by Nigel Hawthorne. The impression that it was all eerily accurate, was given extra credence by it being Margaret Thatcher’s favourite TV programme.

TOO GOOD TO PASS

Anyone wanting to travel by road over the Alps once had limited options, with the main choice being the tortuous Gotthard Pass (pictured). The route had existed since ancient times, but was perilous and painfully slow. The Gotthard Road Tunnel was the world’s longest when it opened in September 1980, and took 11 years to build. Being single bore has resulted in quite a few accidents, including a major fire in 2001 after two trucks collided.