The Hit Factory: Stock, Aitken and Waterman (Part 3)
Josh Widdicombe's Archive of Pop Culture
Keep It Light Media
4.8 • 956 Ratings
🗓️ 17 January 2026
⏱️ 46 minutes
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Summary
The Hit Factory: Stock, Aitken and Waterman
Episode 3: Everyone's Favourite Neighbour(s)
In the third episode of this four part series, Josh Widdicombe and comedian and friend Matthew Crosby discuss the amazing story of Stock, Aitken and Waterman's 'Hit Factory' record label...
When we left them, Stock, Aitken and Waterman were fully in their pomp and had topped the charts with countless hits. The jewel in their crown - Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give you up’ - was #1 in 27 countries!
And just when they thought things couldn’t get any better, a nearly shambolic encounter with a then barely famous soap actress called Kylie Minogue took the Hit Factory to a whole new level… this episode is especially for you. Enjoy!! xxx
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Best British Regal producer in 1988. |
| 0:10.0 | Stock Aiken and Waterman. |
| 0:16.0 | Mike Stock, Matt Aiken and Pete Waterman |
| 0:20.0 | were at least partly responsible for hits last year from Sanita, Rick Astley, Bonanarama, Mellon Kim, Samantha Fox and of course, ferry aid. |
| 0:28.6 | Well, we'd just like to say thanks to all the teams, because that's what being a producer is all about, the artist, the management and everybody. |
| 0:37.7 | Thanks for everything. |
| 0:38.7 | Thanks a lot. |
| 0:39.7 | Give you an idea of the enormity of their achievement between July and September of |
| 0:45.9 | 1987. |
| 0:46.9 | They were responsible for 10% of the singles that were being sold during that period. |
| 0:52.6 | That amounted to 1 and a half million records. |
| 1:04.4 | Welcome to part three of what feels like the never-ending assent of Stock Aiken and Waterman. |
| 1:10.8 | Will the bubble ever burst? Will the bubble ever burst? Well, do you know what? It's not going to burst in this episode. It's just going to get... Spoiler alert. Thank you for joining me again, Matthew. Thanks for having me back. How are you feeling about Stock Aiken and Waterman? Do you know what? I really admire their gumption. Great gumption. |
| 1:28.0 | They've got gumption to burn. |
| 1:29.5 | Gumpshin were one of their bands that didn't quite make it. |
| 1:32.7 | It was Gumpchin and the Reynolds girls. |
| 1:34.9 | I'm going to start not by talking about stockade. |
| 1:37.8 | Let me take you back to October the 27th, 1986. |
| 1:45.0 | Let us never forget this fundamental truth. |
| 1:48.0 | The state has no source of money other than the money people earn themselves. |
| 1:55.0 | If the state wishes to spend more, it can do so only by borrowing your savings or by taxing you more. And it's |
| 2:03.6 | no good thinking that someone else will pay. That someone else is you. |
... |
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