Madness - Driving in My Car

What this video is

Released 16 July 1982 on Stiff Records, 'Driving in My Car' arrived at the peak of Madness's UK chart dominance, becoming their 13th consecutive top-20 hit and peaking at number four. The video, shot in Shepherds Bush and produced by Stiff Records founder Dave Robinson, encapsulates the Nutty Boys' signature blend of slapstick comedy, British working-class street life, and ska-rooted pop. The choice of a Morris…

Why it matters

A defining artifact of the 2-Tone-adjacent British ska-pop moment, the video formalises the Madness visual template — theatrical slapstick, location comedy, ensemble performance — that would influence British pop video production throughout the 1980s. Its cheerful, non-narrative drive-around…

The director

Dave Robinson (born 14 May 1944, Drumcondra, Dublin) is an Irish music executive, video director, record producer, manager, and photographer. Co-founder of Stiff Records with Jake Riviera in 1976, he signed and championed Madness, The Pogues, Elvis Costello,…