It's hard to believe now, but there used to be barely anything on TV in the early hours of the morning. One show led the charge to change all that - The Hitman & Her.
It began in 1988, and offered you the chance to watch someone else's Saturday night out, on Sunday morning. Or to relive the night you just had, if you were still up.
They visited nightclubs all around the country, and in February 1989 they came to Nottingham. Specifically, to Ritzy on Lower Parliament Street.
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The "Hitman" in the title of the show was Pete Waterman, one part of the chart-busting "Stock Aitken Waterman" song-writing trio, that were dominating pop music through the likes of Kylie Minogue at the time. "Her" was a young Michaela Strachan, who'd go on to be a regular on Countryfile and nature documentaries.
The show featured long music sections, showing you the club bangers of the night, broken up with games and interviews with clubbers and DJs. It is an absolute throwback for anyone watching it back on YouTube in 2022, showing off the fashion and hairstyles of the day.
Our episode at the Ritzy opens with Strachan with a pineapple on her head and a yellow dress, living the late 80s dream. Waterman's in a suit, no tie - lots of the clubbers are dressed quite smartly too, which you'd never see today.
The best bit is when they play the Pass The Mic game, when Andy, Steve and Andy were plucked out of the crowd to sing along to Great Balls of Fire. Andy #1 makes it through without much, Steve fluffs his lines, but then comes Andy #2.
Andy #2 is immediately lost, and needs some help from Strachan to find out where he is in the song. Then he bellows "Great Balls of Fire!" into the mic, and yells whatever he can pick out from the lyrics sheet at the crowd counts down to the end of the game. "That was absolutely lovely, Andy."
Elsewhere on "Showing Out", the dance-off game, a handful of the smartly-dress clubbers are gathered in the middle of the floor. Cue plenty of hesitant body rolls and hip thrusts as the contestants are suddenly aware what they've agreed to - backed by a little bit of Sheena Easton over the speakers.
The mail-in viewers competition this week was to name a music video and song played backwards. The prize? A flashy new cassette deck, just what the late 80s ordered.
The show left off with a quick blast of I'd Rather Jack by The Reynolds Girls. The tapes were whisked off for editing and were on TV in time for the Sunday morning crowd.
Like the Ritzy name, perms, and legwarmers, The Hitman & Her didn't last. But there's plenty of it on YouTube, rescued from old tapes - give it a watch for the ultimate throwback.
Were you there when The Hitman & Her came to Nottingham? What else do you remember about the Ritzy? Comment below, and join us on Facebook for more.
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