the summer of

What it was like to be 15 in 2005 in Britain

To be fifteen in Britain in 2005 was to have “(Is This the Way to) Amarillo” by Tony Christie ft. Peter Kay everywhere, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on every screen, and Doctor Who on after school. That year, gas cost 86.9p/L and YouTube launching was the new thing. Born in 1990? You turned 15 in 2005 — a teenager from 2003 to 2009, 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 2005 reel with sounda 30-second video of your year — the song, the screen, the turn.

the mixtape of 2005

(Is This the Way to) Amarillo — Tony Christie ft. Peter Kay

  1. (Is This the Way to) Amarillo — Tony Christie ft. Peter KayPeter Kay marching in his vest for Comic Relief, a whole nation daft and united behind it.
  2. Hollaback Girl — Gwen StefaniB-A-N-A-N-A-S spelled out in every playground, Gwen's stomp impossible to unstick from your head.
  3. Feel Good Inc. — GorillazGorillaz's woozy cool soundtracking the summer you started thinking you had proper, grown-up taste.
  4. Don't Cha — The Pussycat DollsThe Pussycat Dolls' cheeky strut blaring at pre-drinks, the song you pretended not to know all the words to.
  5. Since U Been Gone — Kelly ClarksonKelly Clarkson turning a break-up into a fist-pumping roar, windows down, finally free of him.

▶ Play your 2005 reel

why this one mattered

Comic Relief made an ancient Tony Christie song the biggest-seller of 2005 — the whole country doing the Peter Kay walk. If you were 15 in 2005, this daft, joyful singalong was assembly, the school bus, everyone in on the same silly joke. Pure shared British silliness.

the year-end #1 was the best-selling single of 2005 in the UK.

the movies you are watching in 2005

  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
  • Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
  • The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
  • Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

the tv shows you are binging in 2005

  • Doctor Who
  • The X Factor
  • Little Britain
  • Strictly Come Dancing
  • Big Brother

the games you are playing in 2005

  • Burnout Revenge
  • Pro Evolution Soccer 5
  • Mario Kart DS
  • Nintendogs
  • Need for Speed: Most Wanted
  • Resident Evil 4

what things cost in 2005

What things cost in 2005
a pint of lager£2.60
a cinema ticket£4.90
the national minimum wage (adult)£5.05/hr
a gallon of gas86.9p/L
a first-class stamp30p
the average income£28,500

trending this year

YouTube
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Logo_YouTube_(2005-2017).svg · Public domain
YouTube
the Xbox 360
Photo by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Xbox-360-Pro-wController.jpg · Public domain
the Xbox 360
Doctor Who
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Somerton_TARDIS.JPG · Public domain
Doctor Who
the iPod nano
Photo by Dillan Payne (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IPod_Nano_First-gen_(2017-06-11).jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0
the iPod nano
Xbox 360
Photo by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Microsoft-Xbox-360-Pro-Console-FL.jpg · Public Domain
Xbox 360

the gadgets you just got

the iPod nano
Photo by Dillan Payne (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IPod_Nano_First-gen_(2017-06-11).jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0
the iPod nano
the Xbox 360
Photo by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Xbox-360-Pro-wController.jpg · Public domain
the Xbox 360
the Motorola Razr
Photo by Empoor (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Motorola_Razr_V3.jpg · Public domain
the Motorola Razr
the Sony PSP
Photo by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sony-PSP-1000-Body.jpg · Public domain
the Sony PSP
the USB flash drive
Photo by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SanDisk-Cruzer-USB-4GB-ThumbDrive.jpg · Public domain
the USB flash drive

what everyone is snacking on

Space Raiders
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Space_Raiders_snacks.jpg · CC0
Space Raiders
Frazzles
Photo by Mightyhansa (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frazzles_loose.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Frazzles
Dairy Milk Bubbly
Photo by cyclonebill (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_-_cyclonebill_-_Cadbury_Dairy_Milk_Bubbly.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0
Dairy Milk Bubbly
Squares
Photo by Sahaib3005 (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Squares_crisps_10.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Squares
Milkybar
Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Milkybar-Split.jpg · CC0
Milkybar

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
Innocent Smoothies
Photo by Mx. Granger (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Innocent_Smoothie.jpg · CC0
Innocent Smoothies
Dr Pepper
Photo by Oren Rozen (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dr_Pepper_Israeli_6Pack.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dr Pepper
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

what made the news in 2005

  • The 7/7 London bombings kill 52 people the morning after London wins the 2012 Olympics
  • Live 8 concerts fill Hyde Park as Make Poverty History marches on the G8 at Gleneagles
  • England win the Ashes for the first time in 18 years in a nail-biting summer series
  • The Civil Partnership Act comes into force, allowing same-sex couples to legally partner
The 7/7 London bombings kill 52 the day after the 2012 Olympic win
Photo by Stephen McKay (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:7-7_Memorial_-_geograph.org.uk_-_467102.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0
The 7/7 London bombings kill 52 the day after the 2012 Olympic win
Live 8 concerts and Make Poverty History target the G8
Photo by Jon Lean (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pink_Floyd_at_Live_8,_London.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0
Live 8 concerts and Make Poverty History target the G8
England win the Ashes for the first time in 18 years
Photo by Gareth Williams (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edgbaston_-_Aug_2005_-_Eng_v_Aus_-_Andrew_Flintoff_-_Six!_(3764801159).jpg · CC BY 2.0
England win the Ashes for the first time in 18 years
London wins the bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games
Photo by Tom Page (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olympic_Celebrations_(24154055).jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0
London wins the bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games
Civil partnerships become legal for same-sex couples
Photo by mattbuck (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nottinghamshire_Pride_2011_MMB_04.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0
Civil partnerships become legal for same-sex couples

what everyone is saying

  • "Am I bovvered?"Catherine Tate's Lauren, still the national catchphrase
  • "Sha-la-la-la-la"the whole nation singing Amarillo for Comic Relief
  • "Init"'innit' as an all-purpose tag, everywhere in teen speech
  • "Bare"meaning 'a lot of', rising London teenage slang
  • "Peng"meaning very attractive, firmly in the teenage lexicon

the summer of 2005.

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

…and then it cools. Play the reel to feel where 2005 goes.

Turn 2005 into a 30-second reel →

▶ Play your 2005 reel with sound