After completing a degree in history at the Polytechnic of North London, Neil takes a job at Marvel Comics, anglicizing spellings and indicating where over-risque woman needed to be redrawn decently. While there he interviews comic fan Marc Bolan, who politely points out that his tape recorder wasn’t working. In 1977 he works at Macdonald Educational Publishing, later moving to ITV Books. In June 1982, he joins Smash Hits.
Derek Jarman notes in his diary that he has learned that censors in Hong Kong are ‘up in arms’ on account of some of the background visuals (including a shot of two boys kissing) that he had provided for the Pet Shop Boys’ recent performance there.
The Boys perform ‘Somewhere’ on Top of the Pops.
Chris and Neil work on the ‘1971 version’ of the Billie Trix song ‘Run, Girl, Run’
Neil records narration for two parts of a three-part BBC Radio 2 documentary about the music of Noël Coward. Afterwards he attends a Damien Hirst exhibition at London’s White Cube gallery.
The Boys perform at Denmark’s Roskilde Festival.
They appear in concert at the State Opera House in Vienna.
The Dreamworld Tour comes to Finland’s Helsinki Ice Hall.