Dynasty

At the height of the yuppie era when "greed was good" and all you cared about was how much dosh you had, Dynasty emerged on our screens as a kind of sister soap opera to Dallas.

Although Dallas was never really believable, Dynasty took the fantasy further with some truly ridiculous storylines that made the show quite frankly laughable.

Nevertheless millions still tuned in every week to watch the power, greed and money of the Carrington family. It's quite remarkable then, that 20 years later, it's making a return to our TV screens, just as the trademark shoulder pads and sequins are to our wardrobes.

Produced by Aaron Spelling (the man also behind Starsky & Hutch, Charlie's Angels and Beverly Hills 90210), this American thoroughbred of a show was based in Denver, Colorado. During its first season of airing, the ratings just didn't match up with those of Dallas - so they brought in the big guns, or as you and I know her, Joan Collins. Collins played Alexis, Blake's scheming first wife. She was so popular that the show stormed its way to the number one ratings spot in 1985. She was also a style magnate, bringing more than a touch of glamour into the suburban home, with her big hair, red lipstick and shoulders to die for.

It was John Fortsythe who was given the lead male role as Blake Carrington, with linda Evans as his wife Krystle. But the Carringtons weren't the only family - there were the Colbys, too. Together, the two families confronted issues such as adultery, homosexuality and murder - and who could forget the slapping between Alexis and Krystle? Cliffhangers were what Dynasty did best, with a great always finishing off each series - the first was Blake being left for dead on a mountain, and the second was Krystle and Steven locked in a cabin while it was set on fire by an arsonist, another saw Alexis being arrested for murder and flung in a cell, and then there was 'the Moldovian Massacre' which had viewers talking about it for months to come.

By the end of the 80s and the end of its ninth series, Dynasty had lost much of its appeal to the masses, despite the new spin-off series, The Colbys. And the 1991 attempt to kick-start its fan base with the new Dynasty: The Reunion miniseries didn't work either. However, it would seem enough time has now passed for the Dynasty appeal to be reignited among new generations of 80s wannabes. But are they ready or the kind of storylines that will leave even EastEnders in its wake...