June 03, 2008
TAKE THAT – THE GREATEST COMEBACK OF ALL TIME?
Take That, the 90’s boyband who made a triumphant return to the charts in 2006, has been voted the greatest comeback of all time, according to a new poll, with 45 percent of Brits believing their revival has been the most successful ever.
The survey of 1600 people, carried out on behalf of roadside restaurant chain Little Chef, also revealed that the other top revivals included John Travolta, who received nearly 20 percent of the vote, following his comeback performance in Pulp Fiction and Cadbury’s Wispa Bars, which polled 13 percent of votes, and made a limited reappearance on shop shelves following a Facebook poll to bring them back. Other celebrated comebacks included Christopher Biggins, The Spice Girls, Mr T from the A-Team, perms, Dr Who and Led Zeppelin.
The research, conducted to mark Little Chef’s 50th Birthday, comes following the relaunch of popular TV shows from days gone by, such as Gladiators, and the resurgence of 80’s nostalgia in programmes such as Ashes to Ashes. The roadside restaurant chain will itself soon be the subject of a major revival, following the announcement that Michelin-starred chef, Heston Blumenthal, is to revamp the iconic brand as part of a Channel 4 documentary later this year.
In fact, a huge 79 percent of people believed that retro-chic is firmly back in vogue across the UK, and didn’t want the comebacks to stop. According to the survey, the top things we’d love to bring back from days gone by include 1970s kids TV show Swap Shop and comedy favourite, Fawlty Towers, fashions including bell bottoms, bands such as The Beatles and retro-food like black forest gateau.
Cathy Stevenson, marketing director at Little Chef, comments:
“This research just goes to show that Britain loves a good comeback, whether it is a pop band, a clothing trend or a TV show. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the results seem to reflect very recent comebacks – such as Christopher Biggins following his win on ‘I’m a Celebrity’. However, there have been many great comebacks over the years, so we’re sure people will have their own favourites.”
The survey also revealed that the era most people would bring back is the 1980s, which a third of Brits (33 percent) stating this was their favourite decade. Reasons ranged from childhood and school memories, to the fashions and music. Similar reasons were given for the 1970s, which was second with 23 percent of the vote, the 1960s with 22 percent, the 1990s with 14 percent and the 1950s with seven percent.
Cathy Stevenson continues:
“This is a special year for us – our 50th birthday - and to mark the celebrations, we wanted to canvas the opinions of the nation to find out what trends and celebrities they would most like to see make a revival. What is clear is that retro-chic is now firmly part of our lives and this can be seen through the nation’s obsession with retro nights, clothes and music.
“It is clear that favourite decades are linked to special memories of things that have happened at a certain time. Little Chef has been serving up great roadside food since 1958, so perhaps the 1950s would be our favourite decade!”
Little Chef marked its 50th birthday in May 2008, and has embarked on a nationwide campervan tour to find out what people would keep at Little Chef ahead of its relaunch, as well as other things they would bring back from the past 50 years.
Cathy Stevenson concludes:
“We know Little Chef inspires fond memories for many people across the country, and, like the things identified in the research, we do have a certain retro charm we are keen not to lose. However, we are not living in the past, which is why we’re using our 50th birthday as the time to relaunch our new look and offering later this year. Keep an eye out for the new look Little Chef – perhaps Black Forest Gateau will be on the menu!”