It was the twelfth edition of the competition limited to British athletes only, launched as an alternative to the AAA Championships, which was open to foreign competitors.
Diana Davies extended her winning streak to three in the women's high jump and Paula Dunn repeated her sprint double of 1987.
Three men defended their 1987 titles: Tony Jarrett (110 m hurdles), Paul Mardle (discus) and Dave Smith (hammer).
[1] The main international track and field competition for the United Kingdom that year was the Olympic Games.
Three UK champions went on to win Olympic silver in Seoul: Linford Christie, Liz McColgan and Fatima Whitbread.