A Kick Up the Eighties A Kick Up the Eighties A Kick Up the Eighties was a 1981-1984 BBC 2 sketch show starring Robbie Coltrane, Tracey Ullman, Richard Stilgoe, Miriam Margolyes, Rik Mayall, Ron Bain and Roger Sloman. The series was created by Tom Gutteridge (producer/director) and Sean Hardie (executive producer). Colin Gilbert was script editor. The show was the first break into television for Rik Mayall, who played the anorak-wearing investigative reporter Kevin Turvey; it was also the start of Tracey Ullman's television comedy career. Peter Capaldi, a trained graphic artist from Scotland, contributed to designing the show's opening sequence prior to launching his
Pink Lady (TV series) that way as well. Their unconvincing diction compounded the show's other problems, and despite the infusion of very expensive co-stars, the series foundered and was cancelled after five episodes. The series ranked #35 on "TV Guide"s "The 50 Worst TV Shows of All Time?" list. The series starred Japanese female singing duo Pink Lady, composed of Mitsuyo Nemoto ("Mie") and Keiko Masuda ("Kei"), and American comedian Jeff Altman. The format of the show consisted of musical numbers alternating with sketch comedy. A running gag of the series was the girls' lack of understanding of American culture and of English; in