the summer of

What it was like to be 15 in 2000 in Britain

To be fifteen in Britain in 2000 was to have “Rock DJ” by Robbie Williams everywhere, Gladiator on every screen, and Big Brother on after school. That year, gas cost 77p/L and the first Big Brother was the new thing. Born in 1985? You turned 15 in 2000 — a teenager from 1998 to 2004, 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 2000 reel with sounda 30-second video of your year — the song, the screen, the turn.

the mixtape of 2000

Rock DJ — Robbie Williams

  1. Rock DJ — Robbie WilliamsRobbie stripping to the bone, cocky and huge, the new millennium's grinning, inescapable ringmaster.
  2. Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) — Spiller ft. Sophie Ellis-BextorSophie Ellis-Bextor's glacial cool winning the summer chart battle, disco strings over a heatwave pavement.
  3. Pure Shores — All SaintsShimmering, wistful and windswept, the sound of a beach you ached to reach the whole long summer.
  4. It Feels So Good — SoniqueSonique's slow-burn banger detonating on the dancefloor, the last song before the lights came cruelly up.
  5. Who Let the Dogs Out — Baha MenThe daft barking chant that hijacked every barbecue, sports day and school trip that entire year.

▶ Play your 2000 reel

why this one mattered

Robbie at his cocky, roller-skating peak, stripping down to nothing in the video everyone gossiped about at school. Brassy, bulletproof and pure showbiz, it was the sound of the millennium's biggest British pop star owning the summer of 2000. If you were fifteen, this was inescapable and brilliant.

the year-end #1 was one of 2000's biggest UK hits (Bob the Builder's Can We Fix It? was the year-end No. 1).

the movies you are watching in 2000

  • Gladiator
  • Toy Story 2
  • Mission: Impossible 2
  • Chicken Run
  • American Beauty

the tv shows you are binging in 2000

  • Big Brother
  • Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
  • The Royle Family
  • EastEnders
  • Football Focus

the games you are playing in 2000

  • Pokémon Gold and Silver
  • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
  • The Sims
  • Crazy Taxi
  • FIFA 2001
  • Counter-Strike

what things cost in 2000

What things cost in 2000
a pint of lager£2.20
a cinema ticket£4.40
a first-class stamp27p
a gallon of gas77p/L
minimum wage£3.60/hr
the average income£18,848

trending this year

Big Brother
Photo by David Howard (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boundary_fence_of_Big_Brother_garden_and_house,_Elstree_Studios_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2237136.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0
Big Brother
Sony PlayStation 2
Samuel Skanberg (Samel tvom), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Public Domain (released by author)
Sony PlayStation 2
The Millennium Dome
Photo by mattbuck (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London_MMB_V6_Millennium_Dome.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Millennium Dome
Nokia 3310
Serenity, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Nokia 3310
Napster
Marcus-richardson, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
Napster

the gadgets you just got

Sony PlayStation 2
Samuel Skanberg (Samel tvom), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Public Domain (released by author)
Sony PlayStation 2
Nokia 3310
Serenity, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Nokia 3310
Game Boy Color
Photo by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nintendo-Game-Boy-Color-FL.jpg · Public domain
Game Boy Color
MP3 player
Photo by Morn (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rio_500.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0
MP3 player
DVD player
Photo by Morn (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philips_DVD_950.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
DVD player

what everyone is snacking on

Cadbury Brunch Bar
AI-generated illustration
Cadbury Brunch Bar
Pom-Bear
AI-generated illustration
Pom-Bear
Space Raiders
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Space_Raiders_snacks.jpg · CC0
Space Raiders
Dairylea Lunchables
AI-generated illustration
Dairylea Lunchables
Wotsits
Photo by HardyNathan (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wotsits_Reallly_Cheesy.jpg · CC0
Wotsits

what everyone is drinking

WKD
AI-generated illustration
WKD
Red Bull
VincentLR, Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lattina_di_Red_Bull.jpg) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Red Bull
Sunny Delight
Vimto
Photo by GreaterPonce665 (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vimto_Can.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Vimto
Panda Pops
AI-generated illustration
Panda Pops

what made the news in 2000

  • Britain rings in the new millennium at the Millennium Dome as the Y2K bug fizzles out
  • Fuel protests blockade refineries and drain the nation's petrol pumps dry
  • The first Big Brother turns ordinary people into overnight celebrities
  • London's wobbly Millennium Bridge is closed just days after opening
Britain welcomes the new millennium at the Dome
Photo by mattbuck (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London_MMB_W4_Millennium_Dome.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0
Britain welcomes the new millennium at the Dome
Fuel protests bring Britain's petrol pumps to a standstill
AI-generated illustration
Fuel protests bring Britain's petrol pumps to a standstill
The first Big Brother captivates the nation
AI-generated illustration
The first Big Brother captivates the nation
London's Millennium Bridge closes for wobbling
Photo by Telemaque MySon (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Millennium_Bridge_London.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0
London's Millennium Bridge closes for wobbling
Ken Livingstone elected first Mayor of London
Photo by World Economic Forum (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ken_Livingstone.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0
Ken Livingstone elected first Mayor of London

what everyone is saying

  • "You are the weakest link. Goodbye."Anne Robinson's icy Weakest Link put-down
  • "Booyakasha"Ali G’s catchphrase, everywhere in 2000
  • "Who let the dogs out?"The Baha Men chant shouted at every party
  • "Nominations"Big Brother jargon that entered everyday speech
  • "Wicked"Slang for brilliant or excellent

the summer of 2000.

you can't wait to be older.

…and then it cools. Play the reel to feel where 2000 goes.

Turn 2000 into a 30-second reel →

▶ Play your 2000 reel with sound