the summer of

What it was like to be 15 in 1993 in Britain

To be fifteen in Britain in 1993 was to have “I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)” by Meat Loaf everywhere, Jurassic Park on every screen, and Noel's House Party on after school. That year, gas cost £0.49/L and the first web browser, Mosaic was the new thing. Born in 1978? You turned 15 in 1993 — a teenager from 1991 to 1997, right in the window a soundtrack bonds to you for life.

Compiled by the Original Lore archive from period charts, box-office and price records. How we build these · sources noted throughout.

▶ Play your 1993 reel with sounda 30-second video of your year — the song, the screen, the turn.

the mixtape of 1993

I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) — Meat Loaf

  1. All That She Wants — Ace of BaseThat reggae-pop lilt drifting from every open car window in the long school-holiday afternoons.
  2. No Limit — 2 UnlimitedTechno so relentless it became the PE-lesson soundtrack, no limit and no escaping it.
  3. Dreams — GabrielleGabrielle's eyepatch and that dreamy hook, homegrown soul you were quietly, fiercely proud of.
  4. What Is Love — HaddawayThe eurodance question nobody could answer but everyone head-bobbed to, baby-don't-hurt-me on loop forever.
  5. Boom! Shake the Room — DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh PrinceWill Smith rapping in your ear while you tried, and failed, to master the routine.

▶ Play your 1993 reel

why this one mattered

Twelve minutes of pure operatic melodrama squeezed onto the radio, motorbikes and Gothic mansions and that impossible question everyone argued about — what won't he do? Seven weeks at number one, it was the overblown, magnificent sound of autumn 1993.

the year-end #1 was the UK's best-selling single of 1993.

the movies you are watching in 1993

  • Jurassic Park
  • Mrs. Doubtfire
  • The Fugitive
  • Groundhog Day
  • Cliffhanger

the tv shows you are binging in 1993

  • Noel's House Party
  • Cracker
  • Gladiators
  • Absolutely Fabulous
  • Red Dwarf

the games you are playing in 1993

  • Mortal Kombat
  • Street Fighter II Turbo
  • Aladdin (Mega Drive)
  • Star Fox (1993 video game)
  • Cannon Fodder
  • Doom

what things cost in 1993

What things cost in 1993
a pint of lager£1.53
a loaf of bread£0.55
a first-class stamp£0.25
a gallon of gas£0.49/L
a movie ticket£3.00
the average income£16,700

trending this year

Jurassic Park
Photo by Eduard Solà Vázquez, CC BY 3.0
Jurassic Park
the Mosaic web browser
Photo by Charles Severance (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NCSA_Mosaic_Browser_Screenshot.png · CC0
the Mosaic web browser
Mr Blobby
AI-generated illustration
Mr Blobby
the National Lottery announced
Photo by Chris Downer (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UK_National_Lottery_ticket_dispensers_inside_Tesco_Extra_superstore,_Tower_Park,_Poole,_Dorset,_England.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0
the National Lottery announced
Doom on the PC
Photo by Bethesda, Copyright Microsoft (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Doom_classic_box_art.png · CC BY 3.0
Doom on the PC

the gadgets you just got

the Sony MiniDisc
Photo by -stk (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sony_MZ-R37_1.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
the Sony MiniDisc
the Sega Game Gear
Photo by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Game-Gear-Handheld.jpg · Public domain
the Sega Game Gear
the Apple Newton
Photo by National Museum of American History (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apple_Newton_MessagePad_H1000_in_NMAH.jpg · CC0
the Apple Newton
the Super Nintendo
Photo by SNES_800.jpg: Holek; derivative work: Alphathon (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PAL-SNES.png · CC BY-SA 3.0
the Super Nintendo
the Amiga CD32
Photo by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amiga-CD32-wController-L.jpg · Public domain
the Amiga CD32

what everyone is snacking on

Boost
Photo by Edward Hart (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boost_halves.JPG · CC BY 4.0
Boost
Wotsits
Photo by HardyNathan (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wotsits_Reallly_Cheesy.jpg · CC0
Wotsits
Mars bar
Photo by Jacek Halicki (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2023_Baton_Mars_(1).jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mars bar
Skips
AI-generated illustration
Skips
Freddo
Photo by Dan arndt (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dairy_Milk_Freddo.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Freddo

what everyone is drinking

Tango
AI-generated illustration
Tango
Lucozade
AI-generated illustration
Lucozade
Ribena
Photo by Melaneas (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ribena-All-Sizes-and-Flavours.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ribena
Panda Pops
AI-generated illustration
Panda Pops
Tizer
Photo by Mx. Granger (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tizer.jpg · CC0
Tizer

what made the news in 1993

  • Two-year-old James Bulger is murdered in Merseyside, horrifying the nation
  • The Maastricht Treaty is ratified, creating the European Union
  • IRA bombs devastate Warrington and the City of London
  • Buckingham Palace opens to the public for the first time to fund Windsor repairs
The murder of toddler James Bulger horrifies the nation
Photo by Rodhullandemu (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Main_entrance_to_Strand_Shopping_Centre.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
The murder of toddler James Bulger horrifies the nation
IRA bombs kill two children in Warrington
Photo by Shaun Brierley (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Warrington_River_of_Life_02_HD_jun_15.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
IRA bombs kill two children in Warrington
The Maastricht Treaty formally creates the European Union
Photo by European Union / Wikimedia contributors (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Europe.svg · Public domain
The Maastricht Treaty formally creates the European Union
A huge IRA bomb devastates Bishopsgate in the City of London
Photo by David Marsden (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Ethelburga_Bishopsgate_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2119608.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0
A huge IRA bomb devastates Bishopsgate in the City of London
Buckingham Palace opens to the public to pay for Windsor repairs
Photo by CAPTAIN RAJU (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buckingham_Palace_in_2025.01.jpg · CC0
Buckingham Palace opens to the public to pay for Windsor repairs

what everyone is saying

  • "Do me a favour!"meaning 'no chance' or 'you must be joking'
  • "No limit!"the 2 Unlimited chant everyone shouted
  • "Wicked"the all-purpose 90s compliment
  • "Sorted"meaning done and handled
  • "Blobby blobby blobby"the nonsense Mr Blobby catchphrase of the year

the summer of 1993.

the best of it still feels like it's coming.

…and then it cools. Play the reel to feel where 1993 goes.

Turn 1993 into a 30-second reel →

▶ Play your 1993 reel with sound