Moira Stuart reading out all 17 candidates in this 1984 by-election just gets better and better

John Plunkett. Updated February 16th, 2021

The @BBCArchive account on Twitter is a wonderful treasure trove of nuggets from times gone by and this is an absolute classic.

It’s Moira Stuart on BBC News reading out the entire list of candidates – and their parties – in the 1984 Chesterfield by-election.

And it just gets better and better …

#OnThisDay 1984: Moira Stuart read out the ‘other’ candidates in the Chesterfield by-election. Glorious! pic.twitter.com/vC88wtu6g1

— BBC Archive (@BBCArchive) February 16, 2021

The clip went viral on Twitter today and here are our favourite things people were saying about it.

10 Seconds In: "I don't see what is so-"

13 Seconds In: "Oh, it's the greatest thing I've ever seen." https://t.co/QDlGPVOGGi

— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) February 16, 2021

See, America, this is why you need to break the two party system. https://t.co/HYraRvhZKG

— jon ronson (@jonronson) February 16, 2021

I believe Official Acne Party lost their depo-zit.

— Tim Probert (@TimProbert) February 16, 2021

Yes, yes, I know, not everything was better in the past, lots was terrible, I remember the 80s, they were awful… but… oh these 50 seconds were glorious. https://t.co/ojtf6viMQ1

— Fake History Hunter (@fakehistoryhunt) February 16, 2021

Further proof that Monty Python was a documentary series. https://t.co/jr6fxk90Mu

— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) February 16, 2021

Just in case you were wondering, here’s how it all panned out.

Tony Benn (Labour) – 24,633
Max Payne (Liberal) – 18,369
Nick Bourne (Conservative) – 8,028
Bill Maynard (Independent Labour) – 1,355
David Sutch (Monster Raving Loony) – 178
David Bentley (Four-wheel drive Hatchback Road Safety) – 116
John Davey (Independent) – 83
Thomas Layton (Independent Ecology Party) – 46
Helen Anscomb (Independent – Freight on rails not roads) – 34
Jitendra Bardwaj (Yoga and Meditation) – 33
Donald Butler (Independent – Buy your Chesterfield in Thame Party) – 24
Paul Nicholls-Jones (The Welshman) – 22
Sid Shaw (Elvisly Yours Elvis Presley Party) – 20
Christopher Hill (I am not a number) – 17
Giancarlo Piccaro (Acne Party) – 15
David Cahill (Re-classify The Sun newspaper a comic) – 12
John Connell (Peace) – 7

Peace never had a chance.

In the unlikely event you don’t already, follow @BBCArchive on Twitter here!

Last word to this guy.

When Britain made sense. https://t.co/39vtmZqs68

— Count Binface (@CountBinface) February 16, 2021

Source Twitter @BBCArchive