| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Num Series: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 10 |
| Producer: | BBC |
| Runtime: | 90 minutes |
| Channel: | BBC Two |
| Related: | I Love the '80s I Love the '90s |
I Love the '70s is a television nostalgia series produced by the BBC that examines the pop culture of the 1970s. It was broadcast in ten hour-long episodes, one dedicated to each year, with the first episode, I Love 1970, premiering on BBC Two on 22 July 2000, and the last, I Love 1979, premiering on 23 September 2000. On the original broadcasts, each episode was followed by the host introducing a film from that particular year. Repeat editions have often been edited down in length by featuring less items, typically to half an hour runtime.
The series proved successful and thus was followed by two similar series, I Love the '80s and I Love the '90s, both of which aired during 2001.
The "I Love..."-series spawned a U.S. version, aired by VH1. Part of the series was repeated in the spring of 2012 on BBC Two as part of a special season dedicated to the 1970s.
The episode 'I Love 1975" is the only episode that was interrupted due to a power failure on 30 June 2001, and as concluded as part of the years that BBC Two suffered problems (2000, 2001, and 2003).
Host: Jimmy Savile. Opening titles: "Band of Gold" by Freda Payne. Introduction to show: "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum. Ending credits: "The Liquidator" by The Harry J Allstars.
PIF of 1970: Joe and Petunia
Flashback Commercials of 1970: Cresta – Singing Polar Bear (actually aired in 1972) and
Notes:
- Subsequent repeats of this episode did not feature Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, due to clearance rights only covering the original transmission of the episode.
- As a result of the 2012 revelations about Jimmy Savile's history of sexual abuse, this edition is very seldom repeated.
Host: Britt Ekland. Opening titles and ending credits: "Move On Up" by Curtis Mayfield. Introduction to show: "Get Down and Get With It" by Slade.
Host: David Cassidy. Opening titles: "Family Affair" by Sly and the Family Stone. Introduction to show: "Children of the Revolution" by T. Rex. Ending credits: "All the Young Dudes" by Mott the Hoople.
PIF of 1972: Learn to Swim
Host: Noddy Holder. Opening titles: "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder. Introduction to show: "Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen Tonight)" by Cilla Black and "Rock and Roll" by Gary Glitter. Ending credits: "Merry Xmas Everybody" by Slade.
Flashback Commercial of 1973: Vymura Wallpaper
Note: This edition acted as the original pilot for the series, originally serving as an in-house demonstration of how a typical episode would run, and as such features Noddy Holder in a 'typical 1973 home'. Although the idea of each edition reflecting a different household in each year was dropped in favour of a different relevant scenario for each year, the house setting was later revived for BBC Two's Back in Time for... series.
Host: Roobarb & Custard. Opening titles: "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" by Bachman Turner Overdrive. Ending credits: "The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll" by Mott the Hoople.
Host: Dennis Waterman. Opening titles: "Pick Up the Pieces" by Average White Band. Introduction to show: "Shang-A-Lang" by Bay City Rollers. Ending credits: "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" by Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel.
Host: Kermit the Frog. Opening titles: "Dancing Queen" by ABBA. Introduction to show: "You Should Be Dancing" by Bee Gees. Ending credits: "Young Hearts Run Free" by Candi Staton.
Host: Carrie Fisher. Opening titles: "Star Wars Theme" by Meco. Ending credits: "Peaches" by The Stranglers.
Host: Lynda Carter. Opening credits: "Blame It on the Boogie" by The Jacksons. Introduction to show: "No More Heroes" by The Stranglers. Ending credits: "Teenage Kicks" by The Undertones.
Flashback Commercial of 1978: Glenryck Pilchards
Host: Bo Derek. Opening credits: "Pop Muzik" by M. Introduction to show: "Heart of Glass" by Blondie. Ending credits: After the Love Has Gone" by Earth, Wind and Fire.
Flashback Commercial of 1979: Barbie
In 2023, the BBC made a new version of the series for Channel 5, again featuring a number of 'talking heads' analysing footage from the BBC archives on a single year. Unlike the original series, ten random years from 1968 to 1990 were picked as they were deemed to be the most controversial, while instead of having a different in-screen presenter each week, a voice over by Jan Leeming was used throughout the series. Debuting as Totally 1976: That Was The Year That Was on 23 September 2023 with contributions from John Thomson, Claire Sweeney and Penny Smith,[1] the programme was retitled as Controversially...That Was The Year That Was and Most Shocking Moments during its outings on the channel.[2]