Before Stranger Things made it spooky, Kate Bush soundtracked this '80s kid detective nightmare.
Season 1 • Episode 6
LatestPaula must now make the unbearable choice between her family and her friend.
Running Scared is a British television children's drama serial produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC 1 in 1986, based on the Bernard Ashley novel and is set in Woolwich with the Woolwich Ferry featuring in a key scene. A gritty series, Running Scared deals with a teenage girl, Paula, whose life is put at risk when she uncovers evidence that could put a local criminal gang leader behind bars. The series is notable for its use of the then recently released Kate Bush pop song Running Up That Hill as its main theme tune.
Score
Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' — haunting before it was hip.
Acting
Julia Millbank carries genuine teenage terror.
Production
Authentic grimy '80s London, no period gloss.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This aired when British children's TV routinely tackled darker material than adult American primetime — a lost era of respecting kid audiences.
Kate Bush reportedly approved the use herself, rare for the time; the song's lyrics eerily mirror Paula's desperate bargain to swap places with someone who understands her fear.
GB
