48 of the best photos capturing 90s highs and lows, to bring back memories of epic decade

The 90s were the era of Cool Britannia, which gave us Girl Power, the indestructible Nokia 6110 mobile phone, and the Channel Tunnel.

Margaret Thatcher departed as riots broke out over the Poll Tax, and after seven years of the ‘Grey Man’, John Major, Tony Blair’s New Labour swept to a landslide victory in 1997, to the thumping beat of D:Ream’s Things Can Only Get Better.

Friends burst onto our TV screens, the Big Breakfast shook up morning television, and Take That, the Spice Girls, and Oasis dominated the charts.

Unlike today, the biggest hits refused to budge from the number one slot, with Whitney Houston, Wet, Wet, Wet and Bryan Adams clinging on for what seemed like forever.

This retro photo gallery will take you back to the 90s, when shell suits were the height of fashion, and the scents of white musk and Old Spice mingled in the air.

It shows some of the biggest stars of the day, the last time the UK triumphed at Eurovision, and that dress Liz Hurley famously wore to the Four Weddings and a Funeral premiere, upstaging the film’s star, Hugh Grant.

Mr Blobby, Eurotrash, the rise of lad culture, and the day the nation stopped to experience a solar eclipse all feature too.

Amid all the excitement, these photos also capture some of the decade’s lows, including Princess Diana’s tragic death and the untimely passing of the much-loved Record Breakers presenter Roy Castle.

Seen too are the big VE Day 50th anniversary celebrations, tinged with sadness as we remembered all those who never returned.

These photos take you right up to the dawn of the new millennium, with the finishing touches being put to the Millennium Dome as the world fretted over the Y2K bug.

Do these photos bring back any memories for you? What do you think were the best and worst things about 90s life?

If you enjoyed this article, you might like our look back at some of the things we found hilarious in the 90s and noughties but, on reflection, weren’t actually that funny.